At Home Christian Jessen 2014 - 356

|PLASTIC SURGERY|
EYELIDS
For an upper eyelid blepharoplasty,
the surgeon will make an incision
where the skin naturally creases
in your upper eyelid. He'll then
remove excess skin and fat and
tighten the muscles that cause
the droopiness. It improves
saggy eyelids and puff y bags
below the eyes, features that may
make you look older and more
tired than you feel. It may be
combined with an eyebrow lift
to correct drooping eyebrows.
If you've chosen a lower eyelid
blepharoplasty, an incision will be
made along the lower lash line,
extending a centimetre or so out
towards the crow's feet area. The
surgeon will then remove the
excess fat, skin and muscle.
You might only need to have
the fat pockets removed from
your lower eyelids. If so, a slightly
diff erent procedure called a
transconjunctival blepharoplasty
may be more suitable. It won't
leave a scar as the surgeon will
make the incision inside your
lower eyelid instead of on your
outer skin. Excess skin along
the outside of the lower eyelid
region may be 'tightened' with a
chemical peel or ablative laser.
AFTERCARE: You'll need to rest
for three to fi ve days and take at
least a week off work afterwards.
Bear in mind that your eyes may be
bruised and swollen for a fortnight.
Wearing sunglasses outside will
protect your eyes from sunlight - and
any unwanted stares. Cleaning the
eye area regularly with salt water and
popping on ice packs will help bring
down the swelling, as will sleeping
with several pillows at night to keep
your head elevated at all times.
The stitches are generally removed
after fi ve days, and it's best to steer
clear of make-up or contact lenses for
a week. Any scars will be pink and
prominent for a month or so, but will
fade to nearly invisible over time.
RESULTS: Expect to see a youngerlooking,
fresher, more expressive and
maybe even happier-looking new you
staring back from the mirror. Some
people with extremely baggy eyelids
may even notice an improvement in
their immediate fi eld of vision.
However, bear in mind that
blepharoplasty can't remove crow's
feet or eye wrinkles, as these are
caused by muscles contracting
48 | JULY 2014
BROW LIFT
As you get older, the cells that produce
collagen diminish. Alongside the fact
that gravity causes muscles to stretch,
and this can make brows sag and
wrinkle. Sun, wind and squinting can
also be a factor. The end result can be
droopy eyebrows and eyelids that make
you look tired, sad, aggressive and older
than you really are. Drooping brows
can also cause obscure vision.
A brow lift can raise the brows and
eyelids, making the eye area open up.
Some people have it at the same time
as eyebag surgery or a facelift.
Not sure if a brow lift is for you? Put
your palms above your brows and raise
the skin upwards to see the potential
eff ect. There are two types of brow lift.
The one you choose depends on how
droopy the area is, the structure of your
face, the condition of your skin and even
your hairline. Both require a general
anaesthetic and take up to two hours.
During an 'open brow lift', the
A BROW LIFT CAN
KNOCK YEARS
OFF YOUR AGE, IF
PERFORMED WELL
'NOT SURE IF A BROW LIFT IS
FOR YOU? PUT YOUR PALMS
ABOVE YOUR BROWS AND
RAISE THE SKIN UPWARDS TO
SEE THE POTENTIAL EFFECT'
repeatedly over the years when you
blink, smile or laugh. Fat can be stripped
out and the eyelid skin tightened, but
this particular procedure has no effect
on the muscles, sagging eyebrows or
dark under-eye circles.
RISKS: Some conditions can make
eye surgery more risky, so speak to your
surgeon if you have high blood pressure,
heart disease, diabetes, abnormal thyroid
hormone levels or dry-eye syndrome.
Rare side effects include an infection,
blood clot or haematoma behind the
eyeball, eyelash loss, eyelid skin loss
and, rarer still, blindness.
COST: Upper blepharoplasty from around
£3,000 upwards; lower blepharoplasty
from £2,700; both together from £3,200.
surgeon makes an incision from ear to
ear on the scalp, just behind the hairline.
He then separates the skin of the forehead
from its underlying tissue, and reduces
or releases the muscles and lifts the
eyebrows. With an 'endoscopic brow
lift', instead of one long incision on the
scalp, the surgeon makes up to fi ve smaller
ones, using an endoscope (a fl exible tube
with a camera attached) to navigate inside.
AFTERCARE: You will probably experience
mild swelling and numbness afterwards, but
this can be eased with medication. Keeping
your head elevated for at least three days
after surgery can help control swelling.
Bruises may last for three weeks, and don't
be alarmed if they spread down your face.
Your forehead may feel itchy - this is a good
sign as it shows that feeling and blood
supply are returning to normal. You should
be back at work within a fortnight and able
to exercise and sunbathe after a month.
RESULTS: The procedure will leave you
looking younger and fresher, but it can't
improve baggy eyelids or crow's feet. You
can expect the effect to last an average of
six to 10 years, but gravity will eventually
take its toll. It's better for your surgeon to
under- rather than over-elevate your brow,
which may leave you looking startled.
RISKS: A brow lift comes with the risk
of blood clots, numbness from nerve
damage lasting up to six months, and
hyperpigmentation (permanent discolouration)
due to bruising. You may also be left with
eyes or eyebrows that aren't symmetrical.
COST: From £2,000 to over £4,000.
At Home Christian Jessen 2014

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