Lower Eyelid Surgery / Lower Blepharoplasty

Newport Beach, Orange County, CA

Lower Eyelid Surgery / Lower Blepharoplasty Information Resource for Southern California including Orange County, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and San Diego.

Overview of Lower Blepharoplasty

Eyes are the focal point of one's face. They are the first thing people notice and are the key to facial expression. This is the main reason why so many people seek cosmetic eyelid surgery. We hear over and over again, My eyes always look tired and old even when I feel wide awake. This is very profound because often if you look old and tired you will feel the same way. How many times have you dressed up and prepared to go out feeling good about yourself only to look in the mirror to see that your eyes look older than you feel. The reason is that during the aging process the region around your eyes shows the effects of aging much sooner than other areas.

In the attractive, youthful lower eye lid, the lateral canthus should be higher than the medial canthus. The lower lid should just touch the colored part of the eye.

Aging affects the entire face but usually affects the eye region earliest. The reason for this is because early in life there is a large amount of fat surrounding the eyes. You can verify this yourself by looking at the cheeks of a newborn. They are round and full of fat. As we age, this fat will either descend downward on the face or may go away completely. When this happens, it exposes the underlying facial skeleton resulting in the familiar gaunty appearance that we recognize as aging. Also, the fat and underlying muscles act as a filler creating the volume seen in the cheeks of youth. When this filler descends or goes away we see wrinkling. This process is similar to a grape which turns into a raisin when the water is removed.

Skin With Aging

Muscles With Aging

In the past, eyelid rejuvenation was based on tightening the skin via skin excision. This has changed dramatically in the past decade. Today, well trained plastic surgeons realize that skin excision is just a piece of the facial rejuvenation puzzle. In fact, there are four major components that make up the face. 1) Skin. 2) Fat. 3) Muscle. 4) Bone.

When Dr. Cruise examines a lower eyelid during consultation he evaluates all four components. Drawing on his experience, he determines which component or components is/are causing the problem and what is the best way to correct it.

Before and After Lower Blepharoplasty

The importance of the underlying fat and muscle has been revolutionary in the field of plastic surgery over the last 10 years. It is no longer acceptable to think of eyelid rejuvenation as merely a procedure to tighten the skin.This is why Dr. Cruise feels it is so important to correct the problem itself and not just the effects of the problem. He advocates not removing fat but rather repositioning it back to where it once was. Reposition cheek fat is called a Cheek Lift and it can be done at the same time as a lower blepharoplasty. Once again, not everyone needs a cheek lift. This is determined during your consultation.

Fat With Agingtext to prevent overlaping

Another contributing factor to the appearance of old age within the eye region is the fact that the lower eyelid, especially toward the temple region, begins to descend. This gives a depressed, sad appearance. This is much different than the appearance that one had when he/she was younger. The lower eyelid of youth has a bright, elegant appearance with the lateral aspect being higher than the nasal aspect. Dr. Cruise feels that it is important to address this issue. Often, he will elevate the lateral portion of the lower eyelid to re-create that youthful, almond-shape appearance. This is a powerful and very effective maneuver and is well worth the additional time.

Eyelid surgery alone will not correct crow's feet. It will help but often a concurrent brow-lift and/or face-lift is necessary. Dr. Cruise, however, is able to reduce it significantly during his eyelid surgery by repositioning the underlying fat and muscle into a more youthful position.

It is often very useful to perform fat transplantation, as well as either chemical peeling or laser skin resurfacing, in addition to eyelid surgery. This allows Dr. Cruise to address all the components associated with aging around the eye. Remember, the aging eyelid is a result of problems within the skin, muscle, and fat.