What is causing fullness in my upper eyelids? The presence of fullness in the
upper eyelids can have an impact on your appearance as well as your vision full
upper eyelids can have several causes solutions to address these causes often
required specialized procedures not usually performed by general plastic or
cosmetic surgeons I’m Dr. Amiya Prasad I’m a
Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic
and reconstructive surgeon I’ve been in practice in Manhattan and Long Island
for over 20 years as an oculoplastic surgeon I’ve specialized in frequently
requested cosmetic eyelid surgeries such as for hooded eyes and under-eye bags as
well as specialized procedures not typically performed by general plastic
or cosmetic surgeons such as eyelid ptosis surgery surgery for lacrimal
gland prolapse and surgery to correct the effects of Bell’s palsy and thyroid
eye disease the most common cause of fullness of the upper eyelids is the
presence of extra skin and fat eyelid skin can stretch with aging resulting in
upper eyelid fullness which is referred to as dermatochalasis fact that is
normally situated in compartments around the eyes can push forward and create
local areas of puffiness as well as fullness which extends across the full
length of the upper eyelid fullness in the upper eyelids can also be associated
with drooping of the eyebrows in order to address fullness on the upper eyelids
caused by excess skin as well as fat I routinely perform a procedure called
upper eyelid blepharoplasty upper eyelid blepharoplasty
is a highly sought after procedure with great potential to improve the
appearance of your eyes unfortunately many doctors who perform upper eyelid
blepharoplasty have limited knowledge and experience within Anatomy around the
eyes this can lead to a higher risk for complications such as having too much
skin removed resulting in eye exposure as well as undesirable scars and
unsatisfactory aesthetic results I can attest to the value of having a high
level of expertise in eyelid surgery as a specialist who performs corrective
surgery for both upper and lower eyelid complications
my approach to upper eyelid surgery is to reveal the true shape of the eyes to
help you look refreshed while at the same time maintain the true character of
your eyes and face another possible cause for fullness above the upper
eyelids is lacrimal gland prolapse the lacrimal gland is the gland that
produces tears for the purpose of eye lubrication awareness of the location of
this gland is important during eyelid surgery fullness of the upper eyelids
can be partially caused by the lacrimal gland prolapsing this means that the
lacrimal gland which is normally located behind the bone descends downward
thereby prolapsing lacrimal gland prolapse can appear like a mass if there
are no other bulges caused by fat or by fullness from the eyebrow drooping an
important part is that during surgery this gland should be repositioned and
preserved using a technique called lacrimal gland resuspension as the
specialty of oculofacial plastic surgery includes training specifically in the
lacrimal system lacrimal gland resuspension is an integral part of
specialty focus on eyelid surgery it’s well established that non specialists
such as general plastic surgeon have removed the prolapsed gland the
same way fat is being removed the consequence of this action is a
reduction in total tear production with high health implications such as dry eye
syndrome another cause of heaviness in the upper eyelids come from the various
causes of mechanical ptosis mechanical ptosis occurs when a physical weight on
the upper eyelid causes the eyelid to droop this mask could be a benign growth
as well as excess skin caused by dramatic alesis or eyebrow ptosis there
are times when injectable fillers placed into the upper eyelids to treat
hollowing can also cause mechanical ptosis mechanical ptosis caused by a
benign growth or excess skin can be addressed with surgery in a situation
where mechanical ptosis is caused by the presence of a hyaluronic acid filler the
hyaluronic acid filler can be dissolved non-surgically using the enzyme
hyaluronidase a possible indirect cause of fullness in the upper eyelids is from
the eyebrow position drooping of the eyebrow is referred to as eyebrow ptosis
in many instances of eyebrow ptosis a non-surgical treatment using botulinum
toxin can be considered a procedure called the Botox brow lift involves
relaxing the depressor muscle group that pulls the eyebrows downward such as the
corrugator procerus and orbicularis oculi muscles by relaxing these muscles
the muscle which lifts the eyebrows called the frontalis muscle is working
unopposed thereby raising the eyebrows typically age-related changes caused the
eyebrows to descend which requires the physical repositioning and reshaping of
the eyebrows depending on the individual situation different types of brow
lifting and shaping surgery can be very effective
the procedures I perform such as eyelid surgery and of the lacrimal system as
well as the brow lifting procedures are routinely done with local anesthesia and
LITE IV sedation our patients are comfortable during surgery and recover
without the risks and side effects of general anesthesia typically my patients
return to work in one week when dealing with fullness above the upper eyelids
the importance of proper examination and diagnosis cannot be overstated as a
specialist in cosmetic and reconstructive oculofacial plastic
surgery I recommend that you have a thorough understanding of the different
anatomical aspects which are responsible for the areas of your concern further
you should have a clear understanding of the procedures recommended and the
outcomes you can expect I hope you found this information helpful thank you for
your question