February 26, 2021
When you feel that you’ve reached that point in your life where you want to make a few improvements—you know, those tweaks and touch ups here and there just to make your eyes pop and to give you that refreshed look—it’s totally normal and in fact recommended to explore all your options both surgical and non-surgical. And it’s also totally fair to sometimes want to lean more towards the non-surgical because you know it’s less invasive, there’s less downtime, it’s usually the less expensive route, and so on.
We say this a lot and we’ll say it again. At The Plastic Surgery Clinic we’re never going to recommend a procedure you don’t need. If you don’t need surgery and a non-surgical option is more beneficial for you, then that’s great. If surgery is what you need to achieve your goals, then we’ll let you know.
At the same time, as much as we sometimes hope a non-surgical procedure will give us the same results a surgical one will, a lot of times it’s true that the effects of surgery are simply more dramatic than the non-surgical option, and one procedure or treatment really can’t substitute for another. We find this to particularly be the case when it comes to blepharoplasty (or eyelid surgery) compared to the thread lift.
Blepharoplasty or eyelid surgery is a surgical procedure that aims to lift and tighten the area around the eyes. As we age, the muscles around our eyes tend to get weaker. This causes the skin in the area to stretch, which in turn makes room for unwanted fat to build up. The result of this is droopy or puffy looking eyes, as well as dark circles or bags under the eyes (to which some of us might already be genetically predisposed), that age us much quicker than we may otherwise want.
Blepharoplasty consists of removing excess fat from the area around the eyes and trimming away any unwanted skin or muscle to create a more awake and rejuvenated look. It’s usually performed on either the upper or lower eyelid, or both.
The thread lift, on the other hand, is a non-surgical procedure which also aims to lift and tighten the skin on the face, but this is done by inserting InstaLift threads underneath the skin and manipulating them strategically in order to achieve the desired result. Unlike blepharoplasty, which is solely concentrated on the eye area and the eyelids themselves, a thread lift can address most areas on the face and neck, such as the eyebrows to create a brow lift, the crow’s feet, the cheeks, jowls, jawline, the area of the nose, marionette lines, as well as under the eyes and to improve eyelid heaviness.
So if a thread lift can also improve the area under the eyes and eyelid heaviness, what’s the difference?
A thread lift can indeed make the eyes pop and look less droopy and tired but only by inserting threads in strategic parts of the face in the area around the eyes that will give you an overall lift and definition that will make the eyes pop.
If we’re talking about the eyelids in particular, though, you would never want to use threads to actually manipulate the eyelids themselves, as this would be very risky and potentially damaging. The eyelids are an extremely delicate area of the face that if you’re looking to directly address should only be done surgically with a surgeon who has amazing expertise and attention to detail.
So basically, a thread lift can be used to give you an overall lift and rejuvenated look, including making the eye area look less tired, but blepharoplasty really centres on the eyelids themselves.
If your focus is really your eyelids. If you find they appear droopy or heavy, kind of have a baggy quality and a build-up of unwanted fat, then blepharoplasty is most likely a better option for you. You can only remove excess skin and fat surgically in this area. It’s also a better option for those looking for a really long-lasting or permanent result.
We find that the best candidates for a non-surgical thread lift are individuals who aren’t quite seeking to have surgery just yet and are really just looking to address areas where they might have moderate skin laxity like around the cheeks and chin, that are looking for more contour and definition. If we’re talking about the eye area, this is a great treatment for those who are really looking for an overall brightened look but not necessarily looking to address the eyelids themselves.
Blepharoplasty or eyelid surgery is permanent, but of course like any surgery, it’s not immune to the effects of aging. So the area around the eyes will continue to change very slowly over time as you age, but you will always look different than if you never underwent the procedure.
The results of a thread lift, on the other hand, can last over a year. Your threads will dissolve after about 6-9 months, but the collagen that has been stimulated into production by the treatment will maintain your results for a good several months after your threads have dissolved.
The best way to find out which procedure is right for you is by coming to chat with one of our expert doctors. And our consultations are always free, so you can get all of the information you need without any pressure to make a decision that isn’t right for you.
Did we answer all your questions? Our goal is to ensure you have the best information possible to make your decision. If you still have questions, we’re here to help.
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