Our eyes are one of the most important features of our face. Not only are the eyes the "windows to the soul", they are a principal component of how others read our moods or feelings. Unfortunately, as we age our eyes often begin to look tired and droopy, even when we aren't feeling tired, and we no longer have that "wide-eyed" youthful appearance. It is bad enough to look tired at the end of a long day - who wants to look tired in the middle of the morning?

A blepharoplasty is an operation performed on upper and/or lower eyelids to remove excess skin and fat. It may be done alone or in combination with other facial rejuvenation procedures such as a facelift or browlift. Every patient is different and a careful analysis of the face and the anatomy around the eyes needs to be done, as well as the position of the eyebrows, before any recommendation can be made about a blepharoplasty or other procedures.

The amount of excess skin and/or fat that a patient has is in part due to the aging process and in part due to congenital reasons. Many people are born with a significant amount of fat around their eyes that tends to expand with time. Aging skin loses its natural elasticity and may actually also increase with time. These problems combine to lead to bulging, redundant skin around the eyes which gives patients a tired and aging look. The procedure to correct this involves making incisions that are hidden well in the crease region of the upper eyelid and below the lower lash line. These tend to heal amazingly well.

Dr. Duffy performed an upper and lower blepharoplasty on John Hammarley, the Fox 4 Health Watch Reporter. The procedure was done in the office under local anesthesia and broadcast on November 8, 2001. A brief introductory segment was broadcast live from the office that evening. John had the surgery done on Halloween, October, 31, and was back on the air live on November 8th, looking great. While not every patient recovers at the same pace, John's recovery was fairly typical. If you would like to view the broadcast, click on the link below to open the video player in a new window.