Procedures · Eyes
Eyelid & Brow Surgery
Last reviewed October 2026 by Corin Kinkhabwala, MD
The eyes are the focal point of the face: where we look when someone is speaking, and often the first thing we notice. With age, the eyelids loosen and gather excess skin, sometimes enough to block vision at the sides. The brows descend too, pushing that skin even lower.
Because the eyelids and brows are so closely linked, they are nearly always evaluated, and often treated, together. Dr. Kinkhabwala's goal is a natural, balanced result that makes your eyes look refreshed, not changed.
- Surgery
- Upper eyelids about 30 minutes, lower about 45, brow lift about 1 hour
- Going home
- The same day
- Back to daily life
- Most people by day 3–5
- Full activity
- 1 month
- Final result
- Usually about 2 months
- Results last
- Upper eyelids: often 10 years. Lower: often permanent
- Cost
- $4,000–$10,000
- Insurance
- May be covered if your vision is affected
About eyelid & brow surgery
Is it your eyelids or your brows?
Often, it's the brows. What many people, especially younger people, think is excess eyelid skin is actually a drooping brow. Treating only the eyelid in that case can leave the eyes looking hollow and older.
Dr. Kinkhabwala starts by listening: which aspects bother you most, and whether your vision has been affected. Then he evaluates the whole area around the eyes, step by step.
How he tells the difference
The upper part of the eye socket is covered by brow skin and brow fat. Over time, they descend and can fall over the actual eyelid.
The first place he looks is the forehead. As the brows drop, many people subconsciously lift them all day with the forehead muscle (the frontalis) to keep them from blocking their vision, and the effort shows as forehead wrinkles. During the exam, he isolates the brow from that muscle, and the brow's true position becomes clear to both of you.
If a surgeon focuses only on the eyelids, which is usually what patients come in asking about, and removes only that skin, the result can look hollow and actually age you.
Combining procedures
Eyelid and brow surgery are usually done at the same time to rejuvenate the whole area. If they have to be separate, Dr. Kinkhabwala prefers to do the brow lift first.
Why the brow comes first
Lifting the brow opens up the eyes more, and more safely. Doing the eyelids first risks removing too much eyelid skin.
Other procedures often added
The side incisions of an endoscopic brow lift can also be used for a midface lift. Fat transfer and laser are also commonly combined. Laser is especially valuable around the eyes, improving skin texture and discoloration from sun and age.
Am I a candidate?
Who is a good candidate
You're likely a good candidate if you're bothered by the overall appearance of the area around your eyes, or if drooping skin or brows have started to affect your vision.
Medical or cosmetic?
Eyelid and brow surgery become medical once they affect your vision, and may then be covered by insurance.
A simple check: when you look up, is your vision more blocked than when you lift your eyelid skin or brow with your fingers? If so, that's a functional impairment, and surgery may be covered by insurance.
Types & techniques
Upper eyelid surgery (upper blepharoplasty)
Removes excess upper eyelid skin through an incision in the natural eyelid crease, where it's hard to see once healed. Most people feel comfortable going about their lives after about a week.
Why he removes little or no fat, and often adds it
Very little fat, if any, is removed. In fact, Dr. Kinkhabwala often adds fat around the eyes. Like the rest of the face, the fat of the brow and upper eyelids shrinks with age, and the bones around the eyes shrink too. That makes the eyes look smaller and more sunken, the opposite of the full, youthful look around the eyes in childhood. Removing more fat would make that worse.
Full recovery takes a few weeks.
A subtle brow lift through the same incision
An internal browpexy can be done through the upper eyelid incision. It gives a very mild lift at the outer brow, with no additional scar.
Lower eyelid surgery (lower blepharoplasty)
Treats under-eye bags, excess lower eyelid skin, or both. Bags are usually addressed through a hidden incision on the inside of the lower eyelid, so there's no visible scar.
How it's done
Through that inner incision (a transconjunctival approach), Dr. Kinkhabwala carefully removes and contours excess fat until the area under the eye blends smoothly into the cheek. Excess lower eyelid skin can be removed with a small “skin pinch.”
If the cheek is also hollow, he favors fat grafting, because the same fat can also restore other areas of the face that are often deficient.
What recovery is like
Lower eyelid surgery is usually slightly more uncomfortable than upper eyelid surgery, and bruising and swelling are more noticeable. You'll use eye drops during recovery. Most people are back to normal activity within a few weeks.
Brow lift options
There are eight ways to lift the brow, from subtle to dramatic, and Dr. Kinkhabwala performs all of them. The right one depends on how much lift you need, where you need it, and where you'd prefer the scar to be.
| Technique | Lift | Incision / scar | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Browpexy (through eyelid surgery) | Subtle | Upper eyelid crease, the same incision as eyelid surgery | Stabilizing the outer brow; the least lift of any technique |
| Endoscopic | Moderate | Four small incisions hidden in the hair | Patients who don't need a dramatic change. Raises the hairline slightly; can be combined with a midface lift |
| Temporal | Moderate | Two small incisions hidden in the hair at the temples | More lift at the outer brow, less in the middle |
| Hairline (trichophytic) | Dramatic | Along the front of the hairline; may be somewhat visible | Deeper forehead wrinkles, lowering a high hairline, and gender-affirming surgery |
| Coronal | Dramatic | Across the top of the scalp, hidden in the hair | A dramatic lift with a hidden incision; raises the hairline |
| Mid-forehead | Dramatic | Within an existing forehead crease; heals as a thin white line | Heavy forehead wrinkles and significantly drooping brows, most often in older men |
| Direct | Dramatic | Along the upper edge of the brow | Brow asymmetry and facial paralysis. The most predictable results, because the incision is closest to the brow |
| Botox brow lift | Subtle (non-surgical) | None; injections only | Brow asymmetry or a subtle lift without surgery; lasts about 3 months |
All surgical brow lifts carry a small risk of hair loss around the incisions, which is almost always temporary.
