Is blepharoplasty done under local anesthesia?

Question:
My eyes were always my best feature but now they look hidden. It is almost as if they have become deeper set. It seems to me that work needs to be done on both the lower and upper parts of my eyes. Is blepharoplasty done under local anesthesia? How long will this surgery take? Will I need someone at home to care for me afterwards?

Answer:
The deep set eyes that you have described may require more than just a blepharoplasty to help rejuvenate your eyes.  However, to answer your question, an upper lid blepharoplasty takes about 40 minutes to perform.  I have performed the procedure under local anesthesia, but, prefer to perform eyelid surgery under twilight anesthesia, or mild sedation especially if other surgical procedures are also being performed.  Lower lid blepharoplasty can take as little as 30 minutes to perform, however, if there is considerable excess skin and lid laxity, then the procedure can take 45 minutes per eye to insure a good aesthetic result.  I rarely perform lower eyelid surgery under straight local anesthesia as the amount of surgical work that needs to be performed on the eye can be a bit disconcerting without some sedative medication.  I would suggest having someone with you for the first day following surgery especially if you are having both your upper and lower eyelids corrected.  Having someone with you will ease your recovery and you may be quite swollen following surgery which will affect your ability to perform normal tasks for yourself.

Posted by Dr. Philip Schoenfeld