Droopy eyelids?
With age comes wrinkles, extra skin and extra fat in places we never thought possible. A recent study published in the September issue of the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery reveals that as we age, even our eye lids get fatter.
For many years plastic surgeons have ran with the belief that over time the amount of fat housed in our eyelids does not change, but instead, the cover holding the fat in place, the orbital septum, weakens which allows some of the fat to release, and in turn, causes the eyelid to droop.
Based on that belief, plastic surgeons have been performing a variety of surgical procedures to fix baggy eyelids — none of which involve removing excess fat. Instead, to treat droopy eyelids, plastic surgeons have been performing procedures that involve the repositioning of existing fat to create a more even spread, or tightening the muscle surrounding the eye or the orbital septum.
Although plastic surgeons have been taught that this is the cause of droopy eyelids, there has not been a study to prove it.
Authors of the new study, however, prove that over time, there is an increase in the amount of fat in the eyelids, which, in turn, causes the lower eyelid to sag and droop.
Researchers measured the amount of fat living in the eyelids of 40 participants, ranging in age from 12-80 through the use of MRIs. The study proved that the older participants did, in fact, carry higher levels of fat in their eyelids, causing them to appear puffy and tired.
According to the authors of the study, their findings are a breakthrough in the plastic surgery industry.
“Our findings may change the way some plastic surgeons treat baggy eyes,” says study co-author Timothy Miller, MD, professor and chief of plastic surgery at the Geffen School.
Miller goes on to say he believes the results will encourage more surgeons to perform surgical procedures that involve extracting excess fat from the eyes rather than simply tightening the muscles. He does mention, however, that because every case is different, every patient must be properly examined before performing surgery to fix droopy, baggy eyes.
