What do you notice first about someone’s appearance? The eyes would be in the top three answers. They’re the focal point of a face and therefore hugely important to the overall appearance.

Unfortunately, they’re also one of the first body parts to show signs of ageing. This can be due to hereditary reasons, too much sun exposure, or lifestyle related. With age, the muscle behind our eyelids becomes weaker, the brows drop, and the fat deposits shift toward the eyelid muscle, making eyelids seem puffy and droopy. This can make a person look sad, angry, tired, and much older than they are. It can also cause visual obstruction in some cases.

To reverse these signs of ageing and restore fresh and awake looking eyes, eyelid surgery (also called Blepharoplasty) involves the removal of excess fat and skin on the upper and lower eyelids, however, some people may only need one or the other.

The incision are made in the natural crease of your eye and will fade over time making it virtually impossible to tell you’ve had surgery a few weeks after.

While lower eyelid surgery is performed under general anaesthetic and in hospital as the fat pockets are located deeper under the muscle, upper eyelid surgery can be done in rooms under local anaesthetic, i.e. injections directly in the upper eye area which will be sufficient to numb it.

Your eyes may be swollen and tender for a few days post-surgery, and you might get some bruising, but most people can return to work within 7 to 10 days.

While contact lenses should be avoided for about 2 weeks, you can wear glasses immediately post-op.

Dr Nettle is higly experienced and specialised in facial plastic surgery, and tailors each procedure to his patient’s needs, always considering all facial features to create the most harmonious, natural-looking result.

If you’d like to book a consult with Dr Nettle, call us on (02) 9387 3900.