Eyelid Surgery, or blepharoplasty, is a surgical procedure to improve the appearance of the eyelids. Surgery can be performed on the upper lids, lower lids, or both. Whether you want to improve your appearance or are experiencing functional problems with your eyelids, eyelid surgery can rejuvenate the face bringing focus to a youthful looking eye area.
Blepharoplasty can treat the following concerns:
- Loose or sagging skin that creates folds or disturbs the natural contour of the upper eyelid, sometimes impairing vision
- Fatty deposits that appear as puffiness in the eyelids
- Bags under the eyes
- Excess skin and fine wrinkles of the lower eyelid
The appearance of a drooping upper lid may also be due to relaxation of the forehead skin and eyebrow. Requiring a browlift surgery. Sometimes stretching out of the upper eyelid muscle, like putting in contacts daily for many years, may cause a drooping eyelid. This is called eyelid ptsosis and requires a different surgical treatment. At Golden Isles Center for Plastic Surgery, Dr. Diane Bowen will evaluate your facial anatomy thoroughly and will discuss what procedures are best for you during the consultation process.
Upper Blepharoplasty FAQs
In some instances, upper blepharoplasty, eyelid ptosis and/or brow lift can be classified as being medically necessary because of the impact to visual impairment. In these cases, insurance can be billed for your surgical procedure.
The first step is to call your insurance company and ask if you have surgical benefits and if a procedure like this would be covered. Next, to determine if you would meet insurance criteria for upper blepharoplasty, eyelid ptosis and/or brow lift surgery is to have a visual fields test completed by an Ophthalmologist. Once this test is completed, the results along with photos and clinical documentation completed by Dr. Bowen during your consultation will be sent to your insurance company for review. Depending on the patient’s specific insurance plan, will determine if all, some, or none of the surgery is covered. In addition, Medicare and other insurers will allow one type of procedure to be done but not two, so if you have a drooping eyelid and excess skin, one of these procedures could be an out-of-pocket expense.
If eyelid surgery or eyelid ptosis has been approved by your insurance carrier there might still be an expense associated with your surgery. See the questions below regarding things to consider and ask your insurance company.
Every insurance plan is different. Deductibles in most cases range from $500 to $5000. Your deductible must be paid before your insurance will pay. For example, if you have a $1000 deductible and you have only met $100, you will owe $900 towards your surgery before your insurance will cover any remaining balance.
To know what your deductible is and if you have met your deductible this year, please call the number on the back of your insurance card.
In some instances, insurance plans have a co-insurance amount. This means that you are responsible for a percentage of your bill. For example, after you have paid your deductible of $1000, you are also responsible for 20% co-insurance. This means you are responsible for 20% of the bill and your insurance will cover 80% of the bill.
To know what your co-insurance amount is please call the number on the back of your insurance card.
If Blepharoplasty is not medically necessary, then it is considered cosmetic. There are many reasons to still move forward with surgery, especially if they are impacting quality of life. The most common reason patients tell us they are considering eyelid surgery is because they feel or look tired. In fact, research shows that how our facial expressions look can affect how we feel about ourselves. Some patients say they are getting horizontal lines in their forehead because they are constantly raising their eyebrows to lift away the excess eyelid skin. These are all reasonable concerns to have Blepharoplasty surgery.
On average the cost of an upper blepharoplasty is $4500- $7500 this includes the surgeons fee, anesthesia, OR fee and all post care appointments. To get a quote to know exactly how much this surgical procedure would cost, schedule a consultation with Dr. Diane Bowen at Golden Isles Center for Plastic Surgery.
Lower Blepharoplasty
Our eyes are the focal point of the face. Many of our patients opt to have lower blepharoplasty or a procedure to address under eye bags. The lower eyelids are one of the most delicate areas on the face. A procedure in this area requires careful attention to detail, an experienced surgeon and gentle hand. Dr. Diane Bowen is a board-certified plastic surgeon who has over 25 years of experience.
Lower Blepharoplasty FAQs
For some patients, Dr. Bowen can treat dark circles or shadowing under eyes in a non-surgical fashion with filler made from hyaluronic acid. There are various products available to perform this treatment. Based on your individual needs, during your consultation, Dr. Bowen will discuss and suggest which products are best to reach your optimal results.
Another non-surgical option to address under eye bags or loose undereye skin is AccuTite. AccuTite is a revolutionary procedure that provides a dramatic improvement in skin laxity in those tiny, hard to reach places, without excisional surgery. AccuTite utilizes minimally invasive radio frequency energy to melt fat and contour the skin. You are left with surgical-like results without prolonged downtime.
AccuTite uses RFAL (Radio- Frequency Assisted Lipolysis) technology that uses thermal energy or heat to promote skin tightening and removes unwanted fat. This new, state of the art procedure can be used independently or in conjunction with traditional procedures such as blepharoplasty or brow lift.
Not sure if AccuTite is the right procedure for you? Call today to schedule a consultation to discuss your specific needs! 912-634-1993
Unfortunately, in most instances a lower blepharoplasty is cosmetic and not medically necessary, which will not be covered under insurance.
After your lower blepharoplasty surgery, you will be sent home with instructs for ice packs, eye masks, and eye ointment. Use of the compresses and eye masks can make a difference in your swelling and any subsequent bruising. Over-the-counter pain medication is okay to use after surgery. The stitches will dissolve on their own. Most patients can return to work after three days. Full results are seen at about 3-4 weeks.