Blepharoplasty:

The Definitive Solution to a Youthful, Rested Appearance

Restoring a delicate balance that brings out the best in you -

that is what plastic surgery is all about. When we look at someone's face, we immediately gravitate toward the eyes and the eyelid area, and the appearance of this area may affect our overall impression of the face. If the skin of the eyelids is excessively loose or baggy, the appearance is one of fatigue or puffiness rather than a bright, energetic look. Loose skin of the upper eyelids may droop almost onto the eyelashes, becoming a significant annoyance. Bulging or baggy appearance in the upper or lower eyelid may result from both loose and excess skin as well as from excessive fat deposits bulging forward within the eye socket.

Eyelid deformities may be the result of aging,

or may occur from a heredity predisposition in the family. Excessive bulging or bagginess occurring before age 30 is usually a result of hereditary family characteristics. With aging, the tissues which support the eyelid become looser, allowing fat within the eye socket to bulge forward and produce bags. The aging process causes further loosening in the skin above the upper and lower eyelids, contributing to a wrinkled and bagging appearance.

As excess skin and bags develop in the upper eyelid the normal lid fold becomes less apparent.

The lid sags downward and covers the normally visible portion of the upper eyelid crease. In women, obliteration of the upper eyelid crease precludes optimum use of eye shadow and other make-up techniques which enhance the upper eyelid. In men, the same deformities produce a heavy, tired appearance.

In the lower eyelids, bagging results from fat bulging forward as well as from excessive skin looseness.

Bagging of the lower eyelids is extremely apparent, cannot be camouflaged by any make-up technique, and produces a stressed or tired appearance.

Correction of both upper and lower eyelid deformities

involves precise removal of appropriate amounts of excess skin and fat. This surgical procedure is called BLEPHAROPLASTY.

Blepharoplasty may be performed as an isolated procedure or in conjunction with other facial cosmetic procedures.

By performing the surgery under a general anesthetic, Dr. Tebbetts can give the patient an incredible amount of control and predictability. The less bleeding and oozing a patient has during surgery, the less bruising and swelling the patient will experience after surgery. To take this process one step further, Dr. Tebbetts uses electrocautery dissection techniques that allow him to conduct a virtually bloodless operation. For the patient, this means a smoother, faster recovery. To perform the surgery, tiny incisions are made in the crease of the upper lid and directly beneath the lash line of the lower lid. There are tiny little stitches in these locations that are removed five days following the procedure. In most patients, at five days post op most of the bruising has dissipated and the swelling is reduced to a manageable minimum. The only restrictions Dr. Tebbetts places on Blepharoplasty patients are to avoid eye make-up until the stitches are removed and to avoid aerobic activity for two weeks following surgery. In terms of pain and discomfort to the patient, Blepharoplasty is the easiest cosmetic procedure Dr. Tebbetts performs while yielding dramatic results and improvements for his patients.

The purpose of all types of cosmetic surgery is to restore the essential balance and proportion

that bring out the best in you. By addressing and improving those specific areas which detract from your appearance and leaving the positive aspects undisturbed, this type of surgery in effect improves the negatives, leaves the positives and results in an overall improvement in your appearance.

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Dr. John B. Tebbetts is a board certified plastic surgeon

who specializes in cosmetic surgery of the face and body and breast reconstruction following mastectomy. He currently practices in Dallas and Longview, Texas. The emphasis of Dr. Tebbetts' practice and clinical research is increasing the level of scientific thought and technical perfection in plastic surgical procedures. His latest development is an anatomically shaped, textured saline breast implant that is currently on the market and changing the way both patients and surgeons think about breast augmentation surgery.

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