How Long Does an Upper Eyelid Surgery Usually Take?

Hi Brooke,
Upper blepharolplasty should take about one hour to perform unless there are complicating factors. The procedure is usually done under local anesthesia in an office treatment room to avoid the costs of an anesthesiologist and the operating room.
If you are being charged for 3 hours of operating room time I would definitely question your surgeon. The eyelids require meticulous attention to get consistantly excellent results. You do not want your surgeon racing against the clock, yet on theother hand you do not want someone "mucking around" for an uneccessary amount of time either.
They are your lids for the rest of your life so time should be one of the least important considerations in choosing your surgeon. If you trust your surgeon and like his/her results then a little extra time is not important.
Sorry, I have to run, this answer is taking way too long.
Good luck and be well.
Dr. P

Normally, the upper eyelid blepharoplasty under local anesthesia would take 45-50 minutes. I am not sure what anyone would do for three hours during an upper lid blepharoplasty.

When upper lid blepharoplasty is performed by an experienced plastic surgeon, it usually takes between 45 minutes and one hour. It would be unusual for this procedure to take three hours, unless combined with other procedures. Although surgical times are important, they're not the only consideration. It's also important that your surgeon has appropriate credentials and experience performing this procedure.

The length of a blepharoplasty or eyelid procedure will depend on the complexity of the surgery. On average an upper blepharoplasty will take from 1 to 2 hours, less than 30-45 minutes is a short length of time. There is a great deal of individual variation in eyelids and good surgery requires a meticulous attention to detail including measurements and time. It is important that your surgeon takes adequate time to complete the surgery cautiously and without rushing. Combined upper and lower blepharoplasty takes on average 2 and half hours. The other consideration is type of anaesthesia as local anaesthesia generally requires a slightly longer surgery, as further anaesthesia is added during the surgery which can take additional time. Dr. De Silva allows a minimum of 2-hours for most eyelid procedures and allows additional time to ensure the best possible result. For more complex blepharoplasty including laser resurfacing and combination treatments including fat transfer and canthopexy additional time may be required up to 3-hours.

Typical upper blepharoplasty times are under one hour. Only a few minutes is added if fat needs to be removed. If additional procedures are being performed through the upper blepharoplasty incision, this may take additional time. Corrugator myotomies can be performed as well as other procedures. Be sure to discuss with your surgeon exactly what procedure he is performing.

Dear Brook
I like you surgeon and I don't even know who it is. Speed is really unimportant. What is important is doing meticulous work and not having a crowded surgery schedule compromise the care that is provided to each and every patient. If you don't think that surgeons compromise what they do to get through a busy or schedule, think again. It happens all the time. I would much rather have a surgeon who is focused on what they are doing for me and not focused on the clock and the last case of the day.
I have a colleague in my community who boasts that he does a four eyelid blepharoplasty or quad bleph (both upper eyelids and both lower eyelids) in 30 minutes. I have seen him operate and it is true. Believe me when I tell you that you do not want to have your blepharoplasty done in 30 minutes! This surgery will hopefully last if not a life time certainly for years and years. What difference does it matter if the surgery takes an extra 30 to 60 minutes. It is much better to get it right.
The overall effect of an of a blepharoplasty is very much determined by a multitude of small details each of which requires thought and attention. Compromise this and the result is a mediocre surgical result at best. Many surgeons performing eyelid surgery lack a sufficient understanding of these issues to even know what they are missing.
You have probably heard the expression measure twice and cut once. When I do an upper blepharoplasty, I measure and design my planned skin incision during the preoperative examination which can take an hour not including the consent process. Just prior to surgery, I will make some preliminary eyelid marks in the preoperative holding area.
Once I have placed local anesthetic in the eyelid in the operating room, I let the tissues settle for 15 minutes. Then, I remeasure the design of the skin excision with a caliper. It is critical that the lowest incision of the blepharoplasty be marked at exactly the same place on each eyelid above the eyelashes. The shape of the upper excision mark is also very important and warrants the same type of meticulous attention. It is not at all unusual for me to spend 20 or 30 minutes getting this right and that is before I have even picked up a scalpel!
Many surgeons think that blepharoplasty is only about cutting out skin and fat. They are not great eyelid surgeons. Little details have great consequences such as when the skin excision is performed does one remove both the skin and the underlying muscle or just the skin alone (indiscriminate removal of the underlying muscle unnecessarily weakens the ability of the eyelid to blink). How much fat is appropriate to take?(Not nearly as much as we used to take)
Many patients presenting for blepharoplasty have a degree of upper eyelid ptosis because there is slippage of the upper eyelid tendon. To tighten the tendon, the deeper eyelid structures need to be exposed. To support the eyelid platform and the upper eyelid lashes so they perk up with surgery, it is necessary to identify this tendon and reconnect the cut edge of the eyelid platform with the tendon, a procedure call anchor blepharoplasty. Lower eyelid surgery considerations are even more complicated.
So when you surgeon says that it might take 1 1/2 to 3 hours to do your upper eyelid surgery they are absolutely correct. A thoughtfully performed upper blepharoplasty can easily require this much time. Let them take all the time they need for you.
Dr. Steinsapir

Dear Brook,
As an isolated procedure, I typically reserve a 1 hour slot at the Ambulatory Care Center. This allows for placement of an IV, mild sedation, and operating time.
I hope this helps, and best regards.

Hi there! Thanks for that question. Now, generally, upper eyelid surgery may take just about 45 minutes the fastest and an hour or the longest. This is a general time frame though and this is considering that there are no other procedures that will be done together with blepharoplasty or that there are no other complicating factors that your plastic surgeon is considering. While it is truly unusually for blepharoplasty to consume 3 hours of time, you may also consider other factors like, “Are there other procedures planned together with this?”, “Is the evaluation complicated by other factors?”, or “Are there special considerations mentioned by your plastic surgeon?” Surgical time is very important. You do not want your plastic surgeon rushing the procedure. You also do not want your surgeon to work on you ever so slowly. In this light, consider discussing your options only with board certified plastic surgeons to minimize risks of experiencing surgery after effects.

Blepharoplasty usually takes about 1 hour or less to complete. I usually perform this procedure either under IV sedation or general anesthesia.

Upper eyelid surgery can include blepharoplasty, fat excision or transposition, as well as ptosis surgery. These are delicate surgeries that may take good time for both the young and seasoned surgeon to perform properly. This includes preoperative markings/drawings, local anesthesia, I trapper active adjustments, and others...The range of time per eyelid depends on the needs of the patient and the number of eyelid to be worked upon. A conservative estimate of 20 minutes to 60 minutes per eyelid (upper, lower, left, right) depending on a multiple factors.  Again, I would not worry about the timing but rather what your goals may be when discussing what all goes into eyelid surgery.