Eyelid Surgery to Correct Protruding Lacrimal Gland?

If you are seeing an oculoplastic surgeon then he is likely very well qualified to know the indications for the removal of your skin, and potentially resuspending your lacrimal gland. Honestly, I would only go to a diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgery or an Oculoplastic surgeon. It is the simplest thing to suspend but over a period of a few years, the difficult thing is for it to stay. Although placing a suture on the inner surface of the orbit is very, very simple, the gland's tendency is for it to drop. Sometimes, the gland can be partially transected IF it's the problem.
As stated earlier, the skin must be opened first then he'll need to dissect through the orbicularis muscle to see what's inside. It kind of looks like you have prominent eyes, if that's the case then you may have somewhat dry eyes - that all needs to be evaluated and your oculoplastic surgeon has likely already taken all of this into consideration.
Best Wishes,
DoctorMeade

Plastic surgeons occasionally encounter patients who have prominent lacrimal glands. This can occur for a variety of reasons including enlargement and malposition of the gland. These problems can result in significant aesthetic deformities. For this reason, patients frequently request treatment of these problems.It's unusual for someone who's only 21 to have this type of problem. Under these circumstances, it's appropriate to undergo a medical evaluation to rule out systemic disease processes. This evaluation may require blood work, CT scans and possibly MRI studies.It's normal for patients to be nervous about this type of problem. For this reason, it's important to do your homework and consult a board certified plastic surgeon with experience in this area. This surgeon should be able to formulate a treatment plan and hopefully, alleviate your anxiety.

Thanks for the photo. It sounds like you have done a good job in selecting a surgeon with the qualifications to address your problem. I would recommend that you revisit with your oculoplastic surgeon and ask any additional questions, have him/her review the procedure and discuss his/her experience with the procedure. Once you have reached a comfort level with that surgeon's qualification and the manner that he/she will handle your issue it is okay to proceed. It is very normal to be a bit nervous before surgery.
I hope this is helpful.

Dear Gaps
It would be very unusual for someone who is 21 to have lacrimal gland prolapse. Also you have abnormal upper eyelid creases in the area of eyelid fullness. I think before you have yourself ready to go for cosmetic eyelid surgery, someone needs to figure out why you lacrimal glands are enlarged. There are a few causes and you need to have the eyelid surgery work you up for conditions like Sarcoid and a few others.
It might be appropriate to obtain a CT scan to determine how large the glands are and other features of the gland. A biopsy of one of the glands may also be appropriate before settling on an eyelid treatment. Once the cause has been determined and any appropriate treatment has been undertaken then it might be reasonable to surgically address any remaining issues. However, an appropriate work up is what should be done first.

Hi Gapsfinest4eva - It appears as though you have a combination of excess skin and protruding lacrimal glands of your upper eyelids. The lacrimal gland is stitched up to the bone around the eyes to hold it up and in place. The excess skin is then trimmed off. The recovery is pretty easy with minimal discomfort. Good luck!