As you age, your eyelids stretch, and the muscles supporting them weaken. As a result, excess fat may gather above and below your eyelids, causing sagging eyebrows, droopy upper lids and bags under your eyes. Besides making you look older, sagging skin around your eyes can reduce your peripheral vision, especially the upper and outer parts of your field of vision.
One of the procedures available to patients to restore vision and give a more pleasing appearance to the eye is known as ‘blepharoplasty’. This surgery can eliminate vision problems and make your eyes appear younger and more alert. It involves repairing droopy eyelids and may involve removing excess skin, muscle and fat.
Ruth a short while before the procedure
Upper lid blepharoplasty, also known as upper eyelid surgery, is a procedure offering rapid recovery. One of the patients who recently underwent successful upper lid blepharoplasty at Midland Eye was our very own Ruth Parsons, who works in our theatre team.
“As Theatre Manager at Midland Eye, I see a lot of patients coming in for a blepharoplasty and see them leaving like completely new people! I’ve seen it transform lives, giving patients better vision and renewed confidence so I thought I could do with a bit of that!
I wasn’t totally confident with my appearance beforehand. I thought I looked a bit older and wanted to keep my youthfulness. Nowadays I think it’s more common to have a bit of work done and it can certainly help you to feel happier and more confident. I’m getting married in August 2021 so thought the upper eyelid surgery might be a nice little treat!”
Ruth was under the care of Mr Tristan Reuser, a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon who specialises in eye plastics, eyelid tumour and cataract services. Mr Reuser reassured Ruth that the operation would give her many benefits:
“I saw Tristan in March 2021 for my first consultation and he put me at ease straightaway, informing me that an upper lid blepharoplasty would make a huge difference. He was thorough and like all our Consultants he asked what outcome I wanted, what my expectations were and was totally honest in terms of what the final result was likely to be. It’s great to have good, clear communication with a specialist ahead of an operation and I know from working with Tristan and all our Consultants that they are committed to getting the best possible results for their patients.”
Ruth six weeks after the procedure
Ruth had the procedure in Spring 2021 and was pleasantly surprised by the speed, efficiency and simplicity of the operation.
“The procedure only took around 40 minutes from start to finish although it can take up to an hour. I was guided throughout the process and before the operation began there was some lovely soothing music to help calm any nerves. It was a lovely relaxed atmosphere and of course I was in the hands of experts so didn’t feel nervous at all. The surprising thing was that it was completely painless! I felt a sharp scratch for the local anaesthetic but absolutely nothing after that which makes the process so much more pleasant!”
Ruth’s recovery was quick, as all upper eyelid surgeries usually are, and she went home the same day.
“I had a lovely recovery, I couldn’t ask for anything more. The nursing team went over everything including discharge information and how to relieve discomfort. I took paracetamol to relive minor discomfort but didn’t feel any real pain. There was a slight dull ache the day after the operation and my eyes were a bit puffy for a few days but this was all completely normal. By day five it looked a lot better and had settled down – most of the swelling was from the anaesthetic. I had my sutures taken out after two weeks and Tristan was thrilled with the results. Since then it’s looked better day after day!”
Ruth says the procedure has given her renewed confidence and recommends anyone with sagging eyelids to look into the same treatment.
“It’s been a transformative experience, the perfect wedding gift in a way! After three weeks all the scars were gone and you can’t even tell the procedure happened! I’m getting lots of lovely comments from friends and family and actually need to re-learn how to apply makeup! I was putting on makeup the other day and it felt like I was doing it on someone else’s face, which really shows how successful and impactful the operation was. It definitely worked and looks totally natural.
It’s also improved my vision and things look brighter now, it feels like I’m seeing more around me. It’s boosted my confidence massively and was such a positive experience. I can’t recommend this surgery enough, honestly.
You can find out more about blepharoplasty at Midland Eye here. Read more about Mr Tristan Reuser here.
Ruth is now looking ahead to her wedding in August. Here she is seven weeks post-op
