There’s no doubt that “anti-aging” is continuing to trend in the beauty industry thanks to “Botox in a bottle” serums, nonsurgical facelifts, and even pills to reverse aging. “The desire for a younger, more awake appearance has always been a desire with patients in my practice,” double-board certified Oculoplastic Surgeon, Dr. Robert Schwarcz tells ESSENCE. “Patients want to look like ‘themselves’ or look more like when they were younger.”
As we age, our skin loses elasticity over time (collagen is known to decline approximately 1% per year) which can lead to skin stretching, sagging, and wrinkles. With this, you may notice the skin on your cheeks, forehead, and neck change over the years, and most noticeably, your eyes. That said, people often opt for a blepharoplasty surgery to help reduce puffiness and wrinkles around the eye area.
Below, with the help of Dr. Schwarcz, we break down everything you need to know about the surgery.
What is a blepharoplasty?
“Blepharoplasty is a type of eye surgery that specifically addresses the overhang, or excess skin on the eyelids,” Schwarcz says. Performing about 40 blepharoplasties each month, the eyelid surgery is the most common procedure he performs in New York.
From eye folds to fine wrinkles, puffiness to impaired vision, a blepharoplasty can target both aesthetic and medical concerns on the upper or lower eyelids, or both. “An upper blepharoplasty helps lift the upper eyelid for an awake, brighter appearance,” he says, which may be preferable for concerns of eye contouring. While on the lower lids, the surgery “can remove excess skin or fat, which leads to a reduction in shadows and dark circles.”
Are there non-invasive alternatives?
Over the years, younger people have been opting for immediate solutions through surgical and aesthetic procedures – from the BBL boom to Ozempic craze, and now blepharoplasty – as opposed to temporary alternatives. “For a patient with mild hollowing under the eye, there is Restylane Eyelight,” a non-invasive, FDA-approved alternative, in addition to the prescription eye drops, Upneeq, which can help mild upper eye sagging.
Why is the surgery more popular now?
“This awareness of wanting to reduce the appearance of aging around the eyes I believe is due to a mix of social media, reality TV culture and a reduction in stigma around plastic surgery,” he says. However, the age at which people are requesting blepharoplasty is dropping. “What is different now is that patients are coming to see me in their mid-30s for the procedure compared to mid-40s, which was more common a decade ago.”
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), blepharoplasties are one of the top five cosmetic surgical procedures performed in 2022, with other sources placing the surgery at number two in 2023. That said, eyelid surgery is on the rise, expected to find popularity in an “anti-aging”-obsessed beauty industry this year.
