Written by Dr. Nerina Wilkinson MBChB (Stell) M.MedFC PLAST (SA)
Beautiful eyes have always drawn me to people’s faces… I love traveling and photography and often I find myself zooming in on strangers’ eyes to captivate their natural beauty… The eyes serve as portals to the essence within us, revealing our emotions and states of mind. Research underscores that during personal interactions, our attention is predominantly drawn to the eyes, making them a focal point for detecting signs of ageing.
This is the reason I developed a modern eyelid surgery approach: the EYELight360 Blepharoplasty procedure.
Table of contents
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- Before we cover this modern eyelid surgery procedure in detail, let’s first have a look at what happens to the periorbital region as we age, and why simple eyelid surgery or crow’s feet neurotoxin injections are often not enough to achieve a holistically rejuvenated result.
A LOOK AT PERIORBITAL AGEING
A youthful and vibrant eye is characterised by smooth contours that effectively reflect light, minimising any unnatural shadows. The eyelids possess a concise length and seamlessly blend into the surrounding cheek and brow areas. A notable feature in females is a well-defined brow that gracefully peaks above the outer edge of the eye socket before gently descending, contributing to an elegant arch.
However, the passage of time brings about transformations in the bone structure and soft tissues encircling the eyes. The bony framework around the eyes widens and becomes more prominent due to bone remodeling and thinning of the tissue covering the orbital rims. Consequently, fat deposits around the eyes may protrude, resulting in the formation of under-eye bags. Moreover, as soft tissues in the cheeks descend, the eyelids may elongate, exposing more of the orbital rim. Diminished bone density, fat, and skin volume lead to the gradual descent of the eyebrows’ outer ends, while the inner ends tend to elevate, causing sagging skin and hooding of the upper eyelids.
Additionally, the activity of muscles surrounding the eyes, such as the orbicularis oculi, pulls the lateral brows downward, forming “crow’s feet.” Furthermore, other muscles contribute to the appearance of “frown lines” medially on the brow.
Taking this into consideration, it becomes clear that more than one technique/approach (such as eyelid surgery alone) is necessary for complete periorbital rejuvenation.
Let’s take a look at the difference between eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) and the EYELight360.
WHAT IS BLEPHAROPLASTY?
Blepharoplasty, also referred to as eyelid surgery, is a cosmetic surgery procedure intended to improve the aesthetic appeal of the eyelids. This procedure targets concerns such as excess skin, drooping, or puffiness surrounding the eyes, with the goal of achieving a more youthful and refreshed appearance. People opt for eyelid surgery for a multitude of reasons, spanning from cosmetic desires to functional enhancements. Typical motivations encompass diminishing the appearance of fatigue or droopiness in the eyes, alleviating under-eye puffiness, and augmenting the overall facial harmony.
When it comes to periorbital ageing, however, removing excess eyelid skin alone is often not enough to create a beautifully rejuvenated appearance.
WHAT IS THE EYELight360?
The perfect proportion and reflection of light and shadows define beauty. So, to achieve the most beautiful and natural-looking eye rejuvenation, I have applied these principles to my 360-degree approach to periorbital rejuvenation. The signature EYELight360 technique holistically rejuvenates and volumises the eyelids as well as the periorbital area as a complete unit to create harmonious and natural-looking results.
This is in contrast to previous surgical techniques that rely on a 1-dimensional approach of only removing sagging eyelid skin, which often left patients looking more hollow and skeletonized.
The EYELight360 is a more “modern” eyelid surgery procedure that utilizes 5 techniques within one procedure that work in synergy to target all the areas of ageing for truly harmonious results. These techniques include:
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- Blepharoplasty eyelid surgery which removes excess upper eyelid skin
- Fat grafts are precisely placed to stimulate Myomodulation (i.e. strengthening of the deeper facial muscles) and restoration of the orbital volume and contours
- ADSC (adipose-derived stem cells) in the form of Nano Fat for the regeneration of the delicate per orbital skin
- CO2RE Fractional Co2 Laser Skin Resurfacing.
