Age sneaks up on all of us and leaves signs we may not notice for many years. Then we look at a picture and notice our eyes are smaller. Droopy eyelids partially cover our eyes even when we are wide awake, making us look tired or lazy. Or baggy bunches of skin accumulate underneath our lower eyelids, further detracting from a young or vital appearance. Droopy eyelid skin above or below the eye is known as dermatochalasis.

As collagen and elastin in our skin are reduced with age, eyelid skin becomes less pliable, losing its ability to stretch and recover. Over time, constant blinking pulls on the eyelid, stretching the skin until an excess amount gathers above or below your eye. Gravity pulls on this extra skin, causing it to sag downward. Excess skin over the eyeball can eventually cause your vision to become impaired.

Superior Dermatochalasis Surgery in Utah

Dermatochalasis, also sometimes called “saggy eye,” differs from ptosis, in that dermatochalasis is caused by excess skin and fatty tissue that accumulates in the eyelids over time. Ptosis is a condition where the upper eyelid droops because of a weak eyelid muscle. To correct dermatochalasis, the excess skin and fatty tissue are removed from either the upper or lower eyelid, wherever the problem exists.

Dr. Eric Cerrati is a double board certified and fellowship trained facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon who can perform excess eyelid skin removal at his office in the Salt Lake City area. If you have trouble seeing or do not like the way your eyes look due to saggy eyelid skin, contact his Park City office to schedule a confidential eyelid surgery consultation.