Ptosis surgery in Singapore is still one of the most sought-after treatments, although it’s certainly not as popular as double eyelid surgery.
Droopy eyelids can make you appear inattentive, tired, or stern, and they can affect your vision too. When you start raising your eyebrows more often to lift your upper eyelids up, it can cause headaches and fatigue.
If you are looking for a solution to correct droopy eyelids, we’ve created a handy guide on ptosis surgery. From the types of surgery to the clinics that offer it, here’s all the information you’ll need to make an informed decision.
What Causes Droopy Eyelids?
Our eyelid muscle, also known as the levator muscle, is what keeps our upper eyelid, well, up. Much like a rubber band, this elastic muscle contracts and relaxes to control how your eyelids open and close. However, this muscle can weaken and become less elastic as you age, causing ptosis.
Credit: Allure Plastic Surgery
Apart from ageing, here are the other main causes of ptosis:
- Trauma: An injury to the eye area can weaken or sever the levator muscle
- Prolonged use of contact lenses: When you pull or stretch your eyelid to insert a contact lens, it can cause the skin to loosen
- Congenital causes: Ptosis can sometimes be due to a structural malformation of the levator muscle at birth
- Medical conditions: When both the upper eyelids droop, it may be a sign of an underlying medical condition
- Serious illnesses: Ptosis may also point towards severe conditions such as cancer of the nerves or muscles
Ptosis can happen to everyone. It occurs more frequently with the elderly, but it can also happen at any age and to varying degrees of severity.
Sometimes, children are born with congenital upper eyelid ptosis, which requires surgical correction at a young age. If ptosis occurs later in life, one may seek surgery when the condition starts to hinder daily activities. Of course, there are also individuals who choose to undergo the procedure for aesthetic reasons.
Types of Ptosis Surgery Available
1. Suture Ptosis Eyelid Correction
This technique is done by stitching your eyelid tissue to adjust your eyelid muscle without making an incision. It is recommended for those with mild ptosis and asymmetrical eyes.
2. Incisional Ptosis Eyelid Correction
An incision will be made to access the eyelid muscle to create a crease. Along with part of the eyelid muscle, any unnecessary tissues such as fat and skin can be removed with this technique. This is recommended for those with mild to severe forms of ptosis.
3. Frontalis Suspension Technique
If the eyelid muscles are too weak, sutures can be used to hold the eyelid tissues up to the eyebrows. This helps the muscle to support the eyelid. This technique is usually recommended to treat severe cases of congenital (present from birth) ptosis.
What Is the Procedure for Ptosis Surgery Like?
First, your doctor will make specific measurements and markings on your upper eyelids to discern the outcome of your surgery.
Some clinics conduct simulations to ensure that they’re symmetrical too.
When you’re ready to go, local anaesthesia will be administered around the eye area to prep you for the surgery. It will also be used throughout the procedure.
If you have a very low pain threshold, sedation is also an option. However, you will be woken up after the surgery to complete the eyelid height assessment.
Moderate to severe ptosis will require a surgical procedure, where an incision will be made along the upper eyelid crease. This exposes the eyelid tissues and muscles for adjustment.
The muscle tendon at the opening of the eyelid is shortened or tightened, and the eyelid tissue will be positioned upwards to achieve a lifting effect.
After which, your doctor will ask you to sit up to assess the amount of eyelid opening and check for symmetry. Minimal adjustments may be performed if required. Lastly, the wound will be sutured either to blend with your existing eyelid crease or form a double eyelid crease, if you have requested it.
Is There Any Downtime and Aftercare Required?
You may experience minor swelling and bruising around the eyes after the surgery, which will diminish in a few days. It takes about one to three months for your upper eyelids to heal completely.
During the first week, you’ll want to ice the skin around your eye area. You will also need to clean the eye area four to six times until the stitches are removed.
This also depends on your doctor’s instructions. After a week, your stitches will be removed.
