I have heavy eyelids and in pictures it looks like I'm about to blink. Is surgery necessary to fix this? I am 31 years old.
Heavy Eyelids. In Picture It Looks Like I'm About to Blink. What Can I Do? (photo)
Doctor Answers 12
Heavy eyelids can be from many causes. As a professional, I only can make a judgement that is correct from better photos--otherwise it is just a guessing game and not in your best interest. Send photos with relaxed both eyes from the front.
The picture submitted is helpful, but a non animated photo would also help. It seems you would benefit from an upper blepharoplasty. Best to consult a Board Certified PS in your area to examine you and determine what is best in your case.
Kind regards,
Dr. H
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Based upon the side type or oblique facial animated view I would recommend an upper lid blepharoplasty. This can improve the excess skin and fat of your upper lids. Best to seek a few in person evaluations from boarded PSs in your area.
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A thorough Blepharoplasty Consultation and work-up are in order for your 31 year old condition. The brows, boney orbit, muscle, connective tissue, fat and skin will all be addressed and evaluated. Perhaps an upper eyelid blepharoplasty may be just what the doctor ordered.
Heavy eyelids are typically the result of excess skin and fat on the upper lids. Brow position also determines the amount of hooding that is present. If extra skin is present and is touching the eyelashes, an upper blepharoplasty would be the best choice.
As a board certified Oculofacial Cosmetic Surgeon practicing in New York, I can say based on your description that you either have excess skin on/above your upper eyelid OR weak levator muscles of your eyelids (ptosis). Pictures would better help, but you must consult with a qualified surgeon who can best determine what kind of blepharoplasty candidate you are: upper eyelift surgery OR ptosis surgery.
Learn more: http://prasadcosmeticsurgery.com/prasad-face-eyes/eyelifts/upper-eyelift-surgery/
This is impossible to ascertain without photos of your face without smiling so the eyebrow position as well as upper eyelids can be evaluated. Better yet, would be for you to have a few consultations with plastic and cosmetic surgeons that understand and follow the proper aesthetics of facial beauty for the creation of a naturally, more attractive face.
It does appear that you have fullness of the upper eyelids, however there are three possible (best) treatment options that will require an in person evaluation of the eyebrow position in order to ascertain which is appropriate in your particular case.
With you seated, the eyebrows must be placed in the proper aesthetic position, on each side, and the following evaluation performed. Based on what is found, the best-option treatment would be as follows.
1. The eyebrows are raised to their proper aesthetic position and the amount of upper eyelid fullness remains unchanged. This means that your eyebrows are not low and therefore do not contribute to the upper eyelid fullness. In this case, an Upper Eyelid Surgery is the suggested treatment to remove the excess skin and fat of the upper eyelids.
2. The eyebrows raised into the proper position and all the upper eyelid fullness is gone. In this scenario, all the upper eyelid fullness is due to low eyebrows and the suggested treatment is a Brow Lift to raise them into the proper aesthetic position. In this case, an Upper Eyelid Surgery is contraindicated as removing any upper eyelid skin would cause the eyebrows to drop further.
3. The eyebrows are raised into the proper aesthetic position and some, but not all, of the upper eyelid fullness disappears. In this mixed scenario, you would several options. First, the amount of excess upper eyelid skin remaining, when the brows are raised in the evaluation, could be removed with an Upper Eyelid Surgery...not more or you'd risk dropping the eyebrows. You could elect to raise the eyebrows with a Brow Lift alone that would place the eyebrows into the proper aesthetic position but would leave some excess fullness in the upper eyelids. Lastly, you could decide to treat both issues with a Brow Lift to raise the eyebrows and an Upper Eyelid Surgery to remove the remaining amount of upper eyelid fullness.
In women, upper eyelid fullness must always be evaluated in person, in this manner in order to determine the correct treatment. Hope this helps.
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There could be anumber of different causes to your problem, each one with a different answer to yoour question. Please resubmit your question with photos for the best answer.
A droopy eyelid [ptosis] is very different than excess upper eyelid skin [heavy skin fold] or a droopy eyebrow.
The surgery to correct these problems are vastly different, and do not be fooled, by "all you need is to have a little skin removed".
An experienced surgeon will be able to differentiate between these subtleties. An evaluation by an ASOPRS trained Oculoplastic surgeon would be ideal. Find one on ASOPRS dot org in your area.
Good luck
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Without seeing a photo of you it is all a bit speculative, however, I will give my opinion based on your description.
First, is this condition only visible in photos? If so, you may just have an over-reaction to the flash and actually be blinking.
If the condition is present when you are examining yourself in the mirror, looking straight forward in a relaxed state, then you might have levator ptosis. This is a condition where the muscle (levator palpebrae muscle) that opens the eye has a poor attachment to the eyelid. This condition can be acquired with age or it can be congenital (born with it). At the age of 31 you likely would have a congenital version or partially congenital and partially acquired. Either way, the treatment is surgical and involves shortening and strengthening the attachment between the eyelid muscle and the eyelid itself. Depending on the details, this can be done through the skin on the outside of the eyelid or through the underside of the eyelid (conjunctiva). The operation is generally easy to recover from with little down-time and usually no pain. Success rates are very good with the most common problem being that the two eyes are slightly different afterward.
Learn more: http://www.dr-apo.com
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.
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