Eyelid Surgery

Conveniently located to serve Providence, RI

At Enzer & Associates in Providence, Rhode Island, eyelid surgery (also known as blepharoplasty) is a focal point of Dr. Enzer’s practice. The eyes are the window to the soul and are the first thing we notice when meeting another person. Our eyes are so important in creating the first impression that they may mean the difference between a friendly encounter or none at all. Dr. Enzer’s years of specialized training as an ophthalmologist and oculofacial plastic surgeon give him an unparalleled advantage in treating concerns such as heavy lids, drooping brows, or bags under the eyes, and he will work with you to achieve the youthful look you desire.

Your Eyelid Surgery will be performed by Dr. Yoash Enzer either in his Providence, RI office, or if you desire sedation anesthesia, at Blackstone Valley Surgicenter, one of Southern New England’s premier outpatient surgery facilities.

What Is Eyelid Surgery?

Eyelid surgery is a compilation of procedures to rejuvenate the eye area and harmoniously blend it into the rest of the face. These surgeries can be performed on the upper eyelids, the lower eyelids, or both eyelids. Adjacent structures, such as the eyebrows and cheeks will also be evaluated and refined as indicated. Upper eyelid surgeries include upper blepharoplasty and ptosis (droopy eyelid) repair. When performed on the lower eyelid, the surgery is referred to as a lower blepharoplasty or lower eyelid surgery.

What Are The Benefits Of Eyelid Surgery?

As a Providence Rhode Island and Southern New England eyelid surgery specialty practice, we have cared for thousands of blepharoplasty patients. Below, we’ve included some of the main advantages that we’ve seen on a day-to-day basis with our patients.

  • The procedure is typically an outpatient procedure, meaning you’ll be able to rest and recuperate from the comfort of your own home
  • Many of our patients find it as an advantage to combine this surgery with other procedures such as brow lift, mid facelift, or our nonsurgical options like fillers or BOTOX
  • Within just a few short hours, the procedure will take years off your face, giving you a more youthful appearance to the eye area
  • Dr. Enzer is one of the few plastic surgeons in New England to perform these precision procedures with a laser, which can often speed your recovery.
  • Many people are looking for a career change- eyelid surgery will help you look more energetic, refreshed, and put you in more competitive advantage with younger applicants.
  • Gain self-confidence and enjoy the way you look more in photos

Who Are The Best Candidates For Eyelid Surgery?

The eyes are very much one of the first noticed facial features and can easily give people a lasting first impression of you on your introduction. Because of this, there are many different candidates for the surgery. Below, we’ve included some of the patients we are proud to treat at our practice.

  • Before candidates come in for surgery they should be in good overall health
  • Patients interested in eyelid surgery should not smoke cigarettes for several weeks leading up to surgery
  • Some of our patients have droopy upper eyelids
  • Many candidates have puffy under-eye bags
  • Some of our patients also have difficulty seeing due to their eyelids obstructing their vision

We ask that our patients have realistic expectations of the surgery and fully understand what it can and cannot do. This will be discussed with you at your consultation and you should feel free to ask any questions.

What’s The First Step?

The first step to getting eyelid surgery in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts with Dr. Enzer is to give us a phone call or fill out a contact form on this website. Our team is excited to schedule a consultation for you to meet one-on-one with Dr. Enzer. During your consultation, we’ll provide a thorough assessment of your face and eyes, answer any questions, and give our expert recommendations.

This will be the best time for you to get to know Dr. Enzer, ask questions, let him know your aesthetic desires, and make sure you’re perfectly comfortable with not only the procedure but our practice as well. Afterward, an estimate for all your fees associated with the recommended procedures will be provided.

If you’re happy with the recommendations, you can reserve a date for your procedure with a deposit. As part of what is included, we will arrange a preoperative visit, during which time we will review what to expect, the risks, and benefits, and we will send your prescriptions as well as provide you with pre and postoperative instructions. It’s vital that you follow these guideless as closely as possible, as they are designed to ensure Dr. Enzer can provide you with the best eyelid surgery possible, minimize risk, and reduce the chance of any complications.

What Are The Different Types Of Eyelid Surgery?

