Non-Surgical Upper/Lower Eyelid Lift

The reasons why the upper eyelid hollows can become more apparent over time include:

• Normal loss of thickness of the eyelid skin and eyelid fat with age
• Normal loss of volume from the brow fat pad with age
• Normal remodeling changes in the bone of the eye socket that occur over time, causing the entire area to enlarge
• Normal loss of soft tissue volume in the eye socket over time, causing the eye to appear somewhat sunken and darker, with the surrounding areas having more shadowing as the underlying rim of bone becomes more visible
• Trauma to the eye socket or surrounding areas, causing an accelerated loss of soft tissue volume in this area of the face—if the bones of the eye socket have ever been broken, this can also cause the eye to appear more sunken
• Ptosis (drooping) of an eyelid, making the eyelid fold appear higher than normal and, in some cases, making it disappear completely (this can also give the appearance of more hollowing in the upper eyelid area)
• Overly aggressive upper eyelid blepharoplasty surgery, with too much removal of fat

There are a handful of rare conditions that can cause an accelerated sunken appearance of the eyes. These conditions can potentially be more serious, and require a full evaluation by a board-certified ophthalmologist, preferably who specializes in oculofacial plastic surgery and the management of orbital diseases.

Dr. Lewen typically performs non-surgical upper/lower eyelid lift as an in-office procedure with most patients experiencing minimal or no discomfort. Some degree of bruising and swelling can be expected after the procedure, but this will vary based on each individual patient.

Every patient is somewhat different in terms of the healing time required after a non-surgical upper/lower eyelid lift procedure. Procedures that require more product volume will typically have slightly more healing time required. Although Dr. Lewen utilizes advanced injection techniques to minimize bruising as much as possible, this can still occur with these injections, and you should also expect some degree of swelling in the treated area afterward. Applying ice to the treated area immediately afterward, and for the first 24 to 48 hours, will significantly reduce the risk of additional bruising and swelling in the area. Arnica, a homeopathic remedy, may also help to alleviate swelling and bruising somewhat faster. There is minimal to no downtime required after non-surgical upper/lower eyelid lift, and you can resume normal exercise 24 hours after treatment.

Please note: Due to the normal thin-skin nature of the upper and lower eyelids, at times, this area of the face tends to show swelling as a result of fluid retention more than some other areas of the body. As such, in order to get the quickest and best results after this treatment, it is generally recommended to make sure that you try to do the simple things to limit general fluid retention immediately after having a non-surgical upper/lower eyelid lift procedure performed.

These steps include:

• Using ice over the treated area for the first 24 to 48 hours
• Making sure to drink enough water (at least eight glasses in 8-ounce measurements of water daily, if not more)
• Trying to limit dietary sodium intake
• Trying to limit alcohol intake (alcohol is a diuretic and can dehydrate you)
• Using over the counter artificial tear drops to control any dry eye issues (even a little bit of dry eyes can cause more swelling in the sensitive eyelid skin)
• Treating any environmental allergies that may be present (again, even a small amount of an allergy response to something in the environment can cause a little extra swelling in the delicate upper and lower eyelids)

Even with the best care, a little swelling in this area can be unavoidable after treatment. It is important to be patient and to remember to allow your body the time it needs for the treatment to fully settle. Although many patients will see results immediately after treatment, you should expect your final results from non-surgical upper/lower eyelid lift to settle in by about one to two weeks after your treatment.

Individual patient anatomy in this area of the face can vary considerably. Depending upon the severity of your volume deficiency, creasing, and the amount of product required to correct this area, most patients will find that the results from non-surgical upper/lower eyelid lift can last for over a year or more. It is important to remember that every person metabolizes facial fillers somewhat differently, and therefore, individual results may last for variable amounts of time. Dr. Lewen usually recommends that his patients schedule a follow-up appointment at about six to nine months after the non-surgical upper/lower eyelid lift to evaluate the area and to determine the best schedule for maintaining your results.

Brightness in the area around the eyes conveys a youthful, energetic, well-rested, and healthy appearance. Conversely, areas of darkness, hollowing, or shadowing in the area around the eyes might falsely make you appear to be tired, weathered, or older than your actual age.

A sunken or hollow appearance of the upper and/or lower eyelid can also be an unwanted result from overly aggressive blepharoplasty. This undesirable outcome can often be avoided if the fat pockets are conservatively sculpted or left undisturbed during blepharoplasty. If too much fat is removed from these areas, it can contribute to a skeletonized appearance where the rim of the eye socket bone may become more visible underneath. This can contribute to the prominence of hollow areas in the upper and lower eyelids just underneath the bone of the eye socket.

Shadowing, hollowing, or darkening of the area around the eyes will eventually shift the primary focal point of the face away from the eyes (the most desirable location), and usually to a lower position, causing people to start to notice more heaviness in areas of the lower face, such as around the mouth, in the nasolabial folds, and near the jawline. An accelerated loss of volume in the eyelids and brows can be due to a combination of factors including: genetics, facial shape, weight, diet, alcohol intake, hormone changes, medical conditions, medications, allergies, environmental stresses (such as sun exposure and smoking), and sleep patterns.

Over time, patients who have certain facial shapes may be bothered by brow deflation or hollows in the upper and/or lower eyelids standing out more, while others may not notice this area troubling them for many years.

A non-surgical upper/lower eyelid lift is an excellent way to add more natural, youthful volume in the brow and upper/lower eyelid areas without the more extensive downtime from surgery. Dr. Lewen’s primary goal with non-surgical upper/lower eyelid lift is to re-establish youthful eyelid shapes, contours, balance, and harmony. By restoring natural and adequate volume to the brow and eyelid hollows, the normal light-reflectance patterns in the area around the eyes will be re-established, and this will often cause the eyes to appear brighter, as well as lessen some of the shadowing effects above the eyes. In many cases, non-surgical upper/lower eyelid lift may be able to give you a significant improvement in the appearance of your brows and eyelid hollows or wrinkling skin without the downtime or commitment of upper eyelid or brow surgery.

Although traditional blepharoplasty may still be required for many patients to achieve the best possible cosmetic result, other patients may simply require volume replacement to achieve a significant cosmetic enhancement of the eyelid and brow areas. For these patients, traditional surgical blepharoplasty may actually have the unwanted effect of adding additional shadowing to the eye areas. In these cases, a surgical approach to correcting the issue may not necessarily be ideal. Even if surgical blepharoplasty is being considered, a more modern approach that includes volume replacement to specific areas is paramount to achieving the best cosmetic result.