Cosmetic UNILATERAL Upper Blepharoplasty (Office Based Surgery) FAQs

• What is UNILATERAL upper blepharoplasty?

  UNILATERAL means surgery on one side. Click to read about upper blepharoplasty and see photos.

• Where is the surgery performed?

  The surgery is performed in the office under local anesthesia. No oral or IV sedation is used for office based surgery. 

• What are the planning considerations?

  You should have a driver or a ride such as Uber or Lyft. Your driver will wait in the car.

  You should plan on being at the office for approximately 2 hours.

  Avoid surgery within 3 months of any major events (weddings etc.).

  For the upper blepharoplasty, long acting sutures are used to help reform the eyelid crease. These sutures may take over a month to dissolve. Consider this a short term sacrifice for a long term gain. Expect bruising and swelling after surgery. Though the bruising and swelling will not be fully resolved after 14 days, many patients are socially presentable after 14 days (aside from having the aforementioned sutures in place at this time). Make up can be used on day 11.

• What are the restrictions after surgery?

  Avoid strenuous activity until day 11 after surgery. On day 11, you may resume exercise at 50% effort and slowly build back up.

  Avoid bending and lifting until day 11.

  Do not rub, pull, or press on the eyelids.

  Do not go swimming until day 11 after surgery. Incisions may get wet and you may shower but avoid direct pressure from the shower head.

  Do not drink alcohol until day 11 after surgery as alcohol can thin your blood and increase the bleeding risk.

  Do not wear make up until day 11 after surgery.

  Do not wear contact lenses until day 15 after surgery.

• What medications will I need after surgery?

  At the pre op appointment, we will send in the prescriptions for you.

  We will prescribe an antibiotic ointment to use on the sutures three times a day for ten days and then nightly until the sutures dissolve.

  You should also have the following over the counter medications available for use post operatively:

  artificial tears to use as needed for dryness/irritation

  Tylenol for post operative pain (if this does not adequately reduce your pain to a tolerable level, please let us know)

• What else should I have ready to use after surgery?

  You will need to use ice packs after surgery.

  They should be light weight so as not to put too much pressure on the surgical area and sutures.

  Frozen ketchup packets in a clean ziplock bag work well.

  You can also purchase reusable freezable gel packs if desired.

• When are the post op appointments?

  We will schedule the first post op appointment typically around 7-14 days after surgery. Sutures will not be removed - they will be allowed to dissolve as noted above. The first post op visit can be scheduled by telemedicine video call if desired. There is one more post op appointment approximately 2 months after surgery. After that time, patients follow up as needed.

• What else do I need to do to prepare for surgery?

  After the initial consult, we see patients again prior to surgery (usually around 1-2 weeks) for a pre op visit. Before the pre op visit, you should review the following information again:

  Review all of the information on this page in detail.

  Review the pre op instructions.

  Review the post op instructions.

  Review the upper blepharoplasty consent form (you will sign this in the office at the pre op visit).

  You should also come to the pre op visit prepared with questions or send us any pressing questions in advance.

• What is the cost?

  Here is an explanation of the costs:

  The quote for unilateral upper blepharoplasty in the office under local anesthesia is $2,150. This includes the pre op visit, surgeon's fees, and post op care.

  $2,150 will be due to the office at the pre op visit

• What time will my surgery be?

  We will give you an appointment time - this is the time you should arrive to the parking lot. Once you park you will text us. We will then need approximately 30 minutes to get things ready for your surgery. We will then text you to enter the office for surgery.

• What happens next?

  If you are an existing patient who has been seen in our office recently, were sent this information to review, and are interested in proceeding with surgery, text and let us know:

  dates you CANNOT do with regard to the pre op visit, surgery date, and first post op visit

  we will then text you proposed dates based upon our availability

  If you have not been seen in our office and would like to be evaluated, you can schedule online.

  If you are scheduled for surgery and are reviewing this information before your pre op appointment, see you soon!