Your eyes are the first thing that other people notice when they look at you.  They account for a large part of the expressiveness of the face.  Many adults consider their eyes to be their defining feature.   The aging process affects everyone differently, but because the skin around the eyes is the thinnest in the body, it is often the first of your facial features to be affected by the aging process.  Other factors, such as heredity, sun exposure, and tobacco use all contribute to “baggy” looking eyelids. Even if you feel young and vibrant, the loose skin over your eyes, and the fatty deposits that cause the bulging of the lids can make you look tired, sad or even older than you feel.  When the condition is more severe, it can also cause visual problems, such as fatigue, difficulty reading, and reduction of your peripheral vision.

Cosmetic eyelid surgery to improve the appearance of your eyelids is called blepharoplasty.   It is one the most common facial plastic surgeries performed every year.  Hundreds of thousands of men and women undergo this procedure every year, making it is one of the most sought after procedure in patients over 35. Blepharoplasty removes the excess skin and fat, accentuating your eyes, restoring a more youthful, vibrant and rejuvenated appearance.

Blepharoplasty is performed as an outpatient under local anesthesia.  Supplemental oral and intravenous sedation given by Dr. Filer ensures that patients remain relaxed and pain free.  Surgery on the upper lids is performed by making incisions into the natural eyelid crease, so that the wounds heal without any scarring.  Next, the excess skin is removed followed by a graded excision and sculpting of the prominent fat that has led to the puffiness of the lids.  To address the lower lids, Dr. Filer performs transconjunctival blepharoplasty.  This state of the art procedure involves creating a small incision inside the lower eyelid, allowing sculpting and removal of the excess orbital fat, often without the need for skin removal.  The incision is closed with dissolvable sutures without any visible scars.

As a board certified Ophthalmic surgeon, Dr. Filer is uniquely qualified to perform eyelid surgery.   He is one of the few physicians in the country with advanced training in treating disorders of the eye and eyelids, but has taken this specialty one step further by devoting his cosmetic practice to eyelid surgery alone. His directed study of the eyelid is far more comprehensive than that obtained during a general plastic surgery or dermatology residency, which makes Dr. Filer far more qualified to perform cosmetic eyelid procedures than many other physicians.  Any licensed doctor may choose to perform eyelid surgery, but only those like Dr. Filer, with extensive and specific training in this area, can do it best.