The following is the reprint of an article on blepharoplasty by Sherry Nelson the editor of Nelson's Today: Shopping and Lifestyle Newspaper for West DuPage, IL.

Tired, droopy eyelids?
Blepharoplasty Can Help You.

After a simple procedure, you'll look even better !

Has gravity brought down the skin of your upper eyelids to give you a droopy look? Do you eyes look "tired" even though you're well rested? Is your vision restricted because your eyelids are in the way? Does it make you look older? If so, there's an in-office one day cosmetic procedure that can make a big difference.

Blepharoplasty can be describes as an alternative to a facelift, according to Dr. Irene Bakos, an ophthalmologist from Melrose Park.

Blepharoplasty is the removal of excess eyelid skin and is one of the most common cosmetic procudures done today. Each year, more than two million men and women choose to have their appearance improved with the popular, out-patient procedure. And, I'm one of them. Drooping lids was a concern of mine for years. I'm extremely pleased that the problem could be corrected.

At an initial consultation, Dr. Bakos reviewed what was involved with the surgery. She would operate with a laser, removing the sagging skin from the upper eyelid, then stitch it back together. She said that only a small amount of skin would be taken out; removing too much skin would pull down the eyebrow, giving an unnatural look. Also, there would be a slight sear in the eyelid.

Then, she outlined the recovery time. Dr. Bakos said I would have to take it easy for two days, then wear sunglasses for a week until the stitches could be removed. The cost for the procedure is about $800 per eyelid. So I signed up.

The day of surgery everything went according to the outline. The procedure took about an hour and a half.

Fortunately, I took Dr. Bakos' advice and had someone to drive me home as there was a bit of swelling which made it nearly impossible to drive. Cold masks for two days provided relief for mild discomfort, and after that I was back to feeling normal. By the fourth day I was wearing eye shadow to help cover up the stitches; and at ten days the stitches were taken out. I'm really happy to say that I took the same - only better.