General
You will be fully informed about the nature of the surgery, possible complications, aftercare and costs. Your doctor can get a picture of your motive [aesthetic and | or complaints], health, medication, your medical history, familial predisposition and your expectations. Thus, the information and the procedure can be tailored to your wishes.
Sure. The Beaufort regularly treats clients from abroad, particularly from the Benelux, but also from beyond.
The treatments take place in a health centre that already has all the necessary medical facilities. This has a favourable influence on the overhead costs. It is also the Beaufort’s vision that eyelid surgery should be financially feasible for everyone.
Blepharoplasty has been considered a cosmetic procedure since 2006 and is therefore not covered by most health insurers. You can check this with your own insurance to be sure.
The objective of the NHG [Dutch GP Society] is to improve the quality of general practice care. Since recently, however, upper blepharoplasty has been brought to the GP’s attention as an easy to perform surgery. Here only a small part of the skin is removed. We dissociate ourselves entirely from this NHG view and regret that it holds such careless position. The Beaufort’s opinion is that it is not about eyelid surgery in this case but about skin correction of the upper eyelids. Blepharoplasty requires more extensive technique, ability and experience.
The most commonly performed types of eyelid surgery are: upper blepharoplasty, lower blepharoplasty without skin correction and lower blepharoplasty with skin correction.
A lower blepharoplasty is generally perceived as a heavier surgery.
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The advantage is that you only have one recovery/ cooling period. That is attractive for people who work and want to miss as little as possible.
The disadvantage is that the surgery takes longer and is a little more radical.
The essence of a lower blepharoplasty is that the adipose tissue [the bags] is removed.
However, if a skin surplus exists it is also cosmetically recommended to correct this. This is possible if the scar in the skin lines | folds is concealable so you cannot see it afterwards.
Complications can arise with any surgery. Fortunately, these are extremely rare. Problems that may occur are allergic reactions, slow wound healing, infection or bleeding. The probability that an eye gets damaged through blepharoplasty is very small. In rare cases this can lead to loss of vision.
It can be possible that too much excess skin gets removed, which is not desired of course. It is, however, a built-in safety in the treatment protocol. After the doctor carefully marks the area that needs to be removed, it can be assessed whether the markings are correct and if there is not too much skin likely to be removed.
The interventions are always in mutual consultation. Surgery takes place on an almost daily basis, however, we must take account of holiday, busy days, etc.
The use of blood thinners [like Ascal and acetylsalicacid] should be stopped one week before surgery. The use of blood thinners can be continued the day after surgery. Timely consult with your doctor about stopping with other blood thinners such as sintrom and marcoumar. Often this is done in consultation with the thrombosis service.
Smoking is of course discouraged due to many health reasons. With regard to eyelid surgery, smoking has an unfavourable influence on the blood flow. Good circulation is necessary for proper healing. It is advised to stop smoking from 2 weeks to 2 weeks after surgery.
Alcohol werkt bloedverdunnend. Alcohol thins the blood. It is therefore advisable not to consume alcohol for a few days before and after the surgery. In addition, it unnecessarily causes additional swelling.
The treatment is NOT painful. However, you will experience a short period of pressure when removing the pockets of fat. If you still feel something then make it known. We can always provide additional anaesthesia.
Upper as well as lower blepharoplasty rarely takes longer than 1 hour. Upper and lower blepharoplasty simultaneously takes one and a half to two hours.
A general anaesthetic is really not necessary and has more disadvantages than advantages for a blepharoplasty.
Yes. During the intake interview and after treatment, we explain exactly what to do. You will also receive this note on paper.
The eyelids are somewhat swollen the first few days, most notably on the 2nd or 3rd day. Sometimes the eyelids get a little blue. This gradually declines. The use of cold, wet compresses promotes recovery. You will perhaps look a bit less presentable for a week. But usually it not too bad. [Sun] Glasses can mask the swelling if necessary.
It is unusual that the face of a patient turns blue after surgery. On average this is less than 1%. Usually it is the result of bumping, straining, coughing, lifting, alcohol consumption etc.
Arnica tablets may help to prevent haematoma, and promote wound healing. This is of particular importance with the elderly or those with a thin skin that instantly bruises after receiving a punch. We do therefore not recommend it to anyone. But it cannot hurt. The most important thing is that you rest adequately and take plenty of time to cool the first three days after surgery. This reduces the risk of unnecessary swelling, bruising, infection and delayed wound healing. Manual lymph drainage by beauty specialist or dermatologist is usually not necessary. Are you planning to do this anyway than please consult with your doctor.
We recommend wet cold compresses. Another option is cold tap water with an ice cube in it. Direct contact with ice causes rapid freezing phenomena in this area and should therefore be avoided.
This is not necessary. You could possibly raise the head end slightly. A good night’s sleep is important. Hence, we do not give specific advice. If necessary, you can wear an elastic hair band with gauze underneath over the eyes. This counteracts the swelling. Sleep position advice has little use. You will roll over frequently anyway and will eventually take to your preferred position.
You can perform light work again after two days, but you will be less presentable the first week. Heavy physical work is not recommended during the first two weeks. In general, most people go back to work after one week.
The stitches are removed after an average of 6 days.
Yes, that is no problem. You will receive written instructions. That way your doctor will know how he can do so in the best manner.
After the removal of the suture, the wound is not firm yet. Therefore, you should still be careful. We recommend not to exercise intensively for three weeks after the operation and wait six weeks before the use of a sauna.
If you cool properly 90% of the swelling will have disappeared when removing the sutures after 6 days. Gravity may cause the lower eyelids to swell temporarily. This will disappear. Formally it takes 2 – 3 months before the swelling has completely disappeared. Usually it goes faster.
You should shower only briefly the first 2 weeks. Hot water is not good for wound healing. The area around your eyes in particular should be cleansed carefully.
You can practice sports after 3 weeks, except for swimming. This will be possible after six weeks.
You can use makeup again 5 days after the removal of the sutures.
Both before and after the surgery you can wear lenses. However, it is better to wear a pair of glasses during the first week after surgery. It is also easier with regard to cooling. You should also keep in mind that the feeling in the eyelids is temporarily less after surgery, sometimes making inserting and removing contact lenses a bit more difficult.
The scar will remain visible as a red line for several weeks to months. This is barely noticeable. The scar falls into the fold of the eyelid. Eventually, what remains will be no more than a small white stripe. The same applies for lower blepharoplasty.
Formally a scar 6 – 12 needs months to heal. However, this is often faster. This has to do with the suture technique and the skin lines.
On average the effect lasts 10 to 15 years. The duration of the result depends on the individual aging process that continues after surgery. The skin type and skin condition also play a role. Excessive exposure to sunlight and smoking have an adverse effect on long-term outcome. By removing the skin pockets a longer-lasting result can be retained.