A: Eyelid surgery is primarily a cosmetic procedure done to create a fold in the eyelid. The surgery is also done as a corrective procedure, mainly upon elderly candidates whose eyelids hang down due to excessive fatty tissue. Surgery is done on an outpatient basis in the physician’s office.
There are two types of eyelid surgeries designed to create a fold in the eyelid—simple and radical. The simple operation differs from the radical operation in that its end result is not to obtain a Caucasian-type eyelid but to create a smaller eyelid fold of the Asian type. There is minimal swelling an discoloration after the simple operation and the patient returns to work in 3-4 days.
The simple operation involves removal of a small amount of skin and the limited use of sutures. Eye ointment and dressings are applied and left on overnight and the sutures are removed on the third day after surgery.
The radical eyelid operation is suitable for a patient having a more fatty type of eyelid or someone who desires the Caucasian type of eyelid and doesn’t mind the longer convalescence due to greater swelling and discoloration.
With the radical procedure a greater amount of skin is removed as well as pockets of fatty tissue. The convalescence period is about seven days with the use of eye dressings and ice packs. The sutures are removed once the surgeon has determined that the eyelid has sufficiently healed but some swelling may remain for a couple of weeks.
