How Common Are Long-Term Effects of Blepharoplasty - Especially Sunken Eyes?

I am 53 and planning lower and upper blepharoplasty in a couple of months. My concern is that in the years to come my eyes will look hollow, skull like. How common is such outcome? Should I worry about it?

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age 45-54 eyes lower eyelids upper eyelids hollows sunken eyes side effects

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7 Doctor Answers | Asked by LeaS in Kansas City

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Sunken eyes after blepharoplasty

During the blepharoplasty procedure only a conservative amount of fat should be removed or else a sunken eyed appearance will result. It is important not to take too much skin out of the upper lids so that you can close your eyelids and not to have scleral show. Make sure your surgeon has performed thousands of blepharoplasty and eyelid surgeries.

Avoiding a hollow look after blepharoplasty

Your question shows that you are very informed! It is important for the surgeon not to over resect the eyelid fat. A hollow lid looks not just old, but also unhealthy. Make sure your surgeon checks your brow level. Sometimes a patient's fat and skin is over resected to try to compensate for a too low brow. Not a good thing. A brow lift is sometimes all that is needed for a "crowded" upper lid. I do almost all of my lower lids... more

Excess fat removal can lead to an older appearance

Current techniques are appropriately more conservative regarding fat removal as hollow, sunken eyes are a sign of advanced age. In fact, you can ask your surgeon directly how much fat he intends to remove to get an idea of how aggressive his technique may be. I have, at times, recommended adding fat by micro-transfers to bring back the fat of youthful eyelids with nice results.

Sunken eyes after blepharoplasty

Sunken eyes can happen if patients are prone and they had over resection of fat in the lower lid. Hard to say for you without an evaluation.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Long-Term Effects of Blepharoplasty

It is best to see the surgeon in personal evaluation show you can be examined and given informed consent to all the risks/benefits. Your question is concerning shunken eyes, that is a very rare complication.

You should focus on what you are looking to accomplish.

So much depends on your actual anatomic details. As indicated by Dr. Cohen, over done surgery does cause a rash of issues. Being conservative with surgery or avoiding surgery altogether prevents a lot of the complications associated with eyelid surgery. It is important to understand that there are several types of surgeons who offer cosmetic eyelid surgery: general plastic surgeons, facial plastic surgeons, and oculoplastic surgeons. Without a doubt oculoplastic... more

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD

8 reviews

Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon

In Eyelid surgery fat removal should be done with caution

We have learned that removing too much fat during blepharoplasty gives an aged and unnatural look. For that reason fat should be removed in a very conservative fashion or, for many people, not removed at all. Whether fat should be removed, or how much fat needs to be removed, should be determined in consultation with a well experienced and skilled eyelid surgeon. I would discuss your concerns about "over-correction" with him or her... more