Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty)

Upper and lower eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) performed by Northwestern University plastic surgeons to correct excess skin causing hooded upper lids, prolapsed orbital fat causing lower lid puffiness, and skin laxity contributing to under-eye hollowing. Available as an isolated procedure or combined with facelift, brow lift, or chemical resurfacing. Surgery is performed with incisions placed in natural eyelid creases for minimal visible scarring.

Blepharoplasty at Northwestern Plastic Surgery addresses periocular ageing changes across the upper and lower eyelids, performed by board-certified plastic surgeons at the 259 E Erie Street Streeterville location. Upper eyelid blepharoplasty removes the excess skin (dermatochalasis) accumulating in the upper lid that creates a hooded, heavy appearance and can obscure the natural lid crease. The incision is placed precisely within the existing or planned upper lid crease, making the resulting scar minimally perceptible after healing. Conservative removal or repositioning of prolapsed orbital fat preserves natural periocular volume and avoids the hollow superior orbit appearance that excessive fat removal can produce. In cases where significant upper lid skin excess causes the upper field of vision to be partially obscured, upper blepharoplasty may qualify for medical insurance coverage as a functional procedure — a distinction Northwestern's academic practice is well positioned to document and support through preoperative visual field testing. Lower eyelid blepharoplasty is tailored to the two predominant presentations of lower lid ageing: fat prolapse producing visible bags below the eye, and volume deflation producing hollowing and the tear trough deformity. Transconjunctival lower blepharoplasty — an approach with the incision placed on the inner surface of the lower eyelid, leaving no external scar — is used for fat prolapse without significant skin excess and is combined with fat repositioning into the tear trough when appropriate. When skin excess is present, a skin-muscle flap approach with an incision just below the lower lash line allows both fat and skin management in the same access. Blepharoplasty is frequently combined with facelift, temporal brow lift, or laser resurfacing for patients with broader facial rejuvenation goals.