Droopy Eyelids - Alternatives to Eyelift Surgery?

Hooding of the upper lids is a fairly common problem with aging. Shrinkage and the downward displacement of the supporting fat pads under the eyebrows, coupled with an overall loss in both the amounts and quality of collagen and elastic fibers are contributing factors.

While blepharoplasty remains the gold standard for treating this problem, many people wish to avoid the expense, risks and downtime of traditional eyelift surgery. For these people, the Ten Minute Eyelift, a minimally invasive technique, offers a viable and quick alternative.

The procedure is simple. The redundant portion of the underside of the hooded area of each upper lid, which is hidden from view, is first marked and then injected with a tiny amount of a local anesthetic.

Next, a heated probe is run along the marked areas until visible shrinkage and retratction of the hooding is observed and the underlying true upper eyelid exposed sufficiently. Once done, the resulting line-like wound is covered with an ointment and is left to heal spontaneously.

Each eyelid takes about five minutes to treat in this fashion, hence the name the Ten Minute Eyelift. Most people return to their daily routines immediately afterward, although some prefer to do so the following day.

Slight swelling, tenderness, and a tiny amount of drainage and scabbing along the treatment line are common and are simply treated by cleaning and the application of a bit of Vaseline or antibiotic ointment. Wounds are generally completely healed in seven to ten days.

A fine, linear scar eventually results, which remains hidden under the remainder of the now shortened and less droopy upper lid.

Overall, patients have been quite gratified by the results and by the ease, rapidity, relative inexpensiveness and lack of need for traditional eyelift surgery.

Many patients come to the office hoping to improve the
appearance of their droopy eyelids. The
most common treatment is upper eyelid surgery.
This removes the excess skin from the upper eyelids and thus improves
the overall appearance of the eyes.

An alternative to surgery is Botox. Botox can be used to elevate the brows, which
will open up the eyes and approve the appearance of your droopy eyelids. This is not a replacement for surgery but is
a great option for patients that are not ready for surgery.

It is important to see a board certified plastic surgeon to
discuss your Botox options. Your surgeon will be able to discuss the advantages
of eyelid surgery versus Botox for treatment of your options. Your surgeon will be able to individualize your
treatment based your desires and anatomy.


Please discuss your treatment with a board certified plastic
surgeon.

Most efficient and usually permanent and cost effective and safest is eyelid surgery.  It takes 20 to 30 minutes ti perform under local or local IV sedation.  Even insurances cover this procedure as gold standard.  Otherwise cost is anywhere from $800 to $1500.

Hi there,
Without seeing any pictures, it can be difficult to advise the most suitable treatment option for your eyelids.
Depending on the severity of your sagging eyelids (either or both upper & lower eyelids), there are a variety of surgical and non-surgical options that can be considered. It's really important to ascertain the elements of your eyelid anatomy which are contributing towards the sagginess that you're perceiving. 
Sometimes in suitable cases with only mild degree of eyelid sagginess and depending on your expectation of preferred enhancement result, a "chemical" brow lift with botox may help to achieve some degree of lateral brow lift in causing a very subtle "lift" of your upper eyelids. Filler injectables can also be considered for reshaping your brow and cheek contour in enhancing and volumising the periorbital structures in optimising the overall facial proportion. Certain laser modalities can also improve the texture of your eyelid skin in generating a "tightening" effect.
In view of various factors involved and also to be guided by the severity of your eyelid condition and your expectation of treatment outcome, it'll be best for you to seek further in depth advice from a Specialist Plastic Surgeon for further assessment.
Hope this helps.
Best wishes
Ellis Choy

Many of the non-surgical upper eyelid lifts have been described by other doctors in this chain. Dysport or Botox can lift the brows which in turn can lift the eyelids. Plasma devices (not currently FDA approved in the U.S.) have shown some modest benefit- they tighten the skin with small injuries using a plasma arc.Eyelid tape or fiber can be applied to the upper eyelid platform to hold the skin up. You can purchase this online. Some people do get sensitivity to the adhesive.

