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Traditional Blepharoplasty Vs Laser Blepharoplasty for Eye Bags?

asked 3 years ago by Stephie in Pasadena, CA
Latest answer by Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS
Question viewed 24,863 times
Tags: age 45-54, under eyes, female, comparison, eye bags

I am turning 50 next month and want to have an undereye procedure to remove the bags under my eyes. I've seen two plastic surgeons. One suggested laser blepharoplasty and the other an under eye incision. I'm confused now. Is laser blepharoplasty better than undereye surgery? I would appreciate any suggestions or clarification regarding these two procedures.

18 answers to Traditional Blepharoplasty Vs Laser Blepharoplasty for Eye Bags?

Laser blepharoplasty vs transconjunctival vs subciliary vs cheeklift

The laser offers no proven benefits when used as a cutting tool except slower healing. Of the options for your lower eyelids, if there is just a small amount of puffiness, transconjunctival (from inside the eyelid) reduction in fat combined with a peel of the lower lids or CO2 laser resurfacing conservatively for the entire face to avoid color changes should be considered. In patients with a great deal of undereye skin, we have found that a limited incision superficial cheeklift, often with... more

Brent Moelleken, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

www.drbrent.com

Happy Birthday! There are many ways to treat undereye bags

Hello, you look great. The best "plastic surgery" is smiling, and your smile makes you look very young. Now as far as your under eye area - it is difficult to advise you based on this picture alone. If you have minimal fat under your eyes then a fractionated carbon dioxide laser such as Fraxel re:pair gives great results alone. If you have excessive skin, then it can be combined with a skin "pinch" excision. If you have a lot of fat protrusion then a transconjunctival... more

Michael A. Persky, MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

Traditional Blepharoplasty Vs Laser Blepharoplasty for Eye Bags?

Good question, and some basic definitions would help here. "Traditional" blepharoplasty probably refers to making an incision just underneath your eyelashes with a knife, taking out the fat pockets, and then removing the excess skin. This method leaves a scar underneath the lower eyelid, and is probably still the most common method of lower eyelid blepharoplasty. The other method of treating lower eyelid fat is through a transconjunctival incision (making... more

Ramtin Kassir, MD
New York Facial Plastic Surgeon

Blepharoplasty

If you have a hammer then all the world is a nail! Those that have a laser to cut through the skin will want to use it at every opportunity. It is a great marketing tool, but no better than doing it traditionally. The laser just cuts through the tissue a little differently. Both can give great results. Go with the doctor that you feel most comfortable with, and that has a good track record.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

"Laser Blepharoplasty" may be a marketing gimmick

There are two things your doctor may have meant when he recommended "laser blepharoplasty." He may have been referring to using a fractionated laser, such as Fraxel, that will rejuvenate the skin beneath your eye. This is a very easy and straightforward procedure since it involves no incisions, and your healing time will be very fast. Your doctor may have meant using a laser to make the incision for a lower Blepharoplasty. If this is the case it is probably a... more

Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Traditional Blepharoplasty Vs Laser Blepharoplasty for Eye Bags?

Laser Blepharoplasty is a confusing term because it does not describe what is being done with the laser. Similarly, what is traditional Blepharoplasty? I would guess that is cutting the eyelid through a skin incision. In any case, from your photos I don't believe you need a skin incision. I would think a transconjunctival blepharoplasty would suffice. If you have eyelid skin crepiness that you want to address, laser resurfacing would be a good option.... more

Sam Goldberger, MD
Beverly Hills Oculoplastic Surgeon

www.neweyelids.com

Laser transconjunctival lower blepharoplasty and laser upper lid surgery has many advantages

I respect the other opinions expressed above. However I have used the laser blepharoplasty exclusively for almost 14 years in over 2400 blepharoplasty cases and have my own opinion about the benefits which were published in my 2000 article in the plastic surgery journal: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11039385 Recent studies in Asia have also confirmed the benefits of laser blepharoplasty and in that study concluded that laser blepharoplasty was superior. The benefits of the laser are... more

Brooke R. Seckel, MD
Boston Plastic Surgeon

www.drseckel.com

Choose surgeon not approach

Both approaches can provide good results. The more important step is to find a surgeon that you trust and understands your objectives.

Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS
West Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon

www.drkrisreddy.com

Laser vs. cautery vs. scalpel for blepharoplasty

There have been many articles published on which is superior for blepharoplasty, and most have shown no difference at 2-3 weeks post-op. Laser and cautery can cause slightly more swelling, but less bruising in my experience. I prefer electric cautery for its low expense, but improved hemostasis. The surgeon's skill at manipulating tissue planes and properly closing wounds is the key to a successful outcome.

Matheson A. Harris, MD
Salt Lake City Oculoplastic Surgeon

Laser Blepharoplasty is a Marketing Term

The first thing that should be understood is that the laser and the scalpel are both surgical tools which can be used to perform upper or lower eyelid Blepharoplasty. Does the use of a laser lead to a superior result? No. If anything, the thermal energy associated with the CO2 laser will lead to a greater amount of swelling. What is most important is the Surgeon performing the procedure.

Stephen Prendiville, MD
Fort Myers Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.drprendiville.com

When is a Laser Blepharoplasty Indicated?

A laser blepharoplasty has no distinct wound healing or improved scar advantages over a traditional, scalpel blepharoplasty. There is no scientific evidence to show that one is better than the other both in post operative wound healing and swelling. In summary, a laser blepharoplasty is mainly used as a marketing advantage for removing redundant upper and lower eyelid skin.

Rod J. Rohrich, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Lower blepharoplasty with lasers

I think the confusion is bases on how your surgeon plans on making incisions(using a laser or not). There are some differences in terms of length of edema,etc with lasers. The real question based on your photo is whether you need a lower blepharoplasty at all. If you have "puffiness" then blepharoplasty is appropriate. If,though, you have hollowness, then placing a filler, like, restylane is more appropriate.

Sandy Sule, MD
Dallas Facial Plastic Surgeon

Lasers in blepharoplasty

Many patients ask me if I use lasers for cosmetic surgery, specifically, blepharoplasty. The short answer is no, I use a cutting cautery method that I believe has many advantages over the laser as a cutting tool. I have summarized my reasons for this choice below. I have been using lasers in medicine since 1980. I currently use lasers when I feel that their use has unique advantages for the patient, such as laser skin resurfacing and laser vision correction. A few surgeons describe... more

Richard Weiss, MD
Newport Beach Oculoplastic Surgeon

Laser v. traditional blepharoplasty

My advise is to go to the surgeon who suggested doing an incision under the eyelid. There is no difference in the technique. One surgeon is going to make his skin incision with a knife and the other is going to make his incision with a laser. The way I see it . One is going to cut you and the other is going to burn you. Take your pick. I feel that the burn (laser) is going to cause more tissue damage to the skin edges. The advertisement of the... more

Gary H. Manchester, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

www.manchesterclinic.com

We should consider both of these are surgical procedures

We should consider both of these are surgical procedures. The laser assists when making incisions. Lasers can also improve the eyelid skin by tightening the skin and reducing fine lines. Incisions from laser show no difference than traditional incisions.

David R. Stephens, MD
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Various techniques for lower eyelid surgery

Lower eyelid surgery (Blepharoplasty) is one of the more difficult operations. I have seen the various techniques achieve similar results.Therefore, as long as your surgeon has made the correct evaluation of your problems and provides the proper operation to correct these problems, you should get a good result. Selecting your surgeon is important; your surgeon should be have a conservative and effective technique for treating the lower eyelid. The general trend in lower blepharoplasty is... more

Daniel Reichner, MD
Newport Beach Plastic Surgeon

The issue should be transconjunctival vs transcutaneous blepharoplasty

The question is not whether laser is best option. The real question is, should you undergo a transconjunctival blepharoplasty (through the inner aspect of the lower eyelid) or a transcutaneous technique (through the skin)? A transconjuntival technique is a fine option if you only desire to remove or redrape some fat with or without laser resurfacing of the skin. The trancutaneous technique will allow you to address the fat, muscle, and overlying skin all at once. Most patients in their 40's... more

Sanjay Grover MD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Many surgeons favor a posterior transconjunctival approach

I suspect that the different suggestions had to do with where the incision might be placed. The plastic surgeon offering the laser blepharoplasty may have been discussing a transconjunctival approach to the lower eyelid herniated fat. Another approach is a lower eyelid skin crease incision. Much depends, as has been discussed, with what the problem is.Many now favor a posterior transconjunctival approach which can be accomplished with a CO2 laser, cutting cautery, etc. Fat can then be... more