Is It Safe to Get a Blepharoplasty in the Doctor's Office?

Dear Brook607
There is nothing wrong with having blepharoplasty in an office operating room environment. The key is your comfort level. Personally I favor performing eyelid surgery with my patient awake so I can judge the effect of the upper blepharoplasty. WIth the patient awake the eye can be open and closed and the effect of tightening the eyelid platform skin and its effect on lifting the eyelashes can be assessed. Believe me, this can not be done if the eyelid surgery is perform when the patient is asleep.
On the other hand, if I know that a given person will need a certain level of sedation to be comfortable or if there are heal issues, I will often recommend that surgery be performed at the surgery center. I am on staff at the UCLA Medical Center which is a fantastic resource and provides a level of safety that no office operating room can match. Performing surgery there certainly costs a little more than in the office setting but it is not worth compromising safety.

Blepharoplasty-- upper and lower eyelid surgery, can be done safely in the office with local anesthesia. However, you should talk to your surgeon speficially about your situation, and have him review your medical history to determine if there are any factors to consider.

Hi Brook,
Thank you for your question.
It depends on the exact procedure that is being done. Some procedures can be done under local anesthesia and therefore, can be performed in the office.
However, other procedures may require sedation to make the procedure more comfortable for the patient. This would require a more advanced surgical room with nurses and surgical assistants.
I would speak with your board certified plastic surgeon to be sure your safety isn't at stake here.
Bottom line - do not proceed with anything you do not feel completely comfortable with.
Thanks for your question. Have a great day!

In most states office based surgery is regulated if more than mild sedation is given. If your surgery is done with local anesthesia or local plus mild oral sedation it may not be regulated.
Upper blepharoplasty is a low risk and usually low pain procedure so if you are not being given IV sedation it can be safely done in an office setting. If you have a medical history or low pain tolerance you may want to have IV sedation given in which case you should be monitored in an accredited office based or ambulatory surgery center.
The largest accreditation organization for outpatient surgery is the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) with over 4000 facilities accredited.
Members of the American Academy of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery are required by membership standards to perform surgery only in Accredited facilities if more than mild sedation is administered.
Disclosure: Dr. Gentile is member of the Board of Directors of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) and serves on its Standards Committee.

Surgical procedures are best performed in a Medicare-certified surgery center. Removing fat from the eyelids tends to be very painful and uncomfortable, so sedation is required. When sedation is required, instrumentation for heart rate, oxygen, and blood pressure all need to be performed, which is best done in a surgery center, not in an office setting.