Eyelid Surgery Cost
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How Much Does Eyelid Surgery Cost?

Last Updated on March 23, 2023
Written by CPA Alec Pow | Content Reviewed by Certified CFA CFA Alexander Popinker

Dropped eyelids are a common aesthetic problem, especially in older people, but can also affect everyday life due to blockage of the visual field. Therefore, it is not surprising that every year, tens of thousands of men and women around the world choose to undergo blepharoplasty, a surgery to lift dropped eyelids, which should improve the aesthetic appearance of the eye area.

What is blepharoplasty or eyelid surgery?

Blepharoplasty is a surgical procedure to correct the upper and lower eyelids, with minor risks if performed by an experienced surgeon. This intervention can restore the youthful appearance of the periorbital area.

The procedure removes or reasserts excess skin, fat, and muscles. At the same time, this procedure repositions the upper eyelid in cases of ptosis of the eyelids, lifting the lower eyelids and the central facial region.

During eyelid lift surgery, excess skin, fat, and muscle can be removed or modeled from the upper eyelid. Blepharoplasty may be an option when:

  • Dropped upper eyelids affect the natural contour resulting in a tired and aging eye appearance;
  • Excess skin of the upper eyelids interferes with peripheral vision;
  • There is an excess of skin in the lower eyelids;
  • Bags appear under the eyes as a result of excess fat.
  • Blepharoplasty does not treat wrinkles at the edge of the eyes, skin pigmentation around the eyes, or dropped eyebrows.

How much does eyelid surgery cost?

The average cost of eyelid surgery, also called blepharoplasty, is around $4,200 per eye, but this does not include the cost of anesthesia, OR facilities, or other expenses. The best way to find out the final cost is to see a surgeon and evaluate your case.

We have to mention that there are two types of eyelid surgery. The first one is upper eyelid surgery, performed under local anesthesia, having an average price of $3,000. The second one is lower eyelid surgery, usually performed under general anesthesia, with a cost of $2,000 to $10,000 or more. The big range in price is due to the fact that many patients choose to combine multiple cosmetic procedures.

For example, at the Williams Center, the prices for each type of blepharoplasty are as follows:

  1. For an upper lid eyelid surgery, you pay $4,600 to $5,200
  2. For lower-lid eyelid surgery, you pay $7,000 to $7,500
  3. For both upper and lower eyelid surgery, you pay $8,900 to $9,500

Here the total cost includes surgeon’s fees, which can be $3,000 to $7,000 if the patient wants blepharoplasty surgery on both eyes.

The fee for the operating room stands between $1,200 – $1,700 depending on how much the procedure or procedures last.

You might also like our articles on the cost of facial fat transfer, brow lifts, or threading.

Blepharoplasty can only be performed with local anesthesia, local anesthesia combined with intravenous sedation, or even under general anesthesia. During the consultation, it will be determined which is the best option for you. Depending on the situation, the price of anesthesia will vary from around $1,100 to $1,700.

Additional costs

Eyelid Surgery ExplainedPre- and Post-Surgical expenses like pre-op appointments (for more details), diagnostic screening tests, or medical tests are not included in the final cost.

After surgery, you will have some prescriptions to ease the pain and prevent infection, like for any type of surgery, which you will also have to add to your additional costs.

After blepharoplasty surgery, in most cases, hospitalization is not required. But if there are any complications, the hospitalization fee is not included in the estimated total cost.

In order to reduce the expenses but also the recovery time, there are many patients who choose to go under more cosmetic procedures at once. This happens only if the surgeries are compatible.

Factors that affect the cost of eyelid surgery

In the US there are a certain number of factors that affect the final cost of cosmetic surgery. In the case of eyelid surgery, these are:

  • Type of eyelid surgery
  • Case complexity
  • Hospital fees
  • Geographic location
  • Surgeon’s experience.

Eyelid surgery and health insurance

Eyelid surgery is a cosmetic procedure, and as you may know, health insurance does not cover these types of procedures. But there may be one exception. In case you have a medical recommendation from an optician saying that the dropping of your eyelid affects your vision, some health insurance plans might offer a certain degree of coverage.

How can I reduce the cost of eyelid surgery?

Here is what you can do to reduce some of the costs of eyelid surgery:

  • Choose local anesthesia over general anesthesia;
  • Quit smoking to reduce the possibility of complications;
  • Combine procedures.

Types of eyelid surgery

Depending on the area being treated, blepharoplasty may be on the upper or lower eyelid.

Upper Blepharoplasty

Upper blepharoplasty surgery eliminates excess skin and fat and can also raise the position of a lowered eyelid. This is needed due to increased weakness and laxity of the aponeurosis of the eyelid levator muscle.

It is very important that the technique is correctly chosen for the patient and the amount of fat that is removed is not too large, because it can produce the appearance of eyes clogged in orbit, which is not at all aesthetic.

Lower blepharoplasty

This procedure corrects excess fat in the 3 compartments by removing a quantity of fat or positioning it over the tear ditch after it has been modeled by disinserting the orbital-malar ligament.

Dark circles are often accentuated due to hereditary factors, stress, smoking, or general dehydration of the body. Dark circles can be deep in both young and adult ages, and the aesthetic appearance has, even more, to suffer if fat bags are present under the eyes. Both problems can be solved by lower blepharoplasty.

Surgery can repair the fallen eyelids, but also the appearance of the “swollen” lower eyelid, which gives the impression of a person who is tired or older than they are in reality.

Final words

Even though blepharoplasty is an expensive procedure, it is both effective and safe. If performed by experienced doctors and the patient strictly complies with all their recommendations both before and after the intervention, the final look will be fresher and younger. After eyelid surgery, most people claimed that their self-esteem grew.

Alec Pow
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