Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty)

Eyelid surgery, also known as blepharoplasty, is a procedure to remove excess fat, muscle and skin which leaves the eyes looking brighter and more youthful. Eyelid surgery can reduce the appearance of droopy lids, wrinkles and eye bags, which can often leave the skin looking tired and aged.

As the skin around the eye is generally thin, it’s often one of the first areas to show signs of ageing, with wrinkles appearing and eyelids drooping. Blepharoplasty can restore the skin by smoothing out lines around the eyes and removing fatty pouches from under the eyes. Cosmetic eyelid surgery is effective but it’s not the only option. If lines are only fine or moderate, non-surgical treatments could be a viable alternative.

Generally, eyelid surgery is performed under local anaesthetic. Your surgeon will make an incision and then remove the excess skin and fatty tissue from either the upper or lower lid. The procedure does leave a scar but your surgeon will close the cut with a single line of stitches that will be hidden by the natural fold of the eyelid. Within a week to 10 days, the swelling and bruising resulting from the surgery should have gone down and you’ll be able to resume normal activities, including returning to work.

Immediately after the surgery you’ll notice that your eyes may appear waterier, this is due to swelling under the eye and of the tear ducts and this could last a few weeks. It’s likely you’ll experience bruising, which can be covered with make-up, for a few weeks and it can take a few months for the scars, which will initially be pink in colour, to become almost invisible.

Eyelid surgery can remove the excess skin and muscle from around the eye and in some cases, fat too. Depending on your personal case, just skin may need to be removed, leaving all of the muscle.

You can choose to have upper lid surgery, lower lid surgery or both and the price varies depending on which you choose. For a private blepharoplasty procedure, you can expect to pay £1,500 – £2,500 for upper lid surgery, £2,000 - £3,000 for lower lid surgery and for both treatments combined around £3,000 - £4,500.