How much does eyelid surgery cost?
A eyelid surgery costs €1,250 at Kliniek het Bolwerk. This rate includes the first consultation and the follow-up appointments. Kliniek het Bolwerk believes in transparency, so there are no additional costs and no distinction is made between small or extensive eyelid corrections, as there is with other providers of eyelid surgery.
Will my eyelid surgery be covered by insurance?
In most cases, eyelid surgery is not reimbursed by health insurance. Sometimes it can be if it is medically necessary, but the guidelines are very strict. If you want to be sure, ask during the consultation. If in doubt, we check with the insurer. Photos are often needed for this.
| Reimbursement or no reimbursement for upper eyelid surgery | |
| Reimbursed by the insurer (After this has been requested by the doctor and confirmed by the insurer) | Not reimbursed by the insurer |
| There is a functional problem with vision: excess skin that covers the pupil when looking straight ahead; this overhanging skin hangs to within 1 mm of the centre of the pupil. | For an improvement in appearance, which is called cosmetic |
| Confirmation that the upper eyelid correction will be reimbursed | My insurer says it is covered. |
| Severe visual field problems | A lower eyelid correction is never reimbursed |
| Some skin conditions | Minor excess skin or fat accumulation above the eye |
| Some supplementary insurance policies | Basic care package |
| After an accident resulting in a functional impairment of the eyelids | Almost always there is no reimbursement by insurance |
| A unilateral drooping eyelid without excess skin, which can occur for example after a viral infection or a brain haemorrhage. | |
Ask your insurer for advice on possible reimbursement.
If the conditions are met, the procedure can be requested from the insurer.
Sometimes a supplementary policy offers reimbursement coverage. There are also policies with insurers for certain professions that sometimes offer reimbursement. We have treated a number of police officers for whom the procedure was paid from the police insurance. Check this with your professional insurance.
Discuss it in a personal consultation with plastic surgeon David Jairath, at our clinic for eyelid surgery in Haarlem. A first consultation can usually take place within a week.
Will my appearance change after eyelid surgery?
A frequently heard question and a fear for many. The aim is to carry out a plastic surgical correction subtly. This means the result should certainly be noticeable but not exaggerated. The expression of the face therefore does not change, but you do gain a more rested look; it makes you more youthful and you look more energetic.
Will I get cat eyes after eyelid surgery?
This is certainly not the intention and is one of the many myths about eyelid correction. During the correction, the overhang of skin is removed, but the shape of the eyes does not change.
Someone scared me by saying I will no longer be able to close my eyes after the procedure?
Well, this does sometimes happen. It is true that immediately after the procedure you may not be able to fully close your eyes. This effect is caused by the anaesthetic and the swelling from the procedure. Right after the procedure, the small muscles of the eyelids are anaesthetised. As a result, they do not work, or work insufficiently. This can mean the eyes do not fully close. This is gone after 24 hours.
How long are the scars visible?
A week after the eyelid correction, the stitches are removed. The scars then look neat. Apply a good cream to the fresh scars to let them mature as nicely as possible.
If you have a cream containing vitamin E, that is fine; if not, we can advise you on good scar creams. Of course, we have a cream that you can purchase from us.
Is eyelid surgery a safe procedure?
In experienced hands, an eyelid correction is a safe procedure. That is why it is important that your plastic surgeon performs this procedure often. We perform this procedure frequently. Usually swelling and bruising of the eyes occur; this is part of the procedure. It is also normal for the plasters to cause some discomfort. Problems can include wound infections or inflammation. These can be treated well, but preventing them by keeping the wound area clean is always better.
When can you wear make-up again?
Only once the wound strips and the stitches have been removed, after a week, may make-up be used again. In practice this is therefore 8 days after the treatment. Do be careful, though: old make-up can contain a lot of bacteria, so get a new mascara. Also use a good moisturising cream containing vitamin E to let the scars mature as nicely as possible.
How long does eyelid surgery take?
The actual procedure takes less than an hour. For the whole treatment we allow 75 minutes (5 quarters of an hour). Making the design is serious and precise work that I take my time for. Then come the preparation for the procedure and the anaesthetic injections. The actual procedure takes just over half an hour, after which the eyelids are stitched and strips are applied over the scars. Then cleaning and tidying up. Finally, you stay with us for a little while to start cooling, which is about 20 minutes with a cup of coffee. If everything looks good, you can then be collected and go home.
My friend says the anaesthetic hurts so much?
