In brief. Blepharoplasty in Lebanon — eyelid surgery, also searched as an eyelid lift — removes the excess skin that hoods the upper lid and treats the bags under the eyes. Dr. Vincent ElKhoury, a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, performs upper and lower blepharoplasty surgeries in Lebanon, at Hayek Hospital and Bellevue Medical Center, after a consultation at his clinic in Mansourieh, Metn.
What is blepharoplasty?
Blepharoplasty is eyelid surgery. It removes excess skin that hoods the upper lid and treats bags under the eyes by repositioning or removing the fat. Dr. Vincent ElKhoury operates under local anaesthetic with light sedation: a bilateral blepharoplasty takes one hour and thirty minutes, and you go home the same day.
Key facts
- What it is. Removes the excess skin that hoods the upper lid and treats the bags under the eyes; a lower-lid bag is fat, which can be repositioned rather than removed.
- Who it suits. The usual candidate is over forty, in reasonable health and bothered by something specific; surgery is delayed or reconsidered with significant dry eye, uncontrolled thyroid eye disease or a brow that has descended.
- Anaesthesia. Local anaesthetic with light sedation; a general anaesthetic only for larger combined procedures. A bilateral blepharoplasty takes one hour and thirty minutes.
- Recovery. Stitches out at five to seven days; presentable from ten days (week 2); month 6 is the honest end point.
- Where. Hayek Hospital and Bellevue Medical Center, after a consultation at the clinic in Mansourieh, Metn.
What does it change?
Heavy upper lid skin does two things at once. It reads as tiredness, and when the fold rests on the lashes it narrows what you can actually see — particularly upwards, which is why some patients notice it first while driving or reading a road sign. Removing the excess opens the eye again and gives the lid back its own height.
On the lower lid a bag is not skin but fat, pushing forward and casting a shadow. That fat can be repositioned rather than removed, which softens the step between lid and cheek instead of leaving a hollow that looks worse in ten years than the bag did.
What it does not do is change the shape of your eye, lift the brow, or remove crow’s feet. Those are different problems with different answers, and a surgeon who tells you one operation fixes all of them is selling rather than planning.
Who is it for?
The usual candidate is over forty, in reasonable health, and bothered by something specific rather than broadly dissatisfied. Being able to say exactly what you want changed is the single best sign that surgery will make you happy.
It is delayed or reconsidered if you have significant dry eye, uncontrolled thyroid eye disease, or a brow that has descended enough that the eyelid is not the real problem. Smoking is asked about seriously, because nicotine narrows the small vessels that feed the thinnest skin on the body.
How is the operation done?
Local anaesthetic with light sedation. You are comfortable and breathing on your own; a general anaesthetic is used only for larger combined procedures. A bilateral blepharoplasty takes one hour and thirty minutes.
On the upper lid the incision follows the natural crease, so once the eye is open the line is not visible. A measured strip of excess skin is removed — measured, because taking too much is the one error in this operation that cannot be undone — along with only the fat that bulges.
On the lower lid the incision sits just beneath the lashes, or inside the lid with no external scar at all when only fat needs treating. Fine sutures come out at five to seven days.
Recovery
What actually happens, week by week
Recovery is part of the treatment rather than an afterthought, so it is described here in the same detail as the operation.
Day 0–2
Cold and restCool compresses, head raised, no bending. Bruising begins.
Day 3–7
Bruising peaksIt darkens before it fades. Stitches come out at five to seven days.
Week 2
PresentableFrom ten days.
Week 3–6
SettlingResidual swelling drops. The scar is pink and still maturing.
Month 6
FinalThe line has faded into the crease. This is the honest end point.
Honesty
Risks, and what can go wrong
Every operation has them. They are listed here because a patient who has read them and still wants to proceed is a patient who will be content afterwards.
- Dry, gritty eyes for some weeks — common.
- Bruising and asymmetric swelling in the early weeks; the two sides rarely settle at the same speed.
- A scar that stays pink longer than expected, particularly in darker skin.
- Rarely: a lower lid that sits slightly low, an over-corrected upper lid, or a bleed behind the eye — the one true emergency, which is why you are given a number to call.
Results
His own patients
Every photograph here is of Dr. ElKhoury’s own patients, taken at the same distance under the same light, before and after, and published unretouched apart from the masking that protects identity.
Direct brow lift
Bilateral: both brows raised through an incision along the upper edge of each brow, made with a monopolar cutting needle electrode on both sides; the operation took 35 minutes. Photographed the same day: before, with the surgical marking, and minutes after, with the sutures in. Swelling has not settled — this is not the final result. Only the iris is masked; the brows, the incision and the lids stay visible.
Frontal view
Three-quarter view — the incision
Upper eyelid surgery
Removal of redundant upper lid skin. Photographed before surgery and at one month.
Close-up — lid crease
Close-up — frontal
Upper and lower eyelid surgery
Documented from the pre-operative visit, through the day of surgery, to the result at 8 days.
Close-up — three stages
Close-up — profile
Upper eyelid surgery
Photographed on the morning of surgery and again at sixteen days. Where the eye is open, only the iris is masked — the crease, the lash line and the healing incision stay visible. The closed and side views carry no mask.
