Dermatochalasis and Blepharoplasty

 

As you age, the muscles and skin around the eyelids can start to sag and droop causing “dermatochalasis”. Dermatochalasis of the upper eyelids can lead to obstruction of your vision
as the lid can hang over the pupil. Patients often feel like they can see better if they manually
lift up their eyelids, or use their forehead muscles to pull the eyes open. This can lead to fatiguing of the forehead muscles and headaches from constant straining.

Dermatochalasis of the upper eyelids can also cause people to feel their eyes look small, tired,
or older. Dermatochalasis of the lower eyelids can make the eyelids look puffy, and patients
feel like they seem older and look chronically tired.

A blepharoplasty is a procedure where your oculoplastic surgeon will remove or rearrange the
skin, muscles, or fat in the eyelids to improve the function and/or appearance of the eyelids.
The surgery is typically done in the surgery center, although select cases may be done in-office.

If your upper eyelids are obstructing your vision, blepharoplasty may be covered by your
medical insurance. Your oculoplastics surgeon will perform various assessments during your
office visit to determine whether your procedure may be covered by your insurance. If your
insurance will not cover the procedure, you will still be offered to have the procedure done on a
cash pay basis.