In this Consultant Q&A video, Mr Charles Nduka addresses three key questions about blepharoplasty, just one of his areas of expertise.
He highlights the difference between an eye lift and brow lift, explaining how each procedure works, who they’re best for, and what results you can expect. He also walks us through the healing process after blepharoplasty and explains how your sleep position can impact your eye area.
Q1. What is the difference between a brow lift and an eye lift?
Sometimes it can be difficult to recognise when a person needs a brow lift or an eye lift. With a brow lift, the distance between the pupil to the top of the brow is typically less than 20 millimetres. If that's the case, then maybe a brow lift is the better operation. Alternatively, an eyelid surgery can be done to lift the brow at the same time, and that gives a much more aesthetic, much more harmonious result.
Q2. What can I expect during recovery from eye lift surgery?
Eyelid surgery is the most common operation eye perform, and people often ask about the recovery period and is it painful? Well, the good news is that patients often have two paracetamols after surgery and thereafter no more. It's not a painful operation, although sometimes the bruising can be present for about a week or so.
The operation's done under local anaesthetic as a walk-in walkout procedure, patients have some cream put on to make the skin less sensitive for the injection. The injection takes a minute or two to be numb like a dental injection, and thereafter the operation is totally pain free. Patients can expect to go back to work typically after a week or so. Maybe they need to put some makeup on, which can happen straight after the sutures come out, and then they can expect to go back to their normal activities thereafter. Sports and things maybe a bit longer because otherwise you'll get swelling, which can cause the result to not be as optimum.
Q3. How does sleep affect your appearance?
What's the one thing you do every day that has a negative impact on your future appearance? It's sleeping on your side. When you lie on one side, predominantly all night, that's one third of your life, essentially eight hours if you sleep all day, that causes pressure from the pillow pushing down on your brow, stretching the soft tissues, and eventually causing the brow to droop on one side more than the other. Now, eventually, that causes the skin to seem loose on the outer part of the brow, and many patients complain that they can't apply makeup. It's difficult to see from the upper outer part of the visual field, and it means the surgeon needs to be both aware of this and to address both sides appropriately to avoid postoperative asymmetry.
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