Blepharoplasty goes viral

The first cosmetic surgery boom in the new millennium came in the early 2000s, along with reality TV shows promising people they could look ‘10 years younger in 10 days’. In some cases, ‘looking 10 times weirder’ may have been more appropriate, but there’s no doubt that both surgical and non-surgical procedures, in particular for facial rejuvenation, quickly became more acceptable. While the advent of soft-tissue fillers and a heightened awareness of the benefits of finessed botulinum toxin injections saw an exponential rise in the use of treatments to complement, or in some cases replace, surgery.

A more recent boom occurred with Covid-19. With a new virus causing a world pandemic, people in most professions were concerned with loss of work, but it became apparent that in some areas work increased¹. Those in high-end car sales, kitchen renovations and plastic surgery found themselves busier than ever.

Given one of the more popular facial plastic surgical procedures is blepharoplasty, it’s little surprise the number of these patients presenting to my practice has significantly increased since early 2020.

Why the recent increase in blepharoplasty?

The post-pandemic demand for blepharoplasty can be explained by a number of factors including an increase in disposable funds (for some), more time to arrange treatment for medical and cosmetic concerns, and the stark reality of how we appear in Zoom meetings.

Many of us try to get away on overseas trips (if not traveling locally) for sight-seeing, to ski or play golf. However, most of the country, particularly Aucklanders, had these options severely curtailed during Covid. The prospect of travel is exciting, but for many this has been replaced with options with more immediate gratification. The loss of travel has also often meant longer uninterrupted spells of working, with holidays supplanted by periods of enforced lockdown. Over the last two years, a common comment I have heard is, “I felt I deserved to spend something on myself!”

Shifting priorities

For some, the change in lifestyle has provided time to reflect on life issues more likely to be annexed during their busy working lives. Working from home became the only possibility for a large proportion of the population and this encouraged some to look at concerns outside of their busy work lives.

Standard hours of employment can make it difficult to arrange health-related appointments but the increase in downtime during Covid allowed for reflection on how these things should be prioritised. For example, it is well known that men are much less likely to have regular GP visits and are more likely to present later in a disease process. One reason often given is that they are more likely to have reduced access to healthcare during the week, with the majority having nine-to-five (or similar) jobs. In the past few years, the number of men presenting for blepharoplasty has increased and would now account for around 30% of the patients I see for the procedure.

Ready for your close-up?

I’m sure there are many reasons we hate them, despite the bother of having to physically get to a meeting being avoided, but even after nearly three years of Zoom meetings, participants regularly need to be told to turn their mics on or, at times, their videos off! The camera size and angle on most laptops doesn’t exactly flatter and in most cases the room lighting is harsh or dim but almost always unforgiving. These factors contribute to a tired appearance, from drooping upper-lid skin, enhanced wrinkles and shading of the lower eyelids producing ‘eye bags’.

Blepharoplasty goes viral-blepharosplasty-online-extra-pic.jpg — Pre- and post-tear trough fillers

Most commonly, I see patients requesting blepharoplasty to reduce excess skin and muscle from their upper eyelids. The lower lids, however, can be a more complicated issue as some benefit from transconjunctival fat reduction while others may need skin excision combined with lid-tightening surgery. A further group will get the best results from a non-surgical approach involving injection of soft-tissue fillers, particularly into the tear trough region.

Who knew a virus could have such power on our physical appearance!

Reference

Sharma G, Jamil Asaria J, The Impact of COVID-19 on Patient Interest in Facial Plastic Surgery, Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2021 Oct; 9(10): e3890.

Blepharoplasty goes viral-paul-rosser.jpg

Dr Paul Rosser is an oculoplastic surgeon who has worked in both public and private practice for more than 28 years. His Auckland practice Eyes and Eyelids specialises in cosmetic and reconstructive eyelid surgery.