How Simple Eyelid Surgery Can Cure The “Tired” Look
How many times have you been told that you look tired? “Did you sleep well last night?” – they ask. Or, “Are you getting enough sleep these days?”
Maybe you’re well-rested and you’ve been asked those questions enough times to where you are starting to think – “Why? Do I look tired?”
The problem is that you probably have been getting plenty of sleep, but you still look tired every day. Why is that? The proof is in the pudding, but, in this case, it’s in the eyes.
Dr. Gene Howard, an oculoplastic surgeon in Mount Pleasant, said, “Droopy and puffy upper and lower eyelids can happen at any age. It starts in the 20s and in people with bad allergies, but gradually gets worse in the 30s and 40s and so on as people age.”
He said that everyone is born with fatty tissue protecting the eyeball. A thin sheet keeps the eyelid in place.
“As people age,” Dr. Howard explained, “that sheet breaks down and the fatty tissue bulges outward, cosmetically creating the appearance of chronic fatigue and exhaustion.”
There is a solution.
“A simple outpatient surgery can be done using various techniques to remove the extra fatty tissue and tighten the loose skin, removing most of the wrinkles,” he said. “This generally results in significant refreshing of the appearance and reduces the look of always being tired.”
Many people combine upper eyelid surgery with the lower eyelid procedure. People who seek upper eyelid surgery often are indeed looking to improve their appearance, but, sometimes, heavy upper eyelids can cause the loss of peripheral vision over time.
“Since droopy upper eyelids can cause a loss of vision, it is often covered by insurance, whereas lower eyelid surgery is not covered,” Dr. Howard explained.
“If you sleep a good eight hours on a nightly basis, and even sometimes get a nap to add to that, but you still “look” tired, consider that it might just be the ‘ole’ lids,” he said.
For more information on the work of Dr. Gene Howard, call 843-793-LIDS (5437) or visit www.drgenehoward.com.
By Theresa Stratford
