Upper eyelid lift in Bern

Procedures to lift the upper eyelids are among a range of operations that can achieve marked improvements with relatively little effort. Removing excess skin from above the eye expands the patient’s field of vision and transforms a rather sorrowful facial expression into a positive appearance.

Excess skin can form above the eyes due to a person’s genetic disposition or simply because of their advancing age. Surgery to tauten the upper eyelids removes this excess skin. The aim of the surgery is to prevent the patient’s eyebrows from drooping further. At the start of the procedure, the surgeon closely examines the shape of the eyelid. In many cases, more excess skin is present beside the eyes than directly above them.

This then creates a sort of kink in the bend of the upper eyelid. In the lifting operation, the surgeon makes an incision in the upper eyelid’s natural fold in order to remove a spindle of skin, the size of which may vary. Before suturing the skin together again, it may also be necessary to remove excess fat tissue.

An upper eyelid lift is an outpatient procedure performed under local anaesthetic and takes around 1 hour. The sutures are removed after a week’s recovery, during which time the sutures are protected with steri-strips.

Side effects such as bleeding and infections occur in fewer than 1% of cases. In equally rare cases, scars become irritated or wounds re-open after the sutures are removed. In some cases, it may be necessary to make further minor corrections after the first procedure in order to restore symmetry to the patient’s face or remove further small wrinkles. The final results of the treatment can then be seen after 4–6 months. A further correction may then be required after 10 years at the earliest as the natural ageing process progresses.

Yes, patients often combine upper eyelid correction surgery with a facelift or a minimally invasive wrinkle treatment. If you’re interested in a combined operation, we’d be happy to advise you on the options open to you at our practice in Bern.