For some patients, surgery on both upper and lower eyelids is performed. For others, they may just need surgery on the upper eyelids or lower eyelids. Below, we’ve included information on both upper, lower, revision eyelid surgery, and Asian eyelid surgery.

Upper Eyelid Surgery

If you suffer from heavy upper eyelids, you may notice that people always say you look tired. You may even have to raise your eyebrows in order to see, but by the end of the day, your eyes won’t stay open. When it comes to your upper eyelids, there are three possible reasons that may be causing your lids to be heavy: excess upper eyelid skin, a weakened muscle to raise the eyelid margin or drooping brows. Dr. Enzer will evaluate each of these components and recommend one or more procedures for you.

Upper blepharoplasty involves the surgical removal of excess skin and fatty tissue. This helps to open your eyes, giving you a more rested and youthful appearance. Dr. Enzer prefers to use the carbon dioxide laser instead of a scalpel to perform the surgery in order to reduce bruising and reduce healing time. Dr. Enzer has helped develop and perfect the techniques for this procedure and has taught his techniques to hundreds of other doctors, both nationally and internationally.

To read more about brow lifting, click here. To learn more about raising a drooping lid, click here.

Lower Eyelid Surgery

Lower blepharoplasty can reduce puffiness under the eyes from fat bulges. Typically this is performed with a carbon dioxide laser to reduce swelling and bruising. Dr. Enzer performs the majority of his lower blepharoplasties with a transconjunctival (inner eyelid) approach. This ensures that there are no scars on the skin and minimizes the risks of the lids getting pulled down from scar tissue.

Eyelid tightening is a surgical procedure that corrects excessively loose, sagging or drooping lower eyelids. It can also convert a sad, rounded, or sagging eyelid appearance to a more youthful almond-shaped eye. Many lower blepharoplasty patients benefit from this additional procedure because it tightens the lids better against the eye. Eyelid tightening can also help alleviate puffiness and dark circles under the eyes and is often combined with mid-face lifting. For more information about mid-face lifting please click here.

Asian Eyelid Surgery

Asian eyelid surgery is also referred to as double eyelid surgery and is a technique used for patients of Asian descent who have a single fold, meaning they lack an upper eyelid fold or crease. Most of our Asian patients want a double fold and find this is more aesthetically pleasing. It also creates a nice platform to apply makeup. Asian eyelid surgery in Rhode Island and Southern Massachusetts is a specialty. Most eye doctors and plastic surgeons don’t feel comfortable performing this operation, as they lack experience. As a Rhode Island and Southern New England eyelid surgery specialist, Dr. Enzer specializes in the eyelids, and fully understands the nuances that come with each case.

Revision Eyelid Surgery

Unfortunately, many patients come to us unhappy with the results they received from a previous surgeon. Dr. Enzer has extensive experience with these problems, having trained at one of the top referral centers in the world for complex eyelid revision surgery. He will listen to your concerns, evaluate you in great detail, and provide his recommendations for how to proceed in the safest, most effective manner possible. You may want to take these recommendations back to the original surgeon. In other situations, you may want Dr. Enzer to perform the revision. Either way, we will support you through this difficult process.

“I have been going to Dr. Enzer for 16 years. He is very honest and professional. I have all the trust in the world in his work. If you are looking for a doctor that is ethical, honest, and very intelligent he is the one you are looking for. I say this with years of receiving wonderful results.”

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What To Expect On The Day Of Eyelid Surgery?

During upper blepharoplasty surgery, incisions are made in the natural creases of the eyelid so the incisions are usually inconspicuous after they have healed. The procedure is usually performed at an outpatient surgical facility, meaning there is no overnight stay. Most of the time, upper blepharoplasty surgery is done with local anesthesia and intravenous sedation, or “twilight” anesthesia. This means that the patient will have little or no awareness of the procedure, similar to a colonoscopy. General anesthesia is sometimes used if multiple procedures are being done together, or if Dr. Enzer anticipates a complicated surgery. A minority of patients can tolerate the procedure fully awake in our office, meaning there is only local anesthesia (no twilight anesthesia). This can allow for significant cost savings.

