Why Blepharoplasty Is the #1 Eye Rejuvenation Procedure

Since plastic surgeries were first tallied in the United States, eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) has held a top-10 spot overall and the top spot in facial surgeries ever since. 

In 2024, eyelid surgery was #5 in plastic surgeries in the US, with slightly more than 120,000 procedures, but it grabbed the #1 spot worldwide, with 2.1 million procedures.

There are some very good reasons for this popularity, and we turn to board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Zelken to explain them. In the following, we examine why our patients love eyelid surgery and why the eye rejuvenation procedure continues to grow in popularity.

What happens to your eyes as you age

When you age, the skin that’s been more exposed over the years tends to break down first, and this definitely includes the delicate skin in your eyelids and directly below your eyes.

As the skin in these areas starts to lose elasticity and tone, it can stretch and create folds, especially in your upper lids, which can make your eyes look hooded. 

Weaker levator muscles exacerbate this effect; as you age, the muscle that controls your eyelids naturally weakens, causing ptosis, which is the medical term for a drooping eyelid. And this drooping is rarely even, which can create asymmetry between your eyes — one looks more open than the other.

With age, the skin under your eyes can become far less toned and instead take on a crepey, lumpy appearance. With more advanced aging, the lower lid can start to separate from the eye as it loosens over time.

Eyes are expressive and speak volumes

As a result of the possible side effects of aging on your eyes, your eyes can gradually appear swallowed up.

This is problematic because eyes are one of those facial features that can convey entire sentences without you having to utter a word. This expressiveness can be both a blessing and a curse, especially as the effects of aging begin to take hold.

Instead of looking bright-eyed, curious, and vibrant, the aging processes around your eyes can make you look more tired than you actually feel. Or more bored or listless.

This is why many of our patients come to us for eyelid surgery — to open up their beautiful and expressive eyes. And this procedure never disappoints in this regard as patients find that just a few tweaks around their eyes can make an incredibly dramatic difference in their appearance, making them look years younger and entirely rejuvenated.

Eyelid surgery is a relatively minor procedure

Another reason why our patients love the blepharoplasty is that it’s a relatively minor procedure. Dr. Zelken performs both awake eyelid surgeries (here’s a YouTube video of this procedure) and surgeries with sedation. In either case, you get to go home after your eyelid surgery.

What isn’t minor is the care that Dr. Zelken takes to achieve your goals. During your eyelid surgery, Dr. Zelken carefully removes excess skin to minimize bleeding, which reduces bruising and scarring afterward. Dr. Zelken also ensures the area is sutured carefully and effectively to further minimize bruising and scarring. 

Tailoring eyelid surgery to your needs

Another reason why eyelid surgery is a top facial surgery is that we can tailor the procedure to each person’s individual goals. For example, one person might only need a bit of excess skin removed from the upper lids, while another might benefit from a full eye rejuvenation of the upper lids, lower lids, and under-eye area.

During an eyelid procedure, Dr. Zelken can perform any combination of:

• Removing excess skin in the upper lids
• Removing or repositioning fat in the upper lids
• Tightening loose muscles
• Tightening the lower lid
• Removing excess skin in the under-eye area to address crepeyness
• Removing and repositioning fat in the under-eye area

We can even combine an eyelid surgery with a brow lift for a more extensive refresh of the top half of your face.

The bottom line is that eyelid surgery is an amazingly effective aesthetic tool that can make you look more vibrant and youthful without making serious changes.

To explore for yourself how a blepharoplasty can rejuvenate your appearance, we invite you to contact our Newport Beach, California, office at (949) 676-9119. Or, you can request an appointment using our online booking tool.