Description
Dr. Emilio Justo explains laser eyelid surgery that helps remove excess or baggy skin around the eye. This procedure can be completed alone or in conjunction with other cosmetic procedures designed to rejuvenate the youthfulness of your face. In addition to functional improvement, laser eyelid surgery can improve patients' lives by giving them more confidence and greater self-esteem.
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DR. EMILIO JUSTO: Laser eyelid surgery, also known as laser blepharoplasty is using the CO2, or carbon dioxide laser, as a method of removing the excess baggy skin and/or fatty tissue in the upper or lower eyelids. Since the mid 1990’s, I have been using the CO2 laser exclusively for all of my blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgeries, which makes this extraordinarily unique, as there are really very few offices that have the laser full-time within their office, to be able to use it. By removing that excess baggy skin on the upper lids, most patients notice a tremendous improvement in their peripheral vision. Additionally, they notice that their eyes don’t feel as heavy or tired. Their eye strain, brow strain, and sometimes even headaches, can be relieved immensely. By removing the fatty pockets in the lower lids, much of the puffiness can be removed and it gives patients a much more rejuvenated and refreshed appearance which ultimately gives them a much higher degree of self-confidence and self-esteem. And especially those individuals who are searching for new positions or new work, it makes them feel much better about themselves. Laser eyelid surgery typically takes approximately 20-30 minutes for both upper lids and 20-30 minutes for both lower lids. The return to activity is fairly prompt, and certainly most day-to-day normal activities can be resumed within 24 hours. Typically, we do tell our patients that they should expect some degree of bruising and swelling. There are ways to keep that to a minimum and that may take anywhere from 1-2 weeks to resolve. For our patients who are only having upper eyelid laser surgery, that procedure is typically performed just under local anesthesia. What that means is that the lids are very slowly and gently numbed. The patient does not feel any pain. The patient is awake during the procedure. And when we finish there is a very fine, delicate weaving stitch in the upper lid crease which we remove the following week. For those patients where we perform lower eyelid laser surgery, that typically is a little bit more stimulating so I always recommend to our patients to have a little bit of intravenous sedation, or twilight anesthesia, which is administered by our anesthesia team, to make it a very comfortable and pleasant experience. Laser eyelid surgery, in my opinion, is a life-changing experience in that you can help patients both functionally, by improving peripheral vision, and by improving eye strain and heaviness, and sometimes even headaches. But in addition to functionally improving their life, you can improve their life by giving them more confidence, more self-esteem, and just feel much better about themselves.