In August 2021, somewhere between lockdowns and endless homeschooling, I not only felt tired, but I really looked it. According to scientists, aging is not so much a gradual theft of youth as two accelerated bursts—around ages 44 and 60.
I was 47 at the time and could feel the effect of this on my upper lids, which had come down like theater curtains over my lash line. Reading and driving involved constant squinting and applying mascara was nearly impossible.
Because the skin on the eyelids is about seven times thinner than the skin on the rest of the face, the eyes are ground zero for aging. At The Editor’s Listconcierge service I founded that specializes in quickly locating and keeping people with all kinds of cosmetic procedures, I’ve found that eye rejuvenation is the number one request. There are non-invasive options that can help: wrinkle relaxers such as botulinum toxin (Botox) strategically placed at the tail of the brow can slightly open hooded eyes, while ultrasound and radiofrequency energy devices promise to lift the brow, with mixed results.
Lasers and plasma pens that work to burn and shrink tissue like bacon in a pan are also popular, but the results come with risk. At best, I’ve seen a 30 percent improvement, and at worst, when less skilled professionals use powerful devices, the downtime can be brutal: redness can linger for months in fair-skinned people, while darker skin tones are at high risk of hyperpigmentation.
So for me, a bilateral upper blepharoplasty to remove the excess skin and reposition the underlying fat was the solution. i chose Naresh Joshia highly skilled ophthalmic plastic surgeon who offers a thorough eye exam before even discussing procedures.
To reassure me before I went under the knife, Joshi even invited me to observe him perform blepharoplasty at Cromwell Hospital, where he operates. I almost passed out, despite the fact that the surgery was almost bloodless — but I wasn’t put off.
The procedure is done as a day case with intravenous sedation (without general anesthesia) and lasts one hour. Joshi removed 6.5mm of skin and repositioned some muscle and fat on the upper eyelids to avoid a hollow appearance. He used dissolvable internal sutures and sealed the incisions made in the eyelid folds with a surgical glue that minimizes skin pulling and scarring.
I woke up in the recovery room with two large pads over my eyes that I wore for a few hours to reduce the swelling. When they were removed I found that my vision was slightly blurry for a few hours as I had various antibiotic gels in my eyes.
In the early days of recovery, I followed a strict regimen of hourly antibiotic eye drops and ice and slept propped up on pillows to reduce any swelling. By day two, my eyelids were heavy and purple, not from bruising, but from the remains of the pen used to mark the incision lines. I looked like I was partying at Studio 54.
By day four, the swelling had gone down significantly and my upper eyelids were now more distinct – due to drooping skin, I hadn’t seen them in years. If you want to keep the surgery a secret, count on about nine days of hibernation, but I coordinated my purple look with a Zara jumpsuit and went out for dinner. No one batted an eyelid (so to speak).
Two weeks later, the change was noticeable. I looked about seven years younger, like before the sleepless nights of being a parent. Four years later, I still look fresher and the compliments keep coming. According to Joshi, the lifespan of this process is about seven years, and when gravity once again takes its toll, I won’t hesitate to do it again.
Before Blepharoplasty
The ophthalmic plastic surgeon, Elizabeth Hawkesshares everything you need to know before booking a procedure:
- Always see a specialist ophthalmic plastic surgeon for blepharoplasty to ensure the results are safe and natural.
- Ask all the important questions, including whether the surgeon is dual-trained in ophthalmology and ophthalmoplasty, what experience he has specifically in blepharoplasty, and how many blepharoplasty procedures he has performed, along with any examples they can show you.
- Make sure you understand what a realistic outcome is for you, how long recovery will take, and the risks.
- Blepharoplasty surgery is suitable for removing excess skin and treating severe puffiness or drooping. That said, while it can help achieve a brighter, fresher look, it won’t stop the natural aging process.
Olivia Falcon is its founder theeditorslist.co.uk. Naresh Joshi is a consultant ophthalmologist at Cromwell Hospital (cromwellhospital.com).