Frontal, eyes open
Lids closed — the crease and the incision
Profile — the lid in outline
Upper and lower eyelid surgery
Result at 9 days after surgery.
Upper and lower eyelid surgery
Result at 9 days after surgery.
Upper and lower eyelid surgery
Photographed a few hours after surgery. This is not the settled result.
Upper eyelid surgery
Photographed a few hours after surgery. This is not the settled result.
Results vary between patients. Shared with consent. More cases →
Take it away
The printed sheet
Everything on this page, on two sides of A4, written for patients and free to take from the clinic. It says what the operation does, what it costs you in time, and what it does not fix.
Patient information — PDF, 2 pages
Open the sheet →Read: Upper vs lower eyelid surgery: which one do you need? · Eyelid surgery or Botox for tired eyes: which one? · Eyelid surgery recovery, day by day · What an eyelid lift means: upper lids, lower lids or both
Questions
What patients ask
How long before I can go back to work?
You are presentable at ten days, and make-up covers the rest. If your work is public-facing, plan two weeks rather than one.
Will the scar show?
On the upper lid the incision is placed inside the natural crease, so with the eye open it is not visible. It is pink for a few weeks and fades over about six months. On the lower lid it sits under the lashes, or inside the lid with no external scar at all.
Is it done under general anaesthetic?
No. Local anaesthetic with light sedation is enough for eyelid surgery, and you go home the same day. A general anaesthetic is reserved for larger combined procedures.
How long do the results last?
The result is final at month 6, and the lids continue to age from a better starting point.
Does it get rid of crow’s feet or lift my eyebrows?
No. Crow’s feet are treated with botulinum toxin, and a heavy brow needs a brow procedure. Blepharoplasty addresses the eyelid itself. These can be planned together, but they are separate things.
Who is an eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) surgeon in Lebanon, and where is the operation done?
Dr. Vincent ElKhoury, a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, performs eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) in Lebanon. You are seen at his clinic on Mkalles Main Street, Mansourieh (Metn), and operated on at Hayek Hospital or Bellevue Medical Center.
How do I book a consultation?
Call or WhatsApp the clinic on +961 1 697 739, or send the consultation form on this site. The clinic is open Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 18:00. Consultations are in English, French or Arabic.
How long is recovery after eyelid surgery?
Stitches come out five to seven days after surgery, and you are presentable at ten days, with make-up covering the rest. Residual swelling falls away over three to six weeks, and the incision line keeps fading into the natural crease until it settles by six months. Your surgeon will guide you on the pace that fits your own healing.
Does eyelid surgery remove eye bags?
Lower eyelid surgery treats the bags under the eyes, which are fat pushing forward behind the lower lid. Upper eyelid surgery treats a different problem: the fold of skin that hoods the upper lid. Some patients need one, some need both; the examination decides.
Is a droopy eyelid always treated with an eyelid lift?
No. Excess skin folding over the lid is treated with blepharoplasty. A lid that sits low because the muscle that lifts it is weak is ptosis, a different condition with a different operation. The consultation tells the two apart.
Is there a scarless blepharoplasty?
On the lower lid the incision can be made inside the lid, which leaves no external scar; this suits under-eye bags caused by fat without much loose skin. On the upper lid the incision sits in the natural fold of the lid, so the scar is hidden rather than absent. Which approach fits is decided at the examination.
Is eyelid surgery painful?
The operation is done under local anaesthetic with light sedation, so you are comfortable and feel no pain during it. Afterwards the lids are tight, swollen and bruised, and the surgeon tells you what to take. Severe pain, or a bleed behind the eye, is the one emergency: call the clinic at once.
What kind of doctor performs eyelid surgery?
Eyelid surgery is performed by a plastic and reconstructive surgeon or by an oculoplastic (eye) surgeon. Dr. Vincent ElKhoury is a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon. Ask who will operate, where, and under which anaesthetic before you book.
At what age can you have eyelid surgery?
There is no fixed age. The usual candidate is over forty, in reasonable health and bothered by something specific, such as heavy upper lids or under-eye bags. Significant dry eye, uncontrolled thyroid eye disease or a brow that has descended delay or change the plan.
What are the risks of eyelid surgery?
Dry, gritty eyes for some weeks, bruising and uneven swelling in the early weeks, and a scar that stays pink longer than expected, particularly in darker skin. Rarely, a lower lid sits slightly low, an upper lid is over-corrected, or a bleed forms behind the eye, which is why you are given a number to call.
How much does eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) in Lebanon cost?
There is no single figure, because no two operations are the same. The cost depends on what is done, how long it takes, the anaesthetic and the hospital. Fees are not advertised, in keeping with the professional rules for doctors in Lebanon; they are discussed in person at the consultation, once the right operation for you is known. What shapes the cost is set out in the cost of plastic surgery in Lebanon.
Further reading
Sources
Published patient information on this procedure, from sources independent of the practice. The plan for your own operation is gone through at the consultation.
Press
In the press
Dr. ElKhoury’s letter in L’Orient-Le Jour, « Docteur, je continue les injections ou je me fais opérer ? » (7 October 2026, in French), sets out what injections can and cannot correct. More press.