Why has eyelid surgery suddenly become so popular?

The influence of technology

As mentioned, we look at our faces – and the faces of beautiful (but often filtered and edited) people online – more than ever before.

If we’re feeling a little chubby, we can slap on a face slimming filter before snapping a selfie. If we’re experiencing a breakout, we can use photo-editing apps to smooth our skin before posting to Instagram. Lacking sleep and have bigger-than-normal eye bags? No worries, there’s a filter for that too.

All this looking, analysing, criticizing, and ‘correcting’ of the human form has led to a society that’s obsessed with beauty and perfection. Still, we’re merging into a new era where unnatural looking surgeries and overfilled faces are going ‘out of fashion,’ – as much as I hate to admit that our bodies are treated as trends.

As a result of this shift, people are looking for subtle cosmetic procedures that can preserve or enhance the beauty they already possess. Eyelid surgery is one surgery that offers these results, without breaking the bank. In the UK, eyelid surgery costs between £2,000-6,000… a huge discrepancy compared to brow lifts, which can cost up to £10,000.

 

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The eyes, chico. They never lie.

Our eyes are considered the window to our souls. They often reveal things about us without the need for words. They can convey sadness, anger, a poor night’s sleep, and the fact that we all, inevitably, are ageing.

Our eyes are also one of the first thing we notice about people. They’re such a vulnerable part of us, that many people struggle to make eye contact for more than a few seconds. Despite this, our eyes came into central focus over the last few years due to mask-wearing. Perhaps this is why eyelid surgery is becoming popular with new demographics all over the world.

In the past, blepharoplasty was a procedure that most people sought to address eyelid asymmetry or drooping in their later years of life. As we age, the muscles above the eyes naturally weaken, causing heaviness and sagging of the eyelids. Sometimes this change can be so drastic it compromises vision.

By surgically removing a part of the eyelid, patients are left with a more open eye area. Beyond the practical benefits of improved vision and less heaviness, those who’ve had an upper bleph report looking and feeling well-rested and awake.

 

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Experts say that no other procedure results in ‘so much rejuvenation’ with ‘so little downtime’. Surgeons have seen an increasing interest in the surgery from older working men who want to continue working, but who want to look younger, more alert, and less tired while at the office.

Young people in their 20s and 30s are also jumping on the bandwagon, seeking blepharoplasty to address their naturally hooded eyes or early signs of ageing – see the Hailey Bieber and Emma Stone links at the start of the article.

Having more space on the upper eyelid has become a feature that people find attractive, whether that’s to offer more space to play with eyeshadow, to emphasise long lashes, or to create an alluring eye shape that defines this part of the face.

Whether or not you agree with plastic surgery as a whole, information about the different procedures available has never been more accessible. We seem to be tip-toeing towards an era of greater transparency from celebrities who set surgery trends (as dystopian as that sounds) and popular creators often share their recovery journey with their many followers.

Though there is an entire argument against the culture of plastic surgery and tweakments like eyelid surgery – who it is for, who can access it, and whether it is even ethical or healthy to change our appearance especially at a young age – it is refreshing to see a move towards rejuvenation over total transformation.

One thing is for sure, now that blepharoplasty has entered the mainstream, it won’t be going away anytime soon.