The eyelid area and the skin surrounding it are constantly affected by both extrinsic aging factors (environment, sun exposure, etc.) and intrinsic aging factors (genes, heredity, time). As time passes, symptoms appear that affect this area.
These three symptoms are the laxity of the skin of the upper and lower eyelids, the accumulation of fat (eye bags), and the formation of wrinkles both on the eyelids and around them (crow’s feet).
Traditional blepharoplasty provided a solution to skin laxity and fat accumulation, but the removal of wrinkles was not a primary indication of the procedure. At the same time, the classical technique resulted in a longer postoperative recovery period due to bruising, swelling, and minor bleeding that occurred during the procedure.
The dynamic introduction of surgical lasers in plastic surgery now offers ideal solutions for this procedure. The main advantage over the classical method is, on the one hand, the ability to avoid external incisions on the lower eyelid and thus eliminate the risk of certain complications, and on the other hand, the simultaneous removal of wrinkles around the eyes during the same procedure. Equally important is the minimal postoperative burden on the area, with very mild swelling, allowing a return to daily activities within 3–4 days with a completely improved appearance. The removal of lower eyelid laxity and fat is a short procedure that allows a return to activities the following day.
If the procedure (blepharoplasty) is performed for the same reason on the upper eyelid, an additional 1–2 days are required. Finally, if wrinkle removal with laser is also necessary, make-up can be used to cover the mild redness that appears approximately 5–7 days after the procedure.
A significant development in this procedure is the addition of a new method that has been pioneered and exclusively described by our team and has been reported in the international scientific literature.
This method, called the Single Suture Traction Technique (SSTT), offers improvement in the texture of the lower eyelid skin without the use of laser, while also providing support to create a youthful and symmetrical eye appearance. In this way, redness and delayed return to daily activities caused by the use of laser are completely avoided.
Our opinion is that in the majority of cases a combined technique is required, meaning that in a single procedure fat removal, correction of laxity, and wrinkle treatment are performed simultaneously. This is also indicated by our experience from the large number of procedures that have been successfully performed to date.
The procedure is performed under local anesthesia. It can be carried out with equal success in both men and women. It can also be perfectly combined with a face-lift procedure or full-face laser resurfacing, as well as with botulinum toxin for the removal of crow’s feet wrinkles caused by the contraction of the facial expression muscles.
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