Blepharoplasty, or cosmetic eye surgery, joined mainstream plastic surgery over seventy years ago but then was practiced with only minor refinement during the ensuing decades.
Twenty-five years ago, a straightforward but major innovation initiated rapid evolution in eyelid surgery technique only to be overtaken near the end of the last century by any number of highly invasive "advances" that at least some oculoplastic surgeons now view as overly enthusiastic.
While aggressive surgery on and around the eyelids will indeed provide a noticeable if not dramatic change, this is not always for the better and may leave the eyes and lids looking harsh, windswept, hollowed, and, paradoxically, less youthful. By trading one eyelid deformity for another, such overworked eye and face lifts can even transform a person's appearance into something it never was.
Just look at today's over-operated celebrities to understand the difference between heroic rejuvenation and controllrestoration.
While ever-evolving, today's best cosmetic blepharoplasty procedures are built around a modern understanding of eyelid and facial aging changes as well as a newfound respect for the perils of disturbing orbital fat and the eyelid's complex system of support.
Baggy upper and puffy lower lids can now be addressed surgically with less tissue disruption, scarring, and loss of function, thereby yielding both a more pleasing enhancement and a safer long-term result.