Similar to an upper blepharoplasty, a lower blepharoplasty is usually done under twilight anesthesia at a local outpatient facility, meaning there is no overnight stay. For both these procedures, patients are required to fast for at least 12 hours prior to the surgery in order to prevent anesthesia complications and decrease the risk of aspiration pneumonia. Dr. Enzer will coordinate your medications with your other physicians and advice you what if any medications to discontinue before your procedure.

  • American Board of Ophthalmology Board Certified

Eyelid Surgery Before & Afters

Eyelid Surgery before and after photos in Rhode Island
Eyelid Surgery before and after photos in Rhode Island

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Eyelid Surgery Recovery

Immediately after eyelid surgery, patients are likely to have very mild pain, swelling, and bruising. The majority of the swelling will have gone down within 48 hours, and bruising is typically gone in 1 to 2 weeks. Our goal is to have most patients return to their full social and work activities within two weeks after the procedure. However, this timetable is variable depending on the procedures performed, the health of the patient, the extent of bruising and swelling, as well as unpredictable healing factors that are different for all of us.

How Much Does Eyelid Surgery Cost In Rhode Island?

The cost of a Rhode Island blepharoplasty can vary on several factors. The surgery is tailored to each patient, and a surgery plan is developed during your consultation. Dr. Enzer looks forward to meeting with you, answering questions, and providing you with his expert recommendations. Rest assured that our office is fully transparent, and you will know exactly what to expect for your fees before having your surgery.

Schedule Your Consultation

Dr. Yoash Enzer is widely considered by his patients to be one of the best eyelid cosmetic plastic surgeons in Rhode Island and Southern New England. If you’re interested in blepharoplasty, contact us today, to schedule a consultation with Dr. Enzer and the skilled team at Enzer & Associates. We look forward to meeting you!

Frequently asked questions

Patients are asked to come to the facility about an hour before the surgery actually starts in order to get you ready for the procedure. An upper or lower blepharoplasty usually takes less than one hour. Afterward, the patient is brought into the recovery room where they will remain under nursing observation until they are ready to return home. If you are interested in additional procedures that will complement eyelid surgery, such as laser resurfacing or mid-face lifting, this may add to the total time of the procedure. Talk with Dr. Enzer about your options.
Every medical procedure has risks. There are general risks, such as pain, bruising, or reaction to the medication. Specific to eyelid surgery, our main concern is to avoid changes in eyelid shape and get the best symmetry possible. Most incision marks are barely noticeable after healing is complete since the incisions are either made in the natural folds of the upper eyelid or inside the lower eyelid (transconjunctival approach). Over or under correction is also a consideration that we work hard to avoid. It is important to keep these risks in mind and balance them against the benefits of the procedure while making your decision. Finally, there are very rare but serious risks such as anesthesia complications, infection, bleeding, loss of vision, double vision, or the inability to close your eyelids.
You will notice a change immediately after surgery. Then bruising and swelling set in over the first few days, and this may last a few weeks. The vast majority of patients reach a stable long-term result by about three months, although there is variability.
For upper blepharoplasty surgery, some patients may be eligible for insurance to cover the costs of the procedure. In that case, the main goal of the surgery is not cosmetic, but to improve the blockage of vision due to heavy eyelids. The difference between what is considered cosmetic and what your insurance company may cover, as well as what you could expect from each of the two approaches, will be reviewed with you during your consultation. When it comes to insurance coverage for lower eyelid procedures, insurance companies only cover lower eyelid procedures that horizontally tighten the eyelid margin and/or repair margin malpositions, such as ectropion or entropion. These procedures are only covered if the patient is having eye problems. Insurance companies generally do not cover cosmetic procedures such as lower blepharoplasty or cheek (mid-face) lifting.
As opposed to a lot of other cosmetic surgeries, the results of blepharoplasty are very long-lasting, and many people never need to have the surgery repeated. However, it’s important to maintain a healthy lifestyle and take care of your skin and face.
If you wear contact lenses you should not put them in for at least two weeks, and possibly longer. During this time, it’s best to wear glasses. Dr. Enzer will provide postoperative instructions and let you know exactly when it’s safe to return to contacts. Think of it as a contact holiday.