Ask Dr. LeRoy: Why Do So Many Patients Have Eyelid Surgery with a Facelift?

Aging isn’t a straightforward process. It happens to each man and woman at different rates and in different ways. For instance, as a double board-certified plastic surgeon for over twenty years, I see some patients who have primarily aged around their jawline, others around their eyebrows, etc. However, people don’t age solely in one area. That’s why every plastic surgery procedure I perform is tailored to the patient’s individual needs. In many cases, this means combining multiple procedures into one to produce comprehensive yet natural-looking results, and one of the most popular combinations includes eyelid surgery and a facelift (or minimally invasive alternatives).

While both eyelid surgery (called blepharoplasty) and a facelift have the goal of making a patient look younger and more refreshed, they complement each other so well because they each focus on different areas. Blepharoplasty can be performed on the lower eyelids (to remove “bags under the eyes”), the upper eyelids (to address “hooded” eyelids caused by sagging skin under the eyebrow), or both. A face lift, on the other hand, is designed to address skin laxity and other aging facial tissue throughout the lower half of the face, such as the cheeks, jawline, and in some cases, under the chin. The areas around the eyes and throughout the mid and lower face are both highly common problem areas, so for many patients, combining eyelid surgery with a facelift can address their two primary concerns in one surgery. This offers them more comprehensive results as well as less recovery time than if the procedures were completed on two separate occasions, because they can heal from both at the same time.

If you want to improve the appearance of both your eyelids and your mid or lower face but are concerned that undergoing both surgeries may be more than you need, you might be a candidate for a less invasive version combining a Band Aid Mini Facelift and Band Aid Blepharoplasty. I developed the Band Aid Facelift and other Band Aid cosmetic surgeries specifically for patients who want a lighter way to achieve more natural-looking results. These procedures use minimally-invasive techniques to produce skillful surgical results with half the cost and half the recovery time of traditional plastic surgeries, all performed in my comfortable office setting using gentle numbing (and conscious sedation if desired) rather than general anesthesia.

Whether the combination of eyelid surgery and a facelift sounds like an ideal remedy for you, or you’re looking for a way to address other concerns like a sagging brow line or excess fat under the chin, schedule a plastic surgery consultation with me, Dr. John L. LeRoy. Or, for more helpful cosmetic surgery information and health news, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.