No, fortunately not, otherwise we wouldn't perform so many eyelid corrections. We use extremely fine, small needles, and a fluid is added to the anaesthetic to make it sting less. The anaesthetic is injected very calmly at room temperature. Through all these small things, we try to administer the anaesthetic as comfortably as possible for you. Oh, and there is something else we do during the injection to ensure you notice it as little as possible, but we keep that a secret until after the anaesthetic. (Otherwise it doesn't work.)
Aftercare
Can I drink alcohol after eyelid surgery?
The advice is not to drink alcohol the evening before the eyelid correction and the day after. Alcohol thins the blood, which increases the chance of swelling and bruising.
I am anxious about the procedure, can I get something to make me less nervous?
Of course, most people are tense before the procedure. It concerns your appearance and it is right next to your eyes. We have ample experience with eyelid correction, which means the chance of problems is minimal. We also do everything we can to put you at ease, and in practice this almost always works. That is why the eyelid correction is experienced as very comfortable and a pill is not necessary.
How soon can I have surgery?
We aim to keep waiting times at Kliniek het Bolwerk as short as possible. It is usually possible to schedule the first consultation and the treatment within 2 weeks. Of course, it is also possible to schedule a procedure at a time that suits you well, for example before a holiday or a period off.
How soon can I fly after eyelid surgery?
For the first 3 days after an eyelid correction you should take it easy; after this it is possible to resume light tasks. A week after the procedure, the stitches are removed at our clinic, then wait one more day, and if everything looks neat you can fly or go on holiday.
So what about cooling after the procedure?
The advice is to cool for 20 minutes every hour after the procedure. With this you try to counter swelling and bruising. Unfortunately this is not scientifically proven, but there is logic behind it. When you cool, the blood vessels constrict, resulting in less blood flow in the eyelids. Due to this narrowing of the blood vessels, there is less chance of swelling and therefore bruising. But… there is another factor at play. Through cooling and lying down and keeping yourself calm, your blood pressure drops. This factor is probably just as important in preventing swelling and bruising.
How to cool?
The cooling is done with a bag of deep-frozen garden peas. Before the procedure, make a number of bags with a handful of deep-frozen peas. Push out as much air as possible and tie a knot in them. Then put them back in the freezer and they are ready for use. After the procedure, take 2 bags out of the freezer and put them in a washcloth or wrap a tea towel around them. Lie down and place the washcloths and bags on the eyelids. Relax and stay lying down for 20 minutes. Afterwards, the bags of garden peas can go back in the freezer for reuse a little later.
How long do I need to hide from the outside world?
Your eyes may become swollen and bruised after the procedure. This is caused by wound fluid. Prevention is better than cure here, so take it easy for the first 3 days. The day after the procedure, the eyelids are slightly swollen and perhaps a little bruised; on the second day the swelling will have increased and it can be considerably bruised. On the second day the swelling is at its maximum, after which it decreases quickly. When you come back, after a week, to have the stitches removed, it may still be a little yellow and slightly swollen. This residual swelling decreases quickly; any discolouration can be covered up with a little foundation. For most people the swelling and bruising after the procedure are not too bad, and after a few days you can already go out, with or without sunglasses.
Can I drive myself home?
No, this really is not possible! Immediately after the procedure the eyes are still bleary from the anaesthetic. There may also already be some swelling, and the wound strips are over the wounds. As a result, the opening of the eyes is somewhat restricted. Driving yourself is therefore not a good idea. Your car insurer also thinks this is a bad idea; if you have an accident, it could cause a problem.
So when may you drive? Officially this is once the treatment has been concluded, so after the stitches have been removed, after a week.
Why are dissolvable stitches or glue not used?
Dissolvable stitches stay in slightly too long to use on the face. Some dissolvable stitches only begin to dissolve after 6 weeks and can take up to 3 months to disappear completely. This is too long. In addition, they cause too much tissue reaction for this part of the face, which can negatively affect scar formation.
Tissue glue can be used. The advantage is that the stitches do not need to be removed, so the treatment is finished after the procedure, but there are also disadvantages to using tissue glue. There are different types of tissue glue. There are tissue glues based on polyacrylates, which can be carcinogenic in high doses, and in my opinion there is not enough scientific evidence that they are safe in the longer term. A second type of tissue glue is based on human blood plasma products. These are of course tested for all currently known viruses and prions, but not for things we do not yet know about. Personally, I believe these products should not be used for cosmetic treatments. A cosmetic treatment must be 100% safe.
In short, a lot of facts and myths about eyelid surgery. If you feel reassured about the treatment and eyelid surgery seems right for you, book an appointment for a consultation. If you still have questions about the treatment, email them to: info@kliniekhetbolwerk.nl your question may be included in a future version of this blog.