- Muscle relaxing injections
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THE IDEAL CANDIDATE FOR AN EYELight360
Facial aging typically manifests through various signs, including alterations in skin pigmentation, increased laxity, the formation of wrinkles (rhytids), and loss of volume. Among these, the delicate periorbital region stands out as particularly susceptible to the effects of aging due to the inherent properties of the tissues involved, making it a challenging area to address effectively.
While many individuals attribute their tired appearance to excess upper eyelid skin, a closer examination often reveals that the primary issue lies in the loss of volume surrounding the upper eyelids. These volume changes can become noticeable as early as one’s thirties. As time progresses, concavities in areas such as the temples, upper eyelid sulcus, forehead, tear troughs, and cheeks deepen, casting more pronounced shadows and diminishing the youthful contours and soft curves that define a vibrant eye area.
Given these complexities, the EYELight360 procedure emerges as an ideal solution for patients seeking to comprehensively preserve the natural, youthful contours of the eye region.
HOW DOES THE EYELight360 WORK?
The EYELight360 is a bespoke procedure designed around each individual’s specific needs and goals, and therefore the sequence of procedures will be determined after I have assessed the per orbital area during consultation.
The procedure is performed under local anaesthetic and oral sedation in a sterile operating room. Firstly the hooding of the upper eyelid skin is addressed with an upper Blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) with the incision for the upper eyelid being carefully hidden in the upper lid crease.
The second (and most important) step of the procedure is replacing the lost volume in a 360-degree approach creating youthful soft contours that lift and illuminate the whole face. To do so, a small syringe is utilized to suction the subcutaneous fat of the abdomen, knees or medial thigh area – these are the ideal donor sites with high stem cell concentrations. The fat harvested is then purified using specialised techniques to create lipografts and nanofat.
A multi-plane technique precisely transplants the fat and stem cells to the periorbital area at different levels and layers to improve orbital contours and create an uplifting effect. Finally, the Nanofat (which contains a concentration of stem cells) is layered very superficially under the skin harnessing the potential of the rich stem cells to improve skin quality. Stem cells are nature’s way to regenerate new cells in targeted areas and therefore play a huge role in the results achieved from this procedure.
The final surgical procedure is CO2RE Fractional CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing. Essentially, the upper layers of the skin are vaporized, removing the superficial skin layers. This direct photo-thermal and photo-biostimulation effect removes the dull upper layers of the skin, stimulates new collagen and enhances the survival of the fat injections. This leaves the targeted area of the lower eyelid skin feeling tighter and looking rejuvenated.
The final touch in the procedure is non-surgical in nature – the injection of Muscle Relaxing Injections. This is included to relax the depressor muscles that contract the periorbital area. This results in a wide, uplifted, and relaxed periorbital complex surrounding the eyelids.
EYELight360 RECOVERY
Recovery following eyelid surgery depends on factors unique to each individual and the specific procedure undergone. Typically, sutures from upper eyelid surgery are removed around the seventh day post-operation. While swelling and redness may persist for 7 to 10 days following the procedure, it’s common for patients to require up to three weeks to achieve full recovery. Additionally, post-procedure makeup is often recommended to conceal any residual discoloration or imperfections in the skin, with a suggested duration of six weeks.
One notable advantage of this procedure is its enduring results, as the presence of stem cells within the fat utilized in the surgery offers regenerative potential. Consequently, the EYELight360 Procedure is particularly suitable for individuals seeking a comprehensive and long-lasting solution to address concerns of tired-looking eyes, eliminating the need for multiple, less permanent rejuvenating treatments.
HOW TO GET STARTED
The EyeLight360TM has been deemed to be one of the most life-changing procedures for most of my patients wanting a natural rejuvenating eyelift. If you are interested in more advanced, yet natural-looking results, contact us at capetown@drnwilkinson.co.za to request your surgical consultation.
Written by Dr. Nerina Wilkinson MBChB (Stell) M.MedFC PLAST (SA)
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