However, you still have to rest, which is why most patients take up to 10 days off from work and postpone important or rigorous activities.
When the third week rolls around, you can start exercising. You may still experience some minor swelling until your skin heals completely by the third month.
In most cases, the results of your surgery are permanent, although you can make tiny revisions in the future.
To ensure a swift recovery process, here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Do not rub your eye area too hard: Treat your eye area with tender, loving care after the surgery and avoid any unnecessary pressure on it.
- Do not go swimming until your stitches are removed: This reduces the chance of infection.
- Use sunscreen or dark-tinted sunglasses: You’ll need to protect your eyes from the sun, wind, and other environmental elements.
- Apply cool compresses: This method helps to bring down the swelling and can temporarily relieve pain.
- Try to avoid taking medication such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and herbal medicine: These medications may increase bleeding risk.
- Avoid smoking: Smoking stresses your heart and reduces your body’s ability to recover.
What Is the Cost of Ptosis Surgery?
The cost of ptosis surgery in Singapore varies, typically ranging from S$7,000 to S$18,000. The total expense is influenced by factors such as the surgeon’s skill, anesthesia charges, facility fees, and prescribed medications.
Are There Any Risks Involved When It Comes to Ptosis Surgery?
As with any other surgery, there’s a chance that ptosis surgery can fail. If a doctor misdiagnoses your situation or uses faulty surgical techniques, it can result in a botched surgery. When this happens, you may experience abnormal scarring, bleeding, infections, and broken sutures.
This is why looking for a good surgeon is the most important part of your entire research. Here are some tips to finding a surgeon for in Singapore:
- Find out if your surgeon has done many ptosis surgeries. A doctor who has conducted many similar surgeries is more likely to have more experience in dealing with a variety of cases.
- If you know of people who have done the surgery, ask for their thoughts about their doctors and whether they would recommend them.
- Spend time in the initial consultation with your shortlisted doctor and ask any questions you have about the surgery. The doctor you should eventually choose should be someone who takes your questions seriously and be able to explain to you adequately and make sure you understand them.
- In the initial consultation, get a sense of the clinic staff’s service level towards patients. The support staff will be doing reminders and briefings for you, so you’ll want to make sure that they are service-oriented and thorough.
Not sure how to start researching for doctors? To kick off your research process, our next segment will be useful to you.
7 Top Clinics to Go for Ptosis Surgery in Singapore
Polaris Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
When it comes to plastic, reconstructive, and aesthetic surgery in Singapore, Polaris Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery is one of the clinics that certainly comes to mind. Located within Mount Elizabeth Hospital, the clinic is serious about its “patient-first” philosophy, and is dedicated to tailoring each treatment to each patient’s specific needs.
This means that there isn’t just one approach to ptosis treatment at Polaris. The treatment is dependent on its cause and severity, and can range from non-invasive solutions to longer-lasting surgical methods.
Besides reducing droopiness, the doctor will also apply aesthetic considerations to help you achieve a more pleasant-looking appearance.
The practice is led by medical director and consultant plastic surgeon Dr. Adrian Ooi, who specialises in aesthetic plastic surgery of the eyes and face (that, amongst several other focus areas such as breast augmentation and reconstruction, head and neck surgery lymphedema surgery, as well as extremity reconstruction).
Reducing post-operative pain is important to Polaris Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery; ptosis treatments are also minimally invasive, thus leaving shorter scars and requiring a short two-week recovery period after.
Depending on your condition, plastic surgeons will recommend the most appropriate procedure, with the price for treatment starting at S$3,000.
To find out more about ptosis treatment at Polaris Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, give the clinic a call. Or, schedule a consultation through their website.
Artisan Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery
Photo source: Artisan Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery
Ministry of Health Singapore board-certified plastic surgeon Dr Vincent Tay is the doctor behind Artisan Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery who practices both reconstructive and aesthetic surgery.
