Many times, patients find themselves choosing between surgical and non-surgical options. Surgical vs non-surgical is usually the most simplistic way to indicate the different treatment paths and results you can expect. It’s often said that surgical treatments produce the most complete results. However, as with most things, the truth is a little more complicated. Surgical treatments don’t always produce the most complete result, and non-surgical treatments can often be extremely beneficial to a surgical plan. For example, if you’re looking at undergoing eyelid surgery, then a little pre-treatment with some of our best non-surgical technologies can help you get longer-lasting results and make your surgery all the more effective. Here’s what to know about this unique approach here at Reflections Center for Cosmetic Medicine.
What Eyelid Surgery Can Do
Although fillers and other non-surgical treatments have become more popular for rejuvenating the lower eyelids, blepharoplasty remains the best option for certain patients. Lower eyelid surgery can lift and rejuvenate the lower eyelids, reducing the appearance of bags and wrinkles. The result is a more rejuvenated undereye that no longer leaves you looking tired or worn out.
Eyelid surgery does this by not only getting rid of excess skin, but also by repositioning the fat pads under the eyes. It returns them to a more natural position, smoothing the skin at the same time. When done by a board-certified plastic surgeon, it can create transformative results.
What Eyelid Surgery Can’t Do
An important caveat for any facial cosmetic surgery is skin quality. Candidacy for these procedures almost always includes having good skin quality. This ensures the best result. That’s not to say that eyelid surgery can’t be performed on someone with thin and crepey undereye skin, but surgery itself can’t fix that particular concern. In other words, eyelid surgery can lift and reposition your existing skin, but it can’t improve the skin’s quality at a more basic level. For this reason, doing some pre-treatment is key.
The Benefits of Pre-Treatment with RF Microneedling for Lower Eyelid Surgery
One of the best options for boosting skin quality is RF microneedling. Microneedling works by creating tiny, controlled wounds in the skin, prompting a wound-healing response. When your body sustains a wound of any size, it generates collagen and elastin, two important connective proteins. These proteins are what give your skin its youthful thickness and elasticity before it begins to fade with age. By boosting your collagen production in a specific area, it can result in thicker, more youthful skin.
The benefits of this are two-fold – firstly, it can improve your surgical result by producing thicker skin, making it easier to work with, healthier, and more likely to maintain its new position. Secondly, it can create longer-lasting results by restoring collagen in the area (especially with subsequent treatments).
RF microneedling comes with the benefit of skin tightening. The microneedle pins emit radiofrequency energy which generates heat in the deeper layers of the skin, causing it to contract. Although it can’t create comparable results to surgery, it can lessen the appearance of fine lines, possibly reducing the extensiveness of your eyelid surgery. It can also help smooth fine lines that might not otherwise be completely treatable with an eyelid lift.
When Should I Start Pre-Treatment Before Eyelid Surgery?
Although it’s tempting to get your surgery scheduled as soon as possible, taking a little time to prepare can make it more worthwhile. In the case of eyelid surgery, two RF microneedling treatments are recommended well in advance of your surgery date. These are typically spaced about one to two months apart in order to give your skin time to recover in between. So, if you’re planning on eyelid surgery with pre-treatment, you’re looking at an additional two to four months of time.
Post-Treatment With Eyelid Surgery
For the same reason that RF microneedling can be helpful to your pre-surgical process, it can be helpful to your post-surgical process, too. Maintaining your surgical results is key, and non-surgical treatments can be extremely beneficial to getting long-lasting improvement. With pre-treatment, you’ve already taken a great step toward boosting collagen and reversing aging signs. However, continuing to boost collagen will only help. We recommend yearly maintenance treatments with RF microneedling to sustain collagen growth and tighten lax skin. This is typically enough to balance out the natural rate of collagen loss.
RF Microneedling and Eyelid Surgery at Reflections Center for Cosmetic Medicine
At Reflections Center, we offer the best in both surgical and non-surgical options for anti-aging. To meet with our board-certified plastic surgeon and award-winning team of cosmetic physicians, contact our Livingston and Bridgewater, NJ offices by calling or filling out our online form.
