In recent years, the upper blepharoplasty has emerged as a quick fix for tired eyes at any age. And in the grand scheme, I suppose it is a relatively low-risk, high-reward operation for those whose eyelids are naturally hooded or have grown heavy over time. Among its selling points, the procedure can be done awake, with numbing injections, in about an hour. As surgical recoveries go, this one is fairly easy. And the scars, best case, are barely perceptible.
If executed well in the right patient, blepharoplasty—“bleph,” so breezy, we’ve colloquialized the name—doesn’t seem to have much of a downside, at least according to social media. In this 2025 study, researchers evaluating blepharoplasty-focused content on TikTok found that while videos made by healthcare professionals are more reliable and better quality than those posted by non-healthcare pros, “neither group adequately discusses the risk of ocular complications following a blepharoplasty.”
Shortly after discovering the study, I scrolled upon a post from facial plastic surgeon Elizabeth Chance, MD, which made me wonder if we’re trivializing not only the immediate risks of the surgery, but also the potential long-term consequences.
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