Patients who have visited this aesthetic clinic note that the doctor took time to understand their desired outcome, patiently answered their questions, and gave results that they loved. For the eyes, the clinic offers double eyelid and ptosis surgeries to either create the ideal crease or correct droopy eyelids.
Eagle Eye Aesthetics & Surgery
Part of the Eagle Eye Group, Eagle Eye Aesthetics & Surgery (EEAS) is a one-stop centre for all things eye-related, including surgery and aesthetic treatments.
As an aesthetic and surgical clinic, EEAS also offers a suite of treatments to further enhance or maintain the results of surgery, such as fillers, Botox injections, and skin tightening treatments.
The clinic is helmed by oculoplastic surgeon, Dr Stephanie Young, who has over 12 years of experience and a stint in Korea. She has also published papers and book chapters on ptosis surgery, with years of experience managing ptosis conditions for all ages, from the elderly to children with congenital issues.
Oculoplastic surgeons are trained ophthalmologists with a subspecialty in eyelid surgery, ptosis surgery and several other procedures. With many years of clinic experience combining the micro precision of ophthalmic surgery with the aesthetic concepts of Oculofacial plastic surgery, you can rest assured knowing you’ll be in good hands.
When it comes to ptosis surgery, Dr Young is well versed in different approaches, including a scarless method, known as conjunctivomullerectomy; and an external, lid crease approach for levator muscle repair.
Regardless of the method, your condition will first be assessed carefully and the ptosis surgery will be tailored to your needs and wants for the most natural-looking results. For those with very severe ptosis, Dr Young also performs frontalis suspension surgery for both children and adults.
Contact Eagle Eye Aesthetics & Surgery to enquire about rates and book a consultation.
Nassim Plastic Surgery
Photo source: @nassimplasticsurgery/TikTok
Nassim Plastic Surgery is helmed by Dr Janna Joethy, a medical director and senior consultant plastic surgeon with over 20 years of experience. The plastic surgeon has trained under plastic surgeons in Brazil and is qualified to practice not just in Singapore but in London too.
Reviewers on Google shared that Dr Janna was patient in answering their questions and thorough in explaining their treatment options.
Nassim Plastic Surgery offers various treatment options for asymmetrical eyelids, including ptosis surgery, upper and lower blepharoplasty, and botox.
Woffles Wu Aesthetic Surgery & Laser Centre
While it’s known for its plastic surgery services, Woffles Wu Aesthetic Surgery & Laser Centre also offers a range of aesthetic surgery for the eyes.
This includes ptosis surgery, eye bag removal, brow lifting, and double eyelid surgery.
Dr. Woffles Wu provides surgical and non-surgical solutions for the eye area so you can choose them according to your preference.
Contact Woffles Wu Aesthetic Surgery & Laser Centre to enquire about rates.
Sweng Plastic Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery
Photo source: Jin Han Khaw, Wai Lee/Google
Dr Ng Siew Weng is the consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon behind Sweng Plastic Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery who graduated from the National University of Singapore’s medical school and completed his Advanced Surgical Training in Plastic Surgery at the Singapore General Hospital.
Patients have praised him for being responsible, skilled, and meticulous. Many have also shared that the team of staff are very helpful and kind, providing excellent service both pre- and post-treatment.
The clinic provides ptosis surgery, double eyelid surgery, and lower blepharoplasty surgery in Singapore.
Shens Clinic
A surgeon who trained in Korea, Dr. Shens of Shens Clinic has over two decades of experience in the field of plastic surgery.
He has performed countless surgical procedures, and many of the surgeries he has conducted include intricate ones such as ptosis surgery.
Dr. Shens believes in lifting droopy eyelids with painless surgery, providing local anaesthesia or sedation for a swift, comfortable procedure.
When it comes to ptosis correction, he does not use absorbable sutures as they tend to cause more inflammation and possibly more scarring on the thin, delicate skin around your eyes.
This is why you are required to return after a week to have your stitches safely removed.
Contact Shens Clinic to enquire about rates.
