Laser Blepharoplasty Safety
Oct 27th, 2010 by admin
The periorbital region, otherwise called the eyelids, is a common area of focus during facial reconstructive surgery intended to improve the aesthetic appeal of the patient. One of the more common patient complaints is drooping eyelids and/or bags under the eyes, which can be improved in some cases by removing fatty tissue beneath the skin. This technique is called blepharoplasty and has proven to be both safe and effective when performed by experienced surgeons using current laser technology.
A variety of lasers are used for blepharoplasty and the more common are CO2 and erbium:yttrium aluminum garnet lasers. The CO2 laser is desirable because it can cut tissue and seal blood vessels at the same time, making it the laser of choice for surgeons performing lower lid blepharoplasty. The erbium laser, as well as the CO2 laser, is effective when performing cutaneous resurfacing to treat sun damaged skin, acne scars, and other imperfections. Even though these lasers have an excellent safety record, as with any invasive surgical instrument a risk of complications still exists.
Some of the complications include: the formation of a photosensitive, red rash, skin pigmentation could become darker or lighter, or excessive scarring could result. The more serious complications include severe burns, the lower lid turning outward, damage to the cornea, or ocular perforations. These types of injuries typically result from ablative laser procedures, which are what the CO2 and erbium lasers are used for. Non-ablative laser treatments are less likely to cause these types of complications, but non-ablative procedures are currently insufficient to produce satisfactory laser blepharoplasty results in most cases.
To minimize the risk of complications due to laser eyelid surgery, patients are first screened to ensure the procedure would be appropriate and the risk of complications low. An in depth patient history is a big part of this process. Less invasive and risky treatments may be tried before resorting to laser blepharoplasty. If the less invasive treatments fail, then a conservative approach is used when performing laser eyelid surgery. The proper training of the surgeon is of course of primary importance.
