The Brow is often the key to Upper Eyelid Rejuvenation
As we age the beautiful definition of the upper eyelid loses it’s clarity. Women often remark that it becomes more difficult to apply eye liner and both men and women note that the appearance of the eyes may become tired or even sad.
There are two reasons that the appearance of the upper eyelid changes in this way. One is obvious, the other less so.
Let’s first look at at the obvious cause, changes in the upper eyelid itself. With the aging process the skin of the upper eyelid is stretched and elongated so that it begins to develop a loose fold. What used to be a well-defined upper lid crease is now hidden by a fold of skin. The pillows of fat that cushion the eye and sit behind the upper eyelid may begin to bulge forward, adding to the heaviness. The orbicularis muscle, which helps to close the upper eyelid, may also become stretched out and heavy.
A correction of theses changes is the key to successful upper eyelid surgery. Excess skin and orbicularis muscle above the upper lid crease are trimmed and the protruding fat is judiciously sculpted.
The second cause of upper eyelid heaviness is brow descent. If brow descent is not recognized and an upper blepharoplasty is carried out the result will be disappointing. A loose brow may come down even further after blepharoplasty and totally obscure the results.
You can determine quite easily if your brows are contributing to upper eyelid heaviness by a simple test. Stand in front of a mirror and place two fingers on the forehead above the eyebrow and gently push upward. Bring the brow to a nice natural position that does not appear to be overly elevated. If all of the heaviness has disappeared, this tells you that the main cause of your heaviness is brow descent and you will need some form of a brow lift if you want a pleasing result.
Often with this test when the brow is brought to a good position there will be some fullness remaining in the upper eyelid itself. This means that your best solution is a combination of a brow lift and an upper blepharoplasty.
If the brow sits in a good position and does not overhang at the upper eyelid at all then the maneuver we have just described will have little effect on upper eyelid fullness. This means your brow is still well-supported and upper blepharoplasty by itself will provide a nice correction.
Careful knowledgeable evaluation and clear communication between then plastic surgeon are essential in constructing a pathway to rejuvenation of the upper eyelid and brow area. For more information contact us or call 312-751-2112.