Eyelift Los Angeles & Santa Monica

Your eyes bring your personality to life, expressing emotion and showcasing your vibrant energy. Dr. Teitelbaum’s customized eye lifts in Los Angeles let your eyes shine, removing excess skin and resolving tired or aged appearances.

What Is an Eyelift?

An eyelift, also known as a blepharoplasty or eye surgery, is a surgical procedure that improves the appearance of the upper eyelids, lower eyelids, or both. The goal is to restore balance between the eyes by removing excess skin, bulging fat, and age-related skin laxity. Dr. Teitelbaum carefully preserves your natural eye shape and expression, focusing on subtle enhancements that create a more youthful, alert appearance. Eyelid surgery can achieve the following results:

Reduce hooding and heaviness of the upper eyelids
Smooth under-eye bulges
Improved a tired or aged appearance
Enhance vision when excess skin interferes with the visual field

Unlike a brow lift, which also addresses heaviness in the upper eyelids, an eyelift does not affect surrounding fine lines and wrinkles or the forehead. A brow lift is more appropriate for patients whose hooding extends beyond the outer corner of the eye.

The Power of Beautiful Eyes

Because eye lifts offer both aesthetic and functional benefits, patients seek treatment for a wide range of reasons. You can expect the following benefits from your eyelift in Los Angeles:

Brighter, more open eye appearance
Reduction in upper eyelid heaviness
Smoother under-eye contours
More rested, youthful expression
Improved makeup application
Removal of vision obstructions from excess skin

Who Is a Good Candidate for an Eyelift?

Ideal candidates for an eyelift in Los Angeles are healthy, non-smoking adults who fit the following criteria:

Have excess upper eyelid skin or under-eye bulges
Feel your eyes look tired, heavy, or aged
Experience vision obstruction from hanging eyelid skin

During your consultation, Dr. Teitelbaum will perform a physical exam to confirm your candidacy and decide whether an eyelift, brow lift, or combination of procedures is right for you.

Before & After Eyelift

Patient 106009242 | Front View | After | Eyelift — Steven Teitelbaum MD - Santa Monica

Patient 106009243 | Front View | After | Eyelift — Steven Teitelbaum MD - Santa Monica

Patient 106009247 | Front View | After | Eyelift — Steven Teitelbaum MD - Santa Monica

Patient 106009248 | Front View | After | Eyelift — Steven Teitelbaum MD - Santa Monica

Patient 106009252 | Front View | After | Eyelift — Steven Teitelbaum MD - Santa Monica

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Why Choose Dr. Teitelbaum?

Dr. Teitelbaum takes a conservative approach to eye lifts to preserve eyelid function and comfort while avoiding excessive skin removal, maintaining natural fullness, and ensuring harmony between the eyelids, brows, and face. He works with restraint and aesthetic judgment to ensure your final results feel authentic to your features and allow you to express yourself freely.

Academic and Clinical Excellence

Prior to opening his private practice in 1995, Dr. Steven Teitelbaum received his doctorate from the UCLA School of Medicine and completed his residency training at Harvard University, earning dual board certifications in General Surgery and Plastic Surgery. During his education, he worked in the plastic surgery wards of the LA County Hospital to further refine his skills. Reflecting his commitment to fostering the next generation of surgeons, Dr. Teitelbaum has shared his expertise and cutting-edge techniques in lectures across five continents. His research has been published in peer-reviewed journals like the Aesthetic Surgery Journal and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and he’s earned memberships and leadership roles in the following prestigious organizations:

Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation, 2016-2017 President
California Society of Plastic Surgeons, Treasurer and Legislative Committee Chair
Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation, Board Member

Putting Patients First

As one of the leading plastic surgeons in Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and beyond, Dr. Teitelbaum puts patient satisfaction first in every procedure. He and his team, which includes a Harvard-trained anesthesiologist, work with integrity, transparency, and trust at every step. Together, their goal is to deliver high-quality, natural-looking results that bring your vision for yourself to life.

Schedule A Consultation

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Your Confidential Consultation

Ahead of your blepharoplasty, you’ll join Dr. Teitelbaum for a one-on-one consultation at his Los Angeles office. There, you’ll discuss your aesthetic goals, vision concerns, and medical history, and he’ll examine your eye shape, skin health, and eye function to determine if an eyelift is right for you.

Pricing Your Procedure

Eyelift pricing with Dr. Teitelbaum depends on the scope of surgery required, generally ranging from $7,500–$8,000 for upper eyes only, or $14,000–$18,000 for upper and lower eyes combined. Your exact cost within these ranges will depend on factors such as:

Surgical complexity
Extent of correction
Whether one or both eyelids will be addressed
Whether additional procedures will be performed in the same surgical session

With proper documentation from an optometrist or ophthalmologist, insurance may help cover your eyelift if the excess skin obstructs your vision. Most eyelift procedures are considered cosmetic, however, and Dr. Teitelbaum’s team will share a complete cost breakdown and extensive financing options after your consultation.

