When is blepharoplasty required?

Advised, optional or not suitable

After examining you, a surgeon can place surgery in one of three groups: advised, optional or not suitable. Quote the wording you may have read, "you need this," "medically necessary," "required," and ask what each would have to rest on.

Three senses of "required"

"Required" can mean several different things. It might mean that a surgeon recommends the operation, that an insurer will pay for it, or that the marketing copy wants you to act. Those are three separate claims, and each has its own evidence.

For a plain patient guide to the operation itself, a health site's page on upper blepharoplasty, its procedure and effectiveness is a reference to keep open. Read it beside any clinic page that uses the word "required" without saying why.

Tracing the sentence that said you need it

Write down the exact sentence that told you surgery was needed. Take it to a consultation in Sammamish and ask what finding, measurement or exam it rests on. Also ask what happens if you wait and what other options exist.

For comparison, read Stanford Health Care's page on eyelid lift surgery and a journal review of cosmetic blepharoplasty and dry eye disease. Read both with the question you are asking here: who is the procedure for?

Needed is decided with your surgeon

Treat this as general reading, not medical advice. Whether eyelid surgery is needed in your case is a decision for you and your surgeon.