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View Dr. Ambani's Crisalix profileBlepharoplasty (Eyelid Surgery)
If your eyes look tired or heavy no matter how rested you feel, you may be considering eyelid surgery. In my Ann Arbor practice, the first question I ask is what is actually causing that appearance. Your consultation begins with an unhurried conversation about what feels right for you.
Medically reviewed by Shoshana Ambani, MDLast reviewed August 26, 2026
A careful and strategic introduction
What is eyelid surgery?
Blepharoplasty, or “eyelid lift,” addresses the upper lids, lower lids, or both.
Heavy upper lids can come from extra skin (dermatochalasis), a settled or low-hanging brow, and/or a low lid margin (ptosis). I diagnose the cause(s) first, as the surgical solution must address the involved factors. A blepharoplasty alone is not effective if lid ptosis is present at baseline as well, for example.
Lower surgery addresses the under-eye fat bags and, when needed, the extra skin. The incision sits below the lashes or inside the lid; the inside route leaves no external scar and works when skin removal is not needed.
Surgery can make impactful changes, but there are honest limits: it cannot erase crow's feet or pigment-driven dark circles. Oftentimes I recommend a multimodal periocular rejuvenation approach, which may involve medical-grade skin care, the application of neuromodulators such as Botox Cosmetic, or even facial fat grafting or dermal fillers.
Technology in consultation
See the plan more clearly.
These tools support discussion and evaluation. They do not replace the examination or guarantee an outcome.
Honest guidance
Are you a good candidate?
YOUR CONSULTATION CONSIDERS
- Goals & Anatomy: What bothers you most? Dr. Ambani assesses your brow and lid position, your lid excursion, laxity, and support, and how well your eyes close.
- Eyes & History: Dry-eye symptoms and eyelid health, Sjögren's, prior LASIK or other eye surgery, and thyroid eye disease. Severe or unstable eye-surface disease can delay surgery or rule it out.
- Health & Medications: Your health must be optimized before elective surgery. Having diabetes, high blood pressure, or an autoimmune disease does not rule you out for surgery, but we would require the appropriate clearances from your primary care clinicians as needed to support safe planning.
- A consultation settles the scope of surgery: upper, lower, both, or the honest answer that it is not your eyelids at all. You may require a brow lift or ptosis repair, instead, for example. More often than not, a combination of procedures is needed to optimize your long-term result.
A SHARED DECISION
Good candidates are bothered by persistent upper hooding or lower bags, have realistic goals, and can plan on 10 to 14 days before feeling presentable, sometimes longer. I will not operate on anyone with nicotine in their system, because complication risk rises sharply. Age alone does not decide candidacy; your anatomy, eye health, goals, and overall health matter more.
At the consultation, I look at the whole picture, not only your eyelids:
The most valuable consultation is one that leaves room for every outcome: proceeding, refining the plan, staging care, or deciding that waiting is right for you.
Why Choose Dr. Ambani
ABPS board-certified plastic surgeon with more than twenty years of experience
MEDICAL SCHOOL
Duke University School of Medicine
RESIDENCY
Plastic Surgery, University of Michigan Affiliated Hospitals
FELLOWSHIP
Microsurgical Reconstruction, University of Pittsburgh Affiliated Hospitals
BOARD CERTIFICATION
American Board of Plastic Surgery
EXPERIENCE
Attending surgeon since 2017
Supported at every stage
What recovery is like
01
Early healing
Most patients look presentable in about 10 to 14 days; swelling keeps refining for weeks to months. Scars mature for up to a year in the crease, below the lashes, or inside the lid.
Risks include bleeding, infection, scarring, asymmetry, dry-eye symptoms, incomplete eye closure, and sometimes revision surgery. Lower-lid surgery can also leave the lid sitting lower or turning outward.
02
Returning to routine
Eye makeup waits until incisions heal; contacts often wait about two weeks, once I clear you. Drive when your vision is clear of ointment blur, you are off sedating medication, and you feel safe, usually 5 to 10 days.
Contact us immediately for severe or worsening pain or pressure, fast-rising swelling, especially one-sided, or any new vision change. If you cannot reach us, seek emergency care. Call promptly for new trouble closing your eyes or worsening irritation.
03
Long-term care
Walking starts early; strenuous exercise and heavy lifting wait about 2 weeks, ramping to full effort by 4 to 6 weeks. Plan on early head elevation, cool compresses, lubricating drops, and sun protection.
We work around the downtime you can actually take.
Clear, personalized planning
Cost & Self-Pay Philosophy
Shoshana Ambani Plastic Surgery is a cosmetic, self-pay practice, and we do not bill insurance for this care. Your cost reflects your plan: upper, lower, or both, plus anesthesia, facility, testing, prescriptions, and surgical time.
I do not post a single figure. We review an itemized estimate after consultation and can walk through financing your care.
Thoughtful answers
Common Questions
If your eyes look tired or heavy no matter how rested you feel, you may be weighing eyelid surgery. In my Ann Arbor practice, the first question I ask is what is actually causing that look. Your consultation begins with an unhurried conversation about what feels right for you.
How much does eyelid surgery cost in Michigan?
It varies with your plan. Upper, lower, or both, plus anesthesia and facility shape the total, so we share a personalized estimate after consultation.
Do I need an upper or lower blepharoplasty, or both?
It depends where the change is. Upper surgery treats hooded, heavy lids; lower surgery treats bags and laxity beneath the eye. Consultation decides the scope.
Will eyelid surgery fix my hooded eyes, or do I need a brow lift?
It depends on the cause, and the two often coexist. Blepharoplasty removes extra lid skin but does not raise the brow, so hooding driven by brow position may need a brow lift, lid surgery, both, or neither. I examine both before recommending a plan.
Is 70 too old for eyelid surgery?
No, age by itself does not rule you out. Health, eye status, medications, and anatomy decide.
Can someone with Sjögren's syndrome or dry eye have blepharoplasty?
Possibly. Neither condition automatically rules surgery out, but your eye surface needs careful evaluation and treatment first, sometimes with your eye specialist's input. Severe or unstable disease can mean postponing or deciding against surgery.
Are patients happy with their results?
In validated studies, yes: appropriately selected upper-eyelid patients report improved satisfaction and quality of life. There is no reliable percentage to quote, so I focus on careful selection instead.
Plan Your Care with Shoshana Ambani Plastic Surgery
Consultation-based, self-pay plastic surgery in Ann Arbor.