Upper and Lower Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty) in Turkey
Upper and lower blepharoplasty in Turkey: hooded upper lids and under-eye bags treated in one session, scars hidden in the lid crease and lash line; 1 hospital night and 4 hotel nights included.
Anaesthesia
Local anaesthesia with sedation, or general anaesthesia
Operation time
1.5–2.5 hours for both lids
Hospital / hotel
1 night / 4 nights
Stay in Turkey
5 nights (1 hospital + 4 hotel), sutures out before you fly
Back to work
Desk work in 7–10 days
Package price
€1,200
What Upper and Lower Eyelid Surgery involves
Blepharoplasty treats the two things that make eyes look tired and older: hooded upper lids, where excess skin folds over the lashes and can even narrow the field of vision, and lower-lid bags, where fat that normally sits behind the eye bulges forward as the supporting membrane weakens. Doing both in one session is common because the eyes are read as a unit — refreshing the upper lids alone can make the lower bags more noticeable.
Upper blepharoplasty removes a crescent of skin, and sometimes a sliver of muscle and fat, through an incision placed in the natural crease so that the scar disappears when the eye is open. Lower blepharoplasty is more varied: fat may be removed, but more often it is repositioned into the hollow beneath the bag to smooth the transition to the cheek, and the skin is tightened only as much as necessary — over-removal of lower-lid skin is what pulls the lid down and gives a hollow, operated look.
What blepharoplasty does not do: it does not lift a drooping eyebrow (that is a brow lift, and low brows are a common reason for hooded-looking upper lids), it does not remove crow’s feet or dark pigmentation, and it does not tighten the cheek. An honest assessment tells you which of these is actually causing what you see.
Scars: Upper: hidden in the natural crease. Lower: just below the lashes, or none at all if the fat is reached from inside the lid
Who it suits — and who it does not
Good candidates
- ✓Excess upper-lid skin that folds over the lashes, makes eye make-up impossible or narrows upward vision
- ✓Under-eye bags that are present in the morning and in good light, not just when tired
- ✓A hollow groove between the bag and the cheek (tear trough) — fat repositioning treats both
- ✓Good general health, no active eye disease, and dry-eye symptoms that are absent or mild
- ✓Typically over 35, but hereditary bags and hooding are treated earlier
Usually advised against
- –A low eyebrow is the real cause of the hooding — a brow lift, alone or combined, is the correct operation
- –Significant dry eye, thyroid eye disease, recent laser eye surgery or glaucoma without an ophthalmologist’s clearance
- –Lower-lid laxity on examination (the lid does not snap back when pulled) — extra support such as a canthopexy is needed, and the surgeon will say so
- –Dark circles from pigmentation or thin skin rather than fat — these need different treatment
- –Expecting removal of crow’s feet or fine lines, which are treated with botulinum toxin or resurfacing
Techniques and options
Upper blepharoplasty
An ellipse of skin is marked in the crease with you sitting up, so that enough skin remains for the eye to close comfortably. A strip of muscle may be removed to sharpen the crease, and a small amount of fat from the inner corner if it bulges. Closure with a fine running suture that is removed at 5–7 days. The scar sits in the fold and is invisible with the eye open.
Lower blepharoplasty — transconjunctival
The fat is reached through an incision on the inside of the lower lid, leaving no external scar. It suits younger patients with bags but good skin. Fat is removed or, more often, repositioned over the orbital rim to fill the tear trough.
Lower blepharoplasty — subciliary (skin-muscle flap)
An incision just below the lashes gives access to fat and allows a conservative strip of excess skin to be removed. The scar lies in the lash line and fades to nothing visible. This is chosen when skin laxity is part of the problem.
Fat repositioning and canthal support
Rather than hollowing the eye by removing fat, the fat is moved downward and stitched over the bone to smooth the lid–cheek junction. If the lower lid is lax, a canthopexy (tightening stitch at the outer corner) is added to prevent the lid from being pulled down after surgery. These two steps are what separate a modern lower blepharoplasty from an older one.
Combined with brow lift or facelift
Hooded lids with a low brow are treated with an endoscopic or temporal brow lift in the same session. Patients having a facelift often add blepharoplasty so that the eyes match the refreshed lower face.
What happens on surgery day
- 1
Assessment before travel: close-up photos of the eyes open, closed and looking up, a description of dry-eye symptoms, previous eye surgery, and whether vision is affected. The surgeon confirms upper, lower or both, and whether brow position is part of the problem.
- 2
Admission on the morning of surgery. Blood tests, ECG if indicated, and a discussion of anaesthesia — local with sedation is common for upper lids alone; both lids together are usually done under general anaesthesia for comfort.
- 3
Markings are drawn sitting up with the eyes open and closed; the surgeon checks that closure will be complete after skin removal.
- 4
Upper lids first: skin ellipse removed, muscle and fat addressed, closed with a fine suture. Then lower lids: fat repositioned or removed through the chosen approach, canthal support added if needed, minimal skin removed, closed.
- 5
Antibiotic ointment and cold compresses. One night in hospital with the head raised, mainly for comfort and observation of bleeding.
- 6
Discharge to the hotel the next morning. Clinic visit at day 5–7 for suture removal and the fit-to-fly check.
Recovery timeline
Days 1–3
Swelling and bruising around the eyes, some blurred vision from ointment, a tight feeling on closing. Cold compresses 15 minutes every hour while awake, head raised, no reading or screens for long periods.
