Nip and tuck skin#
Nip and tuck Patch#

However, this new laser procedure uses low energy, so causes minimal damage - it doesn't penetrate deep into the tissue - meaning less bruising and a shorter recovery time of a couple of weeks. The area has one of the strongest blood supplies, which can cause heavy bleeding, bruising and swelling for weeks. Traditional eyelid surgery - or an eyelid tuck - involves making an incision, stitches and a long recovery time (up to six weeks). Heavy eyelids can be genetic, and men also tend to have heavier brows, so they can have heavier upper lid skin.

Nip and tuck skin#

Smoking, not using sunscreen and drinking too much all damage skin cells, causing the skin to sag prematurely. Ulcers can form and cause a perforated eyeball, which, without treatment, can lead to blindness. The downward and inward growing lashes irritate the eye and can cause a scratch, which can become infected if left untreated. Meanwhile, your eyelashes can begin to point inwards towards the eyeball, which is what happened to Fiona. People often raise their eyebrows and forehead to stop the lids drooping but this can cause headaches. If the skin then hangs down over your eyes, it can restrict vision. The muscles in the eyelid also become weaker with age, and move out of their normal position, too. They occur as the connective tissue in the eyelid becomes loose as a result, the tissues supporting the eyelid move out of place. I carry out more than a hundred of these treatments - or blepharoplasties, as they are known - a year, and more than half are for medical reasons, including reduced vision, inflammation and ingrowing eyelashes.Īge is a major factor in heavy or sagging eyelids. He says: Eyelid surgery isn't just a cosmetic procedure. Raj DAS-BHAUMIK is a consultant oculoplastic surgeon at the London Eye Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust In addition to age, smoking, not using sunscreen and drinking too much contribute towards baggy eyelids You wouldn't know I'd had it done - there's virtually no scar and I have no irritation. I was back at school a few days after the surgery. I had slight bruising for a few days, then two weeks after the operation the stitches were removed. That evening, I was allowed to remove them and, although my eyes were tender, I was surprised at just how comfortable I felt. My husband Richard dropped me off at 7pm, and by 9pm I was on my way home with two gauze bandages over my eyes. Throughout the procedure I felt a slight tugging sensation, but nothing too unpleasant.

Nip and tuck Patch#

I had the surgery last October with just a local anaesthetic in my eyelid (I had a patch covering my other eye so I could not see what was going on). The NHS doesn't routinely fund heavy eyelid removal, but luckily I had private medical insurance. Mr Das-Bhaumik said he could remove the excess skin with a special laser instead of a scalpel, which meant a faster recovery time. This meant that some lashes were rubbing against the eye's surface, causing the painful scratching sensation.

It was worse in the left eye and the skin was drooping downwards so my eyelashes were pointing inwards. He told me the problem was that my eyelids were too heavy. It became difficult to read and my eyes were sore because I kept rubbing them.īy this time I'd had enough, and I returned to my GP who referred me to consultant eye surgeon Mr Raj Das-Bhaumik. However, over the next few weeks the irritation returned. She removed it with tweezers and, after a few days, it was bliss not to feel the scratching sensation. I have incredibly fair eyelashes which is possibly why no one had spotted it. So I went back to my optician and, after examining my eye close-up, she found an ingrowing eyelash. My optician then referred me to an NHS eye clinic which also couldn't find anything wrong. My GP couldn't see anything that might be causing it and prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs. Then my eyes started to get really painful: I couldn't sleep because my left one was sore and inflamedĮventually both my eyes were bloodshot, swollen and watering constantly. In February last year, I visited my optician, but she couldn't find anything and gave me antibiotic eye drops to soothe the irritation. At first, I blamed the heat, but then it started happening at home. The problem would always occur abroad on our annual holiday. Fiona Selby, 56, had laser surgery to correct her droopy eyelidsĪ couple of years ago, I noticed a scratchy sensation in my left eye, as though something was trapped under the upper eyelid.