Eyelid Surgery

Smiling woman with light skin and blue eyes, touching her face gently. Her expression conveys warmth and calmness. Neutral background.
A young woman with clear skin gently touches her cheek, smiling softly. The close-up conveys a sense of freshness and skincare.

Eyelid surgery crafts subtle changes around the eyes, but it can make a notable difference in one’s overall appearance. Even slight adjustments in eyelid position and structure can lift away years and restore a youthful, alert facial expression. As the top facial plastic surgeon for eyelid surgery in Salt Lake City and Saint George, Dr. Patel’s clinical experience and deep understanding of facial anatomy make him the ideal choice for patients from across the area.

What is Eyeld Surgery?

Also called blepharoplasty, eyelid surgery is a procedure to improve the cosmetic features of the upper or lower eyelids.

Schedule a Consultation

Upper Eyelid Surgery

Upper eyelid surgery focuses on removing or repositioning excess skin, muscle, and sometimes fat from the upper eyelids. Often, the goal is to reduce eyelid heaviness or hooding, while other patients may simply aim to improve eyelid contours. Though most cases are purely cosmetic, upper eyelid skin can potentially interfere with the visual field or contribute to eye fatigue.

Our Priorities:

  • Conservative changes for subtle effects
  • Preserve natural eyelid shape while creating a more open-looking eye
  • Emphasize a rested, alert appearance
Before-and-after comparison showing improvement in ptosis and drooping eyelids of an older woman's blue eyes.
RS Logo
5 Stars

The most beautiful upper and lower blepharoplasty by Dr. Bhupendra Patel: thank you!

Salt Lake City, UT

Beautiful upper and lower eyelid blepharoplasty: I couldn’t afford to also get my brows lifted but Dr. Bhupendra Patel MD operated upon my upper and lower eyelids and transferred some fat into my frown lines and even my brows look better! People now take a double take when I tell them I am 75 years old! My eyes look like those of someone much younger! I wish I could have Dr. Patel perform a facelift on me but maybe next!! Right now, I am very happy with my upper and lower blepharoplasty results. I look very good and feel happy and confident. Happy, happy, happy.

Lower Eyelid Surgery

Lower eyelid surgery instead focuses on addressing concerns under the eye. Common concerns include puffiness, under-eye bags, loose skin, and contour irregularities affecting one or both under-eye areas. Using your individual anatomy as the basis, your procedure could involve any combination of fat removal/repositioning, skin tightening, or lower eyelid structure support.

Our Priorities:

  • Avoid an overly tight or “operated on” look
  • Smooth the lower eyelid-cheek transition
  • Maintain natural eye shape
Close-up of an elderly person's eyes in two images. The top shows droopy eyelids; the bottom shows lifted eyelids, indicating a refreshed appearance.
In ladies, it is important not to pull the lower lids downwards with a lower eyelid blepharoplasty as dryness of the eyes is more common in ladies.

Quad Blepharplasty

Quad eyelid surgery is the name for a combined procedure that includes upper and lower eyelid surgery for both eyes. After all, aging has an unfortunate tendency to affect multiple facial areas rather than a single feature. Quad eyelid surgery, therefore, allows patients to fully revitalize the areas surrounding both eyes.

Schedule a Consultation

Combine Eyelid Surgery

Combining surgeries is often essential to seeing highly natural-looking results. The right combination will address core signs of aging and ensure your results build on each other. At times, a solo procedure may rejuvenate one area, but it may look unnatural if the surrounding area still shows heavy signs of aging. Dr. Patel strategically plans combination procedures to involve the least amount of changes while integrating each cosmetic improvement to a seamless whole.

How will I be Assessed?

Dr. Patel begins with a detailed assessment, assessing your health and concerns to determine the optimal surgical approach.

Evaluation includes:

  • Eyelid skin quality
  • Fat distribution
  • Brow position
  • Lower lid support
  • Tear film health
  • Whether upper lid skin affects vision
  • Medical history
  • Expectations and goals
  1. Lateral canthal laxity
  2. Lateral canthal dystopia
  3. Lower lid laxity: distraction test
  4. Lower lid laxity: snap-back test
  5. Lower lid fat bags
  6. Nasojugal and malar grooves
  7. Malar angle: negative or not
  8. Cheek Ptosis
  9. Festoons
  10. Redundant skin
  11. Orbicularis laxity
  12. Solar elastosis
  13. Pattes d’oie
  14. “Dark circls”
  15. Previous surgery/cicatricial changes

63 Yrs Old with Fat Droopy Eyes

Salt Lake City, UT

Well, the last time I had a picture taken I could hardly see my eyes because of the weight of heavy eyelid. Then I paid attention to how I was actually using my eyes and I really noticed when I was looking at anything especially the computer I was straining my forehead to see better. Since I have had it done I no longer have to lift the forehead and tilt my head to see. It is amazing! I love…

D. Rock ​

Procedure Day & Techniques Used

Anesthesia: You will receive local anesthesia injections at the surgical sites. Sedation is also commonly used, which helps create a more positive experience.

