Ptosis - Women 60's Before & After Case 36

This patient in her 60s presented with concerns that her eyes getting smaller and heavier over time, making her look older than she felt.

During consultation, Dr. Phan noted reduced eye openings, with the eyelid margins resting closer to the center of the pupils, as well as heavy upper eyelid folds. These findings were consistent with lid ptosis and dermatochalasis, respectively. Lid ptosis occurred due to thinning, stretching, and weakening of the muscles responsible for lifting the upper eyelids, while dermatochalasis resulted from age-related thinning and stretching of the eyelid skin. In addition, the patient naturally had thicker skin, which made the heaviness and redundancy appear even more pronounced.

To address both the lid ptosis and dermatochalasis, Dr. Phan recommended bilateral internal ptosis repair and blepharoplasty to tighten the muscles and remove excess skin, respectively. She recommended the internal rather than an external repair because the patient still had good eyelid muscle function and required only a measured degree of tightening, which could be achieved with the less aggressive internal technique.

Patient, pictured here 1-month post bilateral internal ptosis repair and blepharoplasty, demonstrated harmoniously brighter, more open eyes. Patient appeared refreshed, reflecting how she felt, and not overdone.