Upper Blepharoplasty (Upper Eyelid Surgery)

Restoring Function First, Appearance Second

As upper eyelid skin loses elasticity, it can droop low enough to cover an existing double eyelid fold, crowd your upper field of view, or force you to raise your eyebrows and forehead just to see clearly — which, over time, deepens forehead wrinkles. This procedure removes the excess skin and fat and shortens the levator muscle that lifts your eyelid, aiming to restore both a clearer line of sight and a more rested look without erasing your original features. For mature eyelids, the goal is usually described as keeping your own characteristic look intact while clearing away only the sagging and wrinkling layered on top of it, rather than creating a dramatically different eye shape.

Recovery Timeline

The procedure itself takes about an hour under local or light sedation anesthesia, with stitches typically removed at 5 to 7 days. Full settling of swelling is usually described in a wider window — often several weeks — since skin that's thicker or more sagged tends to take longer to fully resolve. Expect a couple of follow-up visits in that stretch so your surgeon can track how the eyelid is settling.

Risks & What Research Says

A commonly discussed consideration for mature eyelids: if your eyebrows were sitting higher because you were using them to compensate for drooping skin, they may settle lower once the underlying cause is corrected — this is normal and is usually factored into how much skin is removed. On eye-function effects specifically, a systematic review of the published literature found mixed results across individual studies looking at corneal health, eye pressure, and dry eye after upper blepharoplasty, but a meta-analysis pooling nine of those studies found no statistically significant effect overall. If you already have dry eyes or another eye condition, raise it during consultation so it factors into your surgical plan.