Blepharoplasty is a safe operation with minor complications if the surgery is performed correctly, with appropriate techniques from a surgeon with a vast background. Increasingly, there is evidence of blepharoplasty performed by physicians with little training in the eye region. It is not surprising that there are higher than average percentages of blepharoplasty complications with these cases.
Lower Blepharoplasty Complications
Most of the complications affect the lower eyelids since, being subjected more to gravity, even a minimum error can seriously affect the final aesthetic result. Removing the skin from the lower eyelid can cause the eyelid to fall all the way with the unwanted aesthetic effect on the roundness of the eye (involves the outer angle between the coloured part of the eye and the upper margin of the eyelid).
Upper Blepharoplasty Complications
The upper eyelids are at low risk for complications. The major risk is related to excessive skin removal, which prevents the normal closing of the eyelid. This causes dry eyes (especially at night time), redness, and photophobia (especially in the morning). An overly aggressive upper blepharoplasty can damage the upper eyelid’s lift muscle that causes palpebral ptosis (lowering of the upper eyelid). Moreover, the surgeon’s failure to recognize pre-existing ocular ptosis, who recommends a blepharoplasty, can put more effect on the ptosis itself after the upper blepharoplasty surgery.
Video Of Blepharoplasty Correction (Ectropion Scarring)
The intervention presented in this video consists of the tarsus removal from the upper eyelid and the column implant in the lower part of the eyelid to correct the ectropion scar. This complication results from inaccurate lower blepharoplasty (excessive fat removal). The tarsus removed from the upper eyelid is inserted after releasing the lower eyelid retractors from the inside without any additional visible scar. The grafted rib is rigid and ups the lower eyelid, and connects to the lateral tarsal strips.
Do your homework! You should make the right choice before having an ‘eye-job’, because the consequences of a bad choice may be worse than you thought! Cicatricial ectropion after a lower eyelid blepharoplasty does occur out there. You may be stuck in a challenging situation such as this lady when she came to see me after being operated on multiple times while seeking a fix. The changes that can affect your eyelids are significant as they cause complete loss of the natural shape of the eyelid fissure, from horizontally elongated to a more vertically oriented one, causing the so-called post-blepharoplasty ‘round-eye’, in medical terms, cicatricial iatrogenic (caused by the surgery) ectropion. If the aesthetic change wasn’t bad, it might still come with many concerns such as eye irritation, tearing, itching, scratching, and blurred vision that becomes difficult to treat medically. If you made a wrong choice the first time, now, it is all the more important to look for THE eyelid expert to help reconstruct your lower eyelid, and with it, the aesthetic of the entire face, your self-confidence, and your well-being. Now is the time to call in the oculoplastic surgeon, an ultra-specialist dedicated to managing the function and the aesthetics of the eyes!
Examples Of Treated Cases: