During the past few years, there have been dramatic and revolutionary advances in laser technology. By applying these new technologies to the eyelids, it has become possible to rejuvenate and tighten the eyelid skin in nearly all patients without surgery. Today, surgery only needs to be done on the most severely aged eyelids.
In order to match the correct eyelid rejuvenation procedure to the right patient, we divide the eyelid skin into three degrees of laxity: mild, moderate, and severe. Patients who only have mild eyelid laxity are best treated with the eyelid Thermage procedure. Eyelid Thermage is a procedure that smoothes the texture of the eyelid skin and deceases eyelid hooding and wrinkling. Patients benefit from a single treatment that has no downtime. Patients who have had eyelid Thermage, which is also known as the “Eyes by Thermage” procedure, report that their eyelid sagging is improved and both the upper and lower eyelids are tighter. The eyes look brighter and appear more open. In addition, the improved smoothness of the skin makes it easier to apply eye make-up.
Eyelid Fraxel is intended for patients who have developed moderate laxity and crepiness of the skin of the upper and lower eyelids. The procedure reduces skin crepiness, softens lines and wrinkles, tightens the skin, and produces an overall skin rejuvenation effect. Traditional Fraxel laser resurfacing is generally done as a series of three or four treatments given at monthly intervals. The eyelid treatment may be done in conjunction with Fraxel laser treatment of the face or it may be done by itself. The procedure has no downtime. After completing their treatments, patients can reliably expect the skin to look more youthful and rejuvenated.
Patients with more severe laxity are best treated with the Fraxel Repair laser. With the Fraxel Repair, patients obtain significant tightening of their eyelid tissues in a single procedure, which is a welcome advance. Fraxel Repair eyelid treatment can be done by itself or it may be combined with treatment of the face. Patients who undergo Fraxel Repair treatment should be prepared for four to five days of healing following the procedure.
Eyelid Thermage, eyelid Fraxel, and eyelid Fraxel Repair all stimulate the production of new collagen in the eyelid skin and promote tissue tightening. This new collagen is living tissue, and for this reason, the improvement in the eyelids following any of these treatments is long lasting and should persist for years.
Regardless of which technology is used to treat the eyelids, the rejuvenation may be further enhanced with Botox and dermal fillers. Botox is used to soften the lines around the eyes (crow’s feet lines). Dermal fillers such as Juvederm and Restylane are used to soften the depressions and folds that form below the eye (known as the tear trough). By combining Thermage or either of the Fraxel lasers with Botox and dermal fillers, nearly all of our patients can achieve very natural eyelid tightening and rejuvenation without undergoing a surgical procedure.
We invite any of our patients who may be interested in non-surgical eyelid rejuvenation to contact our office and make an appointment with either Dr. Amerian or Dr. Anterasian.
