I have excess skin above my eyelids that impairs my vision. Will a blepharoplasty help improve this? Would insurance cover the procedure? I live in Reston and would love to come see you for a consultation.
Answer:
As we age, we often will develop excess eyelid skin or dermachalasis. Excess eyelid skin or hooding can result from the skin laxity in the upper eyelids or from descent of the eyebrows. Typically, as the eyebrows drop, excess skin can become obvious around the outer portion of the eyelid. In women the eyebrow should typically sit one centimeter above the bony rim surrounding the eye and in men the eyebrow should be at the level of this bony rim around the eye. If the eyebrows are in good position, then a blepharoplasty or eyelid lift will improve your peripheral vision problem that is resulting from excess eyelid skin. If there is significant descent of the eyebrows, then a forehead lift or browlift many be needed in combination with a blepharoplasty. To better understand your functional deficit from the excess eyelid skin, a peripheral visual fields test can be performed and compared with the results when the excess skin is taped up. This test is important to determine if insurance will cover part of the surgery cost. To provide further recommendations, it would be best to evaluate you in our facial plastic surgery practice in Reston, Virginia.
-Dr. Jessica Kulak
