The quickest and simplest way to get rid of tired-looking eyes is cosmetic eyelid surgery, called blepharoplasty. As you age, the skin around your eyes loses its stretchiness and the muscles supporting your eyelids weaken. This causes loose folds of skin to develop on your upper eyelids, deep creases to appear under you lower eyelids and excess fat to accumulate around your eyes. In the end, you are left with drooping eyebrows, sagging skin on your upper lids and puffy bags underneath your eyes. This not only makes you look tired and older but can also impair your vision. Cosmetic eyelid surgery offers a solution by removing this excess skin and/or fat from the eyelid area, making you look younger and more alert.

Eyelid surgery generally takes between 1 to 3 hours, depending on the amount of tissue being removed and whether you are having your upper lids, lower lids or both done. It is usually done as an outpatient procedure—meaning you will be able to go home the same day—although some cases require an overnight stay in the hospital. It is usually done with lighter anesthesia such as twilight anesthesia.

The surgeon will start the procedure by making tiny incisions into the natural creases and folds of the upper eyelids, as well as into the wrinkles at the corners of the eyes. The surgeon will then remove excess fat, muscle and loose skin before sewing the eyelid back together with tiny stitches. Then the surgeon will repeat the same technique on the lower lids, making incisions just below the eyelashes or inside the lower lid that extend into the laugh lines at the corners of the eyes. A highly skilled, certified plastic surgeon will ensure that any scars will be hidden by the natural folds of your eyes and will be practically invisible.

Within a few weeks of your eyelid surgery, any swelling or bruising should completely disappear, revealing the final results – younger, more rested eyes. For some people, these results may last a lifetime, but for others eyelid drooping and sagging may reappear eventually.

Cosmetic eyelid surgery will not eliminate laugh lines/crow’s feet, sagging eyebrows or dark circles under the eyes. As a result, you may choose to have other cosmetic procedures like a brow lift or facelift at the same time as your eyelid surgery in order to achieve the results you desire.