Incisions: Incisions are placed in natural upper eyelid creases, inside the lower eyelid, or just below the lash line, depending on the technique.

Adjustments: Dr. Patel may remove excess skin, adjust fat pads, reposition tissue, or tighten support structures.

Conclusion: Incisions are closed. You are taken to a room to rest for a time before returning home the same day.

Diagram illustrating facial aging concerns like tear trough deformity and jowls targeted by "The Hammock" Lower Eyelid-Midface Rejuvenation Procedure.
We designed the "Hammock Lift" to improve the top two-thirds of the face: the brows, the upper eyelids, the lower eyelids and cheeks. This only leaves the lower facelift and necklift to be performed later to give a total facial rejuvenation. The Hammock lift gives amazing three-dimensional results with proportionate improvement of the face...
Two images show a close-up of a woman's eyes before and after makeup. The top image has tired eyes and sparse eyebrows. The bottom image shows enhanced eyes with dark eyeliner, mascara, and defined brows, conveying a more alert appearance.
This lady, for example, wanted to look less tired with an endoscopic brow lift and upper and lower blepharoplasty, which worked very well.

Downtime, Recovery, & Results

Downtime: Expect to take 7 to 10 days off from work (and social engagements). Instead, focus on resting at home and following your post-procedure instructions.

Recovery: Swelling and bruising should notably resolve after 1 to 2 weeks. The exact rate will vary, but residual swelling will continue to improve over several months.

Results: Initial results can be appreciated once enough swelling and bruising have faded. Residual swelling may not be visible, but it can still subtly influence how your results look. As such, final results are typically fully refined after 3 to 6 months.

Before and after comparison photo showing a middle-aged woman with dark hair before and after what appears to be a facial rejuvenation procedure.
The beauty of the "Hammock Lift" is that a total three-dimensional improvement is seen in the top two-thirds of the face with a more youthful and vibrant face. The tired and aged look is gone. The results are such that most people cannot see any scars and the face just looks youthful
A woman with short blonde hair, before and after transformation. The left image shows a neutral expression, the right shows her smiling, looking refreshed.
But she also wanted to look more youthful over the rest of her face: specifically, she wanted to "get rid of my jowls and my old-lady neck!" And an improvement in her lip lines and cheeks. So we performed a lower facelift and necklift, lifted her lips, improved her lip lines, did fat grafts into her cheeks (and lips and other places), and improved the texture of her skin with lasers. A nice, youthful look was the outcome...

Brilliant Surgeon

PARK City, UT

My Hammock Lift is exactly what I needed, but did not know!! Dr. Patel explained to me how the Hammock Lift improves the upper two-thirds of the face, including brows, upper lids, forehead, lower lids and cheeks. I also got an improvement along my jawline which I am thrilled with as I plan on having a lower face and necklift later but this already gets me a great improvement. I have sent my two sisters to him! Brilliant surgeon. Cannot speak highly enough about him and his team.

J. Stevenson

Highly recommended for eye lift surgery

Salt Lake City, UT

I had a excellent eye lift done by Dr. Patel. He knows what he is doing and is very pleasant. Dr.Patel was easy to get an appointment and he works with you. The office staff was very pleasant and made you feel calm.

D. Gull

Frequently Asked Questions

Is eyelid surgery painful?

The surgery itself should involve no pain. Modern local anesthetics completely block sensation, allowing for a comfortable experience. Afterward, some discomfort or pain are normal. Most of our patients report about a 3 or 4 out of 10 for pain. Over-the-counter pain relievers can help bring that down to a 2 or lower. Only in select cases will stronger pain medication be prescribed at Dr. Patel’s discretion.

If your upper eyelid skin is influencing vision, eyelid surgery can help by restoring your field of view.

The surprising truth is that they should eventually not be noticeable at all. This especially holds true for lower eyelid surgery. For this procedure, incisions can often be made within the eyelid, fully hiding them. Upper eyelid surgery does involve some visible scarring. However, Dr. Patel keeps incisions restricted to eyelid folds. This hides the scarring from view. Good aftercare will also help scarring further improve over time.

Most patients have to wait 10 to 14 days to resume wearing makeup. Important notes to consider include:

  • Waiting until Dr. Patel confirms it is safe
  • Applying makeup carefully to avoid damaging incision sites
  • Never applying makeup if the incisions are not yet closed

Eyelid bags can partially return after surgery but typically not in the same way if the fat pads were properly addressed. Lower blepharoplasty can create long-lasting improvement, but biological factors can influence the under-eye area. These factors include:

  • Natural aging
  • Skin laxity
  • Fluid retention
  • Allergies
  • Weight changes
  • Genetics
There is not really any age too old or too young for eyelid surgery when it is necessary. It all comes down to individual factors. However, younger patients may first want to consider nonsurgical treatments before invasive procedures.

Schedule a Consultation Today!

Schedule a Consultation