By: Jason Lichten, MD, FACS

Facial aging tends to happen “everywhere at once,” so many patients who are thinking of improving their appearance with face lift surgery in the Columbus, OH area will also look into eyelid surgery to smooth out extra eyelid tissues and complete their results. For some patients, dual procedures like this one offer more advantages than for others, so it can be a little difficult to decide whether the extra procedure really offers the benefits you want.

Factors that patients should consider:

1) Focus and Balance:

The eyes communicate much of the emotion of the face, and part of the positive effect of face lift surgery is to help Columbus, OH area patients de-emphasize the “downward” effect of sagging facial tissues and help make sure people’s attention is on your eyes and expression – not flabby cheek tissues. Loose eyelid skin may not be as noticeable as facial folds, but it tends to have a narrowing effect on the eyes that indirectly makes the face seem “fleshier” and more wrinkled.

• Try this: Instead of evaluating your eyes and mid-face in terms of “how much” wrinkling or loose tissue you are seeing, try to determine how well your features do – or don’t – create a good balance that emphasizes focal points like the eyes.

Even moderately sagging loose tissues can inhibit or change your expression, so evaluate different facial expressions and ask yourself whether eyelid sagging is affecting the emotions and attitudes you communicate to other people. If not, a face lift alone might meet your needs.

2) Timing and Cost:

Eyelid surgery typically does not add to face lift surgery downtime, but it will affect the cost of the procedure, so patients with a limited budget should evaluate their options carefully to make sure they are making a good investment.

• Try this: Think ahead. Consider how your family traits, tissue health, and unique aging patterns determine how your eyelid tissues will change over time, and think about whether you’re likely to find yourself considering eyelid surgery in the future. (Combined surgeries actually tend to be much more cost-effective than having the two procedures separately.)

Also, if milder upper-eyelid sagginess is your primary concern, ask your surgeon whether Columbus area BOTOX® Cosmetic injections would be effective to correct the problem in the short term. This approach is not right for everyone, and its effects are limited, but for certain patients it can work very well.

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