Days 5–7
Sutures removed. Bruising fades to yellow. Eyes look uneven and puffy — expected. Fit-to-fly check at this visit.
Weeks 2–3
Most bruising gone; concealer covers the rest. Back to desk work and driving once vision is clear. Contact lenses from about 2 weeks. Scars are pink but hidden in the crease.
Weeks 4–8
Swelling largely resolved; lower lids may look slightly full in the mornings. Exercise resumes at 2–3 weeks, swimming at 4 weeks.
Months 3–6
Final contour. Scars fade to pale; numbness of the upper lid, if present, resolves.
Results — and their limits
Open, rested eyes with a visible upper-lid crease and a smooth lower lid that flows into the cheek. The change is significant but hard for others to identify — people see rest, not surgery.
Upper blepharoplasty results last 10–15 years; skin ageing continues but most people do not need a repeat. Lower-lid fat, once repositioned or removed, does not return, so the bags do not come back, although skin continues to age.
Fine lines, crow’s feet and pigmentation are unchanged and are addressed separately if wanted.
Slight asymmetry of swelling in the first weeks is normal; the two sides settle at different rates.
When it is final: Swelling settles over 6–8 weeks; scars fade over 6–12 months
Risks and how they are managed
Every operation carries risk. These are the ones that matter for this procedure, and what is done to reduce, spot or treat each.
Bleeding behind the eye (retrobulbar haematoma)
Very rare but the most serious complication, which is why blood thinners are stopped, blood pressure controlled, and you spend the first night in hospital with instructions to report sudden pain, pressure or vision change immediately.
Dry, gritty or watery eyes
Common for a few weeks while closure is slightly incomplete; managed with lubricating drops and ointment at night. Persistent dry eye is rare when pre-existing symptoms are screened for and skin removal is conservative.
Lower lid pulled down (ectropion / scleral show)
Caused by removing too much lower-lid skin or ignoring lid laxity. Prevented by conservative skin excision, fat repositioning rather than removal, and canthal support when needed. Early cases are treated with massage and taping.
Incomplete closure of the upper lid
Avoided by measuring skin removal with the eyes closed at marking. Mild tightness in the first week is normal and eases.
Asymmetry
Eyes are asymmetric before surgery; the aim is balance. Minor adjustments are possible after 6 months.
Visible scar or small cysts along the incision
Placement in the crease and lash line; small suture cysts are removed in clinic if they occur.
Hollowing under the eye
The result of aggressive fat removal in older techniques; repositioning avoids it.
Infection
Uncommon; antibiotic ointment and clean technique.
Package and cost
€1,200
One fixed price for the operation and a 5-night stay: 1 hospital night and 4 hotel nights. No deposit surprises, no add-ons for anaesthesia or medication.
Included
- ✓Consultation with the operating surgeon, eyelid and brow assessment
- ✓Pre-operative blood tests and anaesthetic assessment
- ✓Upper and lower blepharoplasty in a hospital operating theatre, including fat repositioning and canthal support where indicated
- ✓1 night in hospital with nursing care, cold compresses and medication
- ✓4 nights in a 4- or 5-star hotel in Kuşadası
- ✓Private transfers between airport, hospital, clinic and hotel
- ✓Antibiotic ointment, lubricating drops, suture removal and wound check
- ✓Fit-to-fly report and 12 months of remote photo follow-up
Not included
- –Flights and travel insurance
- –Brow lift or facelift if combined — quoted as a package
- –Treatments for pigmentation, fine lines or crow’s feet
How to compare this with a quote at home
Ask any clinic for the same list: surgeon and anaesthetist fees, hospital nights, tests, medication, garments or splints, follow-up visits. A cheaper headline price usually excludes several of these. Then add your flights and insurance to our price for a like-for-like comparison.
How to prepare
- 1.Send close-up photos of the eyes looking straight ahead, closed, and looking up; mention dry-eye symptoms, contact lens use and any eye surgery.
- 2.Have an eye check if you have glaucoma, thyroid disease or significant dry eye; bring the report.
- 3.Stop aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, fish oil, vitamin E and ginkgo 14 days before. Stop smoking 4 weeks before.
- 4.Arrange 5 nights in Turkey and 7–10 days off work. Bring sunglasses, lubricating eye drops and glasses instead of contact lenses for two weeks.
- 5.Do not wear eye make-up or false lashes on the day; remove lash extensions beforehand.
Aftercare at home
- •Cold compresses for the first 48 hours; head raised for a week. No rubbing the eyes.
- •Ointment along the incisions as instructed; lubricating drops during the day and ointment at night for 2–3 weeks.
- •No make-up over incisions until sutures are out and the skin has sealed, usually 10 days. No contact lenses for 2 weeks.
- •Avoid bending, lifting and exercise for 2 weeks; swimming and saunas for 4 weeks. Sunglasses and SPF on the scars for 6 months.
- •Report sudden one-sided swelling, severe pain, pressure or vision change immediately — day or night.
- •Photos at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 and 6 months.
Frequently asked questions
Will there be visible scars?
Do I need upper, lower or both?
Is it done awake or asleep?
Will it change the shape of my eyes?
How long until I look normal?
Will the bags come back?
Can I combine it with a brow lift or facelift?
When can I fly home?
What does the package include?
Often considered alongside
Free assessment
Send your details; a coordinator replies with a surgeon’s opinion and a written plan.