What to Expect From Your Eyelift in Los Angeles

Your blepharoplasty will be performed under general anesthesia at Dr. Teitelbaum’s exclusive, accredited surgical center in Santa Monica. During your surgery, he’ll make strategic incisions in the natural eyelid crease and inside the eyelids to access your tissue. Dr. Teitelbaum works conservatively, removing only the optimal amount of skin and fat around your eyes to avoid an overly tight or hollowed appearance.

Once excess skin has been removed and fat has been repositioned, your incisions will be closed with small sutures to promote rapid healing. Because incisions are placed in hard-to-see or invisible areas, your scars will be barely noticeable once healed.

Gentle, Patient-Centered Recovery

Recovery after an eyelift in Los Angeles typically involves mild swelling, bruising, and discomfort around the eyes, which should resolve within one week. You may need to wear protective lenses for several days to protect your eyes during early recovery. Most patients can return to light activities, such as social gatherings, walking, and desk work, within five to seven days, but you may experience some eye sensitivity as you continue to heal. After your procedure, you’ll receive a customized recovery plan from Dr. Teitelbaum and his team. This plan may include the following items:

Incision site care and cleaning protocols
Protective lens guidance
Activity limitations
Hygiene recommendations
Sleep position restrictions
Eyewear and contact lens guidelines
Swelling and pain management strategies

You’ll return to Dr. Teitelbaum’s Los Angeles office for regular follow-up appointments over the coming months. There, he’ll remove any remaining sutures, monitor your healing progress, and clear you for potentially irritating activities like swimming, contact lens use, and makeup application. The final results of your eyelift will reveal themselves as residual swelling fades, which may take several weeks.

Types of Eyelifts

While eye lifts can be performed as a more comprehensive procedure, Dr. Teitelbaum offers targeted options for patients who want to address only one part of the eye.

Upper Eyelift

In an upper eyelift, or upper blepharoplasty, only the necessary amount of skin and fat is removed from the upper eyelid. Here, the focus is on avoiding a hollowed appearance and maintaining the natural closure of the eyelid. Upper blepharoplasties are typically used to address hooding or heaviness that impacts your field of vision.

Lower Eyelift

With a lower eyelift, or lower blepharoplasty, the bulging fat in under-eye bags is carefully removed or repositioned to create a smooth under-eye area. In most cases, Dr. Teitelbaum will perform a transconjunctival lower eyelift, which uses an incision hidden inside the eyelid to access the under-eye fat. When mild skin laxity is present, he may include a very conservative skin pinch to maintain fullness and support in the lower lid.

Completing Your Transformation

Many of Dr. Teitelbaum’s patients in Los Angeles and Santa Monica include blepharoplasty as part of a more comprehensive facial rejuvenation program. Complementary procedures include the following:

Eyelift FAQs

Will an eyelift change the shape of my eyes?

No. Dr. Teitelbaum works carefully to improve the appearance of the eyelids without altering the internal structures that give your eyes their beautiful shape. After your procedure, the eyes may look more open and refreshed, but their natural structure will remain the same.

How long will my results last?

The results of your eyelift are designed to be permanent, as the removed skin and fat will not return. Aging and gravity will continue to naturally affect the eyes, but most patients do not require further eyelid surgery.

Can an eyelift remove dark circles under my eyes?

If your dark circles are caused by shadowing from bulging fat, a lower eyelift can improve their appearance. However, pigmentation-related dark circles cannot be corrected with eyelid surgery.

Will I still need BOTOX after an eyelift?

Some patients receive BOTOX after an eyelift to soften forehead lines and crow’s feet, but this is completely your decision.

When can I wear makeup or contact lenses after my surgery?

You’ll need to wait until your incisions have fully healed and the initial swelling has resolved before beginning to wear makeup and contacts again. This may take up to two weeks. Dr. Teitelbaum will approve you for both activities when appropriate during your follow-up visits.

References

Steven Teitelbaum, Enthusiasm Versus Data: How Does an Aesthetic Procedure Become “Hot”?, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, Volume 26, Issue 1, January 2006, Pages 51–53.
Steven Teitelbaum, John Diaz, Robert Singer, Can Outpatient Plastic Surgery Be Done Safely During a COVID-19 Surge? Results of a July 2020 Los Angeles Survey and Literature Review, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, Volume 41, Issue 1, January 2021, Pages 98–108.