Most people undergo blepharoplasty to remove redundant/hanging skin and fat pads that may herniate. If you have eyelid ptosis, then you need a different procedure to repair the muscle that opens the eyelid. Blepharoplasty and noninvasive treatments won't help with this. The alternatives utilize heat to tighten the dermis to create contraction. This can be very effective for small amounts of skin excess but most patients only see a mild improvement. The blepharoplasty procedure is very well tolerated and can be done in the office in as little as 30-45 minutes. Everyone heals differently but many patients have very little bruising and swelling and can get back to social activities within a few days. If bruising does develop than it may take 7-10 days for that to resolve. Avoiding blood thinners and using Arnica and other supplements can help limit and reduce bruising. I hope this is helpful.

While surgery would always work best (surgery for upper eyelids can be done easily while awake in an office setting), there are ways to improve saggy eyelid without surgery. First of all, Botox injected in the proper way can give a small lift. Also, Ultherapy and other skin tightening procedures can be used to lift the brow some, which will take heaviness off the brow. Finally injections of fat or other filler can be used to fill out a hollow upper eyelid, giving it the appearance of being lifted some.

Thank you for your question.  there are many alternatives to surgery.  The best options are some strategic neuromodulators (i.e. Botox or Dysport)  near the crow's feet area.  These can assist with pulling up the corner of the eye and upper eylid.  In addition, a small amount of soft tissue filler between the upper eyelid and eyebrow can work wonders to restore volume.  Here's a great blog on the subject....

There are multiple alternatives to blepharoplasty:


Botox Brow Lift

Exilis or Thermage Radiofrequency

Mixto Laser Skin Resurfacing

Restylane, Artefill or Juvederm to lift the Brow

Fat transfer to Brow


A complete evaluation is necessary prior to deciding which procedure or mix  of techniques may work best for each client.

 

If the eyebrow is pressing down upon the eyelid, the eyes can be opened by using Botox to lift the brow.  Fillers can be used to improve the volume underlying the brow which can lift and recontour the brow. Exilis, thermage and Mixto can be used to tighten the skin of the eyelid.

 

There are multiple choices and  a well skilled Ocular Plastic Surgeon can help you to make the right choices.  That said my favorite method to rejuvenate the eyelids is laser blepharoplasty - eyelid surgery.  No scalpel blade - the laser helps to remove and recontour the eyelid skin and fat.  The Mixto laser can also be used simultaneously to tighten the skin.

This is an excellent question! There will almost always be a non-surgical option to address issues with the eyelids and the face, though the biggest difference is how effective it is compared to surgery. This will vary widely based on the cause of your issues. If the droopiness is from excess skin, then there are several different types of laser treatments that can tighten this area and even some medical grade skin care products. If the issue is more from "bags" of fluid, then changes in the diet (low sodium, low sugar, etc.) can help minimize how much fluid the body holds on to. If the droopiness is more of a "hollowness" then sometimes this can be addressed with filler, creating a more smooth transition from eyelid to cheek. If the issue is from prolapsed fat or stretched out eye muscles (festoons), then surgery would likely be a more effective option than some of the non surgical adjuncts.
Hope this helps!Kyle Kimura, MDFacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

As a board certified plastic surgeon, I am often asked this question. The technique for improving sagging upper eyelids depends on the degree of loose skin, as well as the goals of the patient. The more loose skin, the more likely that surgery would be the answer. What most patients don’t realize is how quick the recovery is for this surgical procedure, called an “upper blepharoplasty.”. In just eight days, patients can be fully recovered, all sutures removed, resulting in a neat, clean upper eyelid. Most important is to produce a result that does not remove too much skin to produce the dreaded “deer-in-the-headlights” look. This is key -- and being an expert in revision surgery of the face (faces, noses, necks, eyes, chins), the difficulty of revisionary surgery of the upper eyelids is that if a prior surgeon removed too much tissue, or put the incision in the wrong place, there is little that can be done to improve the situation. It’s key to place the incision where it is not easily seen when a patient is in normal expression. When there is a mild or moderate amount of excess skin, there are some non-surgical options such as miconeedling with RF (radiofrequency) that can be helpful. Sometimes, expertly placed Botox can provide a slight lift to the upper-eyelid skin. Threadlifting is another effective, non-surgical approach. I would suggest that you meet with a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss your goals and see what treatment would be best for you.