Preparing for surgery
The most important thing you can do is take good care of your body in the weeks before surgery.
- Prioritize sleep. It's often disrupted for a week or two after surgery.
- Eat well.
- Stop all tobacco and nicotine products.
- See your primary care provider for a check-up. Some people need lab tests beforehand; many don't.
Surgery & recovery
The day of surgery
You go home the same day. Upper eyelid surgery takes about 30 minutes, lower eyelid surgery about 45, and a brow lift about an hour.
Upper eyelid surgery on its own can be done awake or with light anesthesia. Lower eyelid surgery requires general anesthesia, and Dr. Kinkhabwala also performs brow lifts under general anesthesia.
Recovery
Most people are comfortable going about daily life by day 3 to 5, and back to full activity at 1 month.
| When | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Days 1–2 | A head wrap stays on until the day after surgery. Expect early swelling and bruising. Cold compresses for the first 48 hours, then warm compresses. Vision is often blurry from ointment for the first week. Most people need only Tylenol for pain. |
| Days 3–5 | Swelling improves greatly. By the end of this window, most people are comfortable going about their normal lives, while still avoiding straining and exercise. |
| 1 week | Eyelid stitches, and any staples in the hair, are removed at your 1-week visit. Bruising is nearly gone for many people, though you'll still be a little more swollen than usual. |
| 1 month | Swelling has nearly resolved, and you can return to normal activity. |
Risks
Serious complications are rare. Most side effects, like numbness or hair loss near a brow-lift incision, are temporary.
Brow lift
Hair loss around the incisions, almost always temporary; Dr. Kinkhabwala avoids cautery near the incisions to protect the hair follicles. Scalp numbness is common and also almost always temporary.
Upper eyelid surgery
Removing too much or too little skin, scarring, an incision reopening (dehiscence), and milia (tiny white bumps along the incision).
Lower eyelid surgery
The eyelid turning inward (entropion) or sitting out of position, and double vision, which is very rare and almost always temporary. Bleeding is very rare, but bleeding behind the lower eyelid can put pressure on the eye, so any increasing pain after surgery needs to be checked in person right away.
Botox brow lift
Botox can spread and cause temporary eyelid drooping.
Cost & insurance
Eyelid and brow surgery at The Stern Center for Aesthetics ranges from $4,000 to $10,000. Your consultation gives you an exact quote.
The biggest factor is what your plan includes: upper eyelids, lower eyelids, a brow lift, or a combination.
Insurance: if your eyelids or brows affect your vision, surgery may be covered. How coverage works depends on your plan and on whether the practice is in network with it. If it isn't, some plans will reimburse you after surgery.
Common questions
- Do I need a brow lift or eyelid surgery?
- That's best decided together at your evaluation. If you look more tired than you feel, always seem to have bags under your eyes, or your eye area looks older than it used to, it's worth a consultation. Many people come in expecting eyelid surgery and end up needing a brow lift, either in addition or instead.
- Will there be a visible scar?
- Every incision leaves a scar; the goal is one a casual observer won't notice. Eyelid incisions are very forgiving, heal beautifully in most people, and sit in the natural crease. Lower eyelid bags are usually treated from inside the eyelid, with no visible scar.
- Will I look hollow afterward?
- That's exactly what Dr. Kinkhabwala plans to avoid. He removes little or no upper eyelid fat, and often adds fat, because the area naturally loses volume with age.
- How long do results last?
- Upper eyelid surgery often lasts about 10 years. Many lower eyelid patients never need a revision.
- When can I go back to normal life?
- Most people are comfortable by day 3 to 5. Stitches come out at 1 week, and you're back to full activity at 1 month.
- Can I try Botox instead of surgery?
- For a subtle lift or brow asymmetry, yes. A Botox brow lift involves no surgery but lasts about 3 months.
- What does it cost?
- $4,000 to $10,000, depending mostly on which procedures your plan includes.
- Is eyelid surgery covered by insurance?
- It can be, if your eyelid skin or brows are affecting your vision.
Why Dr. Kinkhabwala
Dr. Kinkhabwala evaluates the brows and eyelids together, because what looks like excess eyelid skin is often a drooping brow. He removes little or no upper eyelid fat, and often adds it, to avoid the hollow look that can age the eyes. And he performs all eight brow lift approaches, so he can match the technique to how much lift you need and where you'd prefer the scar.
Considering eyelid or brow surgery?
The Stern Center for Aesthetics 1370 116th Ave NE, Suite 102, Bellevue, WA 98004
425.455.9100 Request a consultation