eyelids

[miriam]

I'm 58 years old and the skin on my upper lids is getting loose and crinkled so that it's hard to apply eyeshadow. Also I look sleepy due to the sagging skin. Is that enough reason to consider surgery? If so, what kind? Would surgery leave a visible scar?

[danya]

Hi Miriam,
Welcome to beautysurg.
Loose, wrinkly eyelid skin cn sometimes be improved with laser resurfacing on the lid, although this should only be done by a surgeon with alot of experience in this technique. Over doing it could cause scarring...
If it bothers you enough, you might want to consider surgery. You may need a blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) and/or browlift. Sometimes, low brows cause excess eyelid skin, but if it's very wrinkly also, you'll probably need to remove some skin from the eyelid itself. (That's blepharoplasty).
The scar for upper blepharoplasty should be well concealed with the crease of the upper eyelid. If you did need a browlift, your scars would be hidden with the hairline.
To read more about eyelid surgery, go to http://www.beautysurg.com/learn/face_bleph.html and be sure to click on the links (introduction, recovery, variations, etc) for more detailed information.

[jeannette]

Danya, thanks for your reply. I have heard that sometimes insurance will pay for eyelid surgery. How bad does the droopiness have to be for insurance to pay?

[danya]

With the way insurance is these days, your eyelids have to be practically to your cheeks to qualify for reimbursement!
Actually, if the eyelid skin hangs down over the pupil or presses down on your eyelashes which then causes your lid to cover the pupil then you may qualify.
You'll need to go to an optometrist and request a "visual field exam, taped and untaped". They flash some lights in front of you and you tell them when you see the lights. After doing the test as you normally are, you'll then have the eyelids taped up so they dont obstruct your vision. If you are able to see alot more lights without the eyelid skin hanging down, then you may qualify for reimbursement.
Check with your health insurance provider for specifics.

danya