The pandemic and mask-wearing have provided an opportunity for patients to hide the swelling and bruising from plastic surgeries such as facelifts and rhinoplasties, and more.

Also, because the face mask obscures so much of the face, some patients have become interested in invasive and non-invasive procedures near and around the eyes. Below is more information on the masking phenomenon and the most popular procedures including Blepharoplasty and droopy eyelid surgery.

As People Don Masks, Plastic Surgery Requests Rise

According to some plastic surgery patients in New York City, they felt freer as they put on masks during the pandemic to have plastic surgery without people noticing.

For example, one patient said she wouldn’t have had her neck lift if she didn’t have a mask to hide it. Once she had the surgery, she felt fine going in public because the cover obscured the swelling.

SEE ALSO: Houston Chin Liposuction

Others reported to the media that they had been on the fence about getting a facelift or nose job done and now weren’t afraid to have the work done and go out the next day in a mask.

One New York surgeon said that the interest in neck liposuction doubled when New Yorkers were wearing masks.

Popular Cosmetic Procedures

Many of us walk around in masks, so it’s logical for many cosmetic procedures to focus on the eyes and surrounding areas. Some of the most popular procedures for those in masks have been:

Eyelid Lift

An eyelid lift or blepharoplasty is a cosmetic surgery that fixes droopy eyelids that can involve removing extra skin, fat, and muscle. As we get older, the eyelids stretch, and the supporting muscles weaken. That’s why excess fat can gather above and below the eyelids, leading to sagging eyebrows, drooping upper lids. It may be necessary to cut away the extra muscle, skin, and fat.

These issues not only make you look older; severely sagging skin over the eyes can obstruct your vision, especially in the outer and upper parts of your field of vision. An eyelid lift can reduce these vision problems and make the eyes look younger and more alert.

Note that you also can have dermal fillers and Botox injected around the eyes to reduce fine lines and wrinkles after your eyelid lift.

Why Consider An Eyelid Lift

You may consider this procedure, especially when you’re wearing a mask all day because people can only see your eyes. Also, you may consider an eyelid lift if you cannot open your eyes completely or pull down the lower eyelids. Cutting away some of the extra tissue from the upper eyelids should enhance your eyelids and give your eyes a younger appearance.

This procedure can be an excellent option for you if you have:

Droopy or baggy upper eyelids
Extra skin on the upper eyelids that blocks your peripheral vision
Extra skin on your lower eyelids
Bags and dark skin under the eyes

You also can undergo other procedures when you have your eyelid lift, including a facelift, brow lift, or skin resurfacing.

Forehead Lift

Another part of the face that is more prominent when you wear your mask is the forehead. Some people decide to have a forehead lift in addition to an eyelid lift.

A forehead lift or brow lift intends to tighten or eliminate extra skin and tissues that make the eyebrows sag. Your surgeon can perform various brow lifts, but they all share the same purpose: lift the underlying muscles and tissues to reduce furrows and wrinkles.

People who have the following characteristics may be good candidates for a brow lift:

Healthy people with sagging brows
People who dislike that their drooping eyebrows make them look older or angry
People with deep wrinkles in the forehead
People with deep frown lines
People who have frown lines over their brows or top of the nose
Men and women with extra tissue and skin that hangs over the eyes and blocking their vision

Some of brow lift surgery options that your surgeon may recommend are:

Coronal Brow Lift

The surgeon makes an incision from one ear to the other across the top of your head. Next, he makes a long incision in the part of the scalp that is hidden by your hair.

The brow area is lifted by hand and the muscles below, and extra skin is cut out to create a smoother forehead.

Patients with high foreheads may need an anterior incision so that the brow lift doesn’t change the height of the hairline.

Endoscopic Brow Lift

This type of brow lift involves several small incisions along the scalp behind your hairline. The incisions make room for the insertion of an endoscope so the plastic surgeon can see the tissue and muscles with a camera.

The incisions let space for the brow muscles be cut or moved so the brow can be lifted.

Ear Surgery

Not only the eyes and forehead gain prominence when you wear a mask during the coronavirus. When you wear a mask, it can make your ears stick out and more noticeable.

That’s why some people have otoplasty in Houston or ear surgery. This procedure is used to alter the position, shape, or size of your ears. People have chosen to do this when they wear a mask during COVID because:

The ears stick out too far from the head
The ears are too large in proportion to the head
You don’t like the results of an earlier ear surgery

Your surgeon may make incisions on the back of the ears or in the inner creases of the ears. Your doctor may cut out extra skin and cartilage, fold the cartilage into a better position and secure it with stitches.

Request a Houston Cosmetic Treatment Consultation

Interested in a Houston face or eye treatment? Please set up a consultation with Dr. Ashley Steinberg today. She’ll talk to you about the benefits and risks of various plastic surgeries and determine if you’re an ideal candidate.

References

https://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/eyelid-surgery

https://nypost.com/2020/09/26/plastic-surgery-on-the-rise-as-patients-use-covid-19-masks-to-hide/

Brow Lift Overview. (n.d.). Accessed at https://www.plasticsurgery.org/cosmetic-procedures/brow-lift