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Why have an eye lift? Find out in consultation with NYC plastic surgeon Dr. Preminger.

Eyelid surgery in NYC

“The eyes are the mirror of the soul,” says an old Proverb. Though your eyes are aging, you may feel young at heart and soul. Eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty, is one way to synchronize these competing truths.

Dr. B. Aviva Preminger has trained at some of the country’s finest institutions, including New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center and Columbia University. As a board-certified Ivy League graduate, she is a trusted medical professional for blepharoplasty in Manhattan.

As we age, the fibrous bonds break down, and the underlying muscles weaken, causing the skin around the eyes to become lax. Blinking thousands of times daily, squinting in the sun and eye rubbing all age the eyes. Eyelid fat readily absorbs water, causing the eyes to appear puffy.

Correcting the appearance of the eyelids with makeup only goes so far. It can be challenging to apply eyeshadow to overstretched lids, and concealer can only do so much to improve the appearance of deep, dark under-eye bags. Blepharoplasty may be in order for those tired of looking in the mirror and seeing half-closed, droopy eyes looking back.

“People come in and they tell me that they have tired-appearing eyes,” explains Dr. Preminger, “that their upper eyelids look heavy all the time. Patients are really happy with the results of blepharoplasty. No one knows what they’ve had done, so when they go back to work, people say to them, ‘Did you go on vacation? You look like you got some really good rest.’ And so patients feel good about themselves. They don’t look tired anymore. They feel rejuvenated.”

Before & After

blepharoplasty

Quick Facts

Procedure Length

1-2 hours (depending on extent of procedure)

Anesthesia

Often performed under local anesthesia; General anesthesia for extensive eyelid surgery

In/Out Patient

Often performed in the office, outpatient

Risks

Bleeding, infection, and lowering of the lid

Side Effects

Temporary swelling, bruising, and some pain, irritation

Recovery

1 week back at work
1-2 weeks light exercise
2-3 weeks more strenuous activity
4-8 weeks for swelling to completely resolve

Duration of Results

About 5-10 years

Blepharoplasty can correct

  • Loose, saggy upper and lower eyelids
  • Puffy fat circles beneath the eyes
  • Sagging lower eyelids that reveal whites of the eyes beneath the iris
  • Fine wrinkles beneath the eyes

If you are considering blepharoplasty, a consultation with Dr. Preminger is the first step towards attaining your aesthetic goals. Dr. Preminger will assess the condition of your eyes, discuss your medical history, and give you an idea of what to expect. You are invited to bring in pictures of your younger self to give her a more precise idea of the appearance you wish to restore.

Blepharoplasty is one of the most successful and satisfying operations in facial plastic surgery today. However, you must still choose a surgeon like Dr. Preminger, who understands how to minimize the risk of complications such as infection, reaction to anesthesia, dry eyes, blurry vision for a few days, edema, trouble closing the eyes, uneven healing and scarring.

The best candidates for blepharoplasty:

  • Are generally healthy
  • Do not smoke
  • Do not have serious eye conditions
  • Have realistic expectations.

Your risk of complications increases significantly if you have:

  • “Dry Eye Syndrome”
  • Detached retinas
  • Glaucoma
  • Facial nerve dysfunction
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Hyperthyroidism
  • High blood pressure
  • Graves’ disease
  • Diabetes

To prepare for eyelid surgery, patients are usually asked to quit smoking and avoid taking aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs, and herbal supplements that may increase bleeding. You will need to make arrangements for someone to drive you to and from surgery and stay the night with you after your procedure.

Blepharoplasty procedure

Dr. Preminger often performs blepharoplasty under local anesthesia in her accredited office. This means no additional charges for anesthesia or a hospital stay! Local anesthesia with sedation decreases the amount of downtime following your procedure and alleviates the risks of nausea, respiratory depression and heart rate variability.

Once the patient is numbed and relaxed, Dr. Preminger makes an inconspicuous incision in the crease of the upper lid just below the lashes to ensure there are no visible scars.

Through this incision, fat deposits can be repositioned or removed, the muscles are tightened, and excess skin is removed and stretched smooth.

"A common complaint among patients considering blepharoplasty has to do with looking tired. An eye lift imbues a person with freshness and rejuvenation - right where people look first."
B. Aviva Preminger, MD

Recovery

Bruising, swelling and a little bit of tightness can be expected after eyelid surgery. The eyes can be sensitive to light and wind initially, so eye drops may be prescribed. Any adverse symptoms should clear up within two to four weeks. Most patients get back on their feet in 3-5 days and return to work in about 10 days. Contact lens wearers will need to rely on glasses for two weeks.

The true results of eyelid lift surgery can be seen in one to two months. Patients report greater self-confidence with their cheerier, refreshed look around the eyes.

Dr. Preminger will give you detailed instructions on how to speed up your recovery from blepharoplasty. These steps may include keeping your head elevated and using mild cold therapy to reduce swelling. It’s advised that you minimize unnecessary movement for the first few days.

Stock up on audiobooks, buy a few new CDs. Reading or watching TV causes the lids to open and close more often, which can increase bruising. Avoid salty foods, fish oil, and aspirin as you heal.

Successful results with eyelid surgery in Manhattan

Though you will continue to age naturally, the results of blepharoplasty are very long-lasting — usually five to ten years. Typically, you will see a dramatic change in one to two months, but it could take up to a year for incision lines to fully refine. Sun protection will help you maintain optimal results.

In some cases, other complementary procedures may be necessary to give you the results you desire. All in all, research shows that you can expect a 96% improvement in your eyes’ appearance and a significant boost in self-esteem.

New York City Eyelid Surgeon

If you would like to learn more about having blepharoplasty in NYC, call (212) 706-1900 or contact us online to schedule a consultation with Dr. Preminger.

Video Transcription:

[B. Aviva Preminger, MD Board Certified Plastic Surgeon] One of the most common things that patients actually come in complaining to me about are tired, puffing appearing, puffy appearing eyes and it’s actually one of the first things that people notice about you and so there’s a whole range of treatments for this problem, actually and they range from really non-invasive so just using a great eye cream regularly to something a little more invasive like an eye peel, which we can use around the under-eye area, commonly helps with dark circles as well, injectibles for the tear trough area, which is the area under the eye as well really help and then we get into slightly more invasive options like laser resurfacing, particularly the lower eyelid area and then surgical procedures such as an upper and/or lower eye lift and so an upper and a lower eye lift are actually designed to treat a couple of problems.

So one of the things that happens as we age is the brows start to sag and we get extra skin of the upper eyelid. So sometimes this actually needs to be combined with a brow lift to actually elevate the brow and then the other thing we do is we actually remove the extra skin of the upper eyelid, we remove some of the fat that is pouching out of that upper eyelid to lend to that bulging appearance and we do the same thing on the lower eyelid, but on the lower eyelid there’s often not that much extra skin, but often a lot of bulging or herniating fat in that area which can really contribute to puffiness and so that can actually even be removed with an incision within the lower eyelid so that there’s no scar whatsoever and I often like to combine that with laser resurfacing of the lower eyelid for skin-tightening and one of my favorite things about doing an eye lift procedure or really any kind of eye rejuvenating procedure is that it’s so subtle and people don’t really know that you’ve had anything done, they will often just say, you know you look like you got some rest, did you go on vacation, which is I think great and just speaks to a really natural result.

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Located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, Dr. B. Aviva Preminger’s boutique practice is dedicated to serving every patient’s aesthetic plastic surgery needs.

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969 Park Ave., Suite 1E
New York, NY 10028

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