Known for his expertise in performing natural-looking eyelid surgeries, Beverly Hills, CA oculoplastic surgeon Christopher Zoumalan, MD is highly in-tune with not only the steps that go into a successful surgery, but the thought process of the patient as well.
Who is a good candidate for blepharoplasty?
“The best candidates for a blepharoplasty (eyelid) surgery are healthy patients with no medical conditions that may delay or affect the healing process, nonsmokers, and generally those that live a healthy lifestyle taking care of themselves by eating well and staying active. The ideal candidates have realistic goals and maintain a positive outlook of their well-being.
Patients that can benefit from a blepharoplasty are ones that have excess skin in upper and or lower lids, low set eyelids causing ptosis, low set brows causing brow ptosis, and/or prominent lower lid fat pockets. To have the best results from a blepharoplasty surgery, patients with active dry eyes should make sure their dry eyes are managed and controlled with the help of an eye doctor prior to any surgery. Those who have had previous eyelid fillers and now need eyelid surgery must have the filler dissolved first, and all swelling, fluid retention, or other issues associated with the fillers needs to be resolved prior to any surgery.”
Is there anything patients are typically surprised to learn about the procedure?
“Most of my patients are pleasantly surprised by the recovery process. They usually find the recovery from surgery to be much easier than expected, quite manageable and relaxing. A lot of my patients worry about pain and trouble with their vision during their week of recovery, but most are incredibly surprised with how little discomfort they had during the procedure itself and the minimal downtime afterwards.
One other surprise my patients note after undergoing an upper lid blepharoplasty is how at ease they are while being awake during the procedure, since it is just performed under local anesthesia quite quickly and with no discomfort.”
What is your advice to anyone considering the surgery?
“I’ve spent my entire career perfecting my craft as an oculoplastic surgeon and delivering natural-looking transformations to my patients. I always tell my friends and family that when they consider undergoing cosmetic surgery to meet with doctors that specialize in that particular procedure. This is what I want anyone that’s considering eyelid surgery to know: When it comes to your eyes, whether it’s getting under eye fillers or eyelid surgery, you should see an expert to give you the best options for YOU. I see patients daily in my practice wishing they had seen me first before having their under-eye fillers, as they should have had a lower lid blepharoplasty instead, but now find themselves in a difficult situation of having to undergo many steps including dissolving the product and considering other better long-term options such as blepharoplasty.”
What do you think is the formula for the most natural-looking results?
“I enjoy the process of evaluating my patients and seeing how they have aged with time, and then developing a plan to help improve their appearance in the most natural-looking way possible. Every patient ages differently, and it’s important to identify how they have changed and what can be done safely to provide a natural-looking result, while also minimizing the down time and potential risks. For instance, when I’m performing an upper eyelid blepharoplasty and/or a brow lift, I evaluate my patient’s old photographs to get an idea how much upper lid skin should be safely removed, and/or to what shape and position I should rest the brows at.
I attempt to minimize drastic-looking changes to the eyelid when it comes to cosmetic cases. Minimizing the excess skin and fat removal are key in keeping the eyelid area looking volumized and natural. I try to avoid changing the shape of the eyelid in my cosmetic cases and instead, I utilize fat repositioning techniques to preserve the volume around the eyelid, hence minimizing volume loss and hollowing. The eyelid skin is affected with age, so if necessary I like to resurface the lower eyelid skin with various treatment methods during surgery whether it be a fractionated C02 laser, chemical peel or microneedling. These additional treatments can help to improve the overall skin texture in addition to the results of the surgical procedure.”
