The short version
The most common facial cosmetic surgery, with a shorter recovery than a facelift and a low but serious risk profile around the eye. Surgeon selection and a proper eye assessment matter.
What the cost figure means
$3,359 upper / $3,876 lower average surgeon fee. ASPS average surgeon fees per procedure; anesthesia, facility, and follow-up are extra, and combining upper and lower lids roughly doubles the fee. Functional upper-lid surgery may be covered by insurance after a visual-field test. ASPS publishes this national average physician fee on its cost page as its latest statistic without stating the survey year, and its 2025 report no longer includes minimally invasive fees.
Advertised prices on file
$4,250 upper blepharoplasty (one menu)
One plastic surgery practice's listed upper-lid price including its state sales tax; ASPS's average surgeon fee excludes anesthesia and facility.
Read from 1 published U.S. clinic menu on September 1, 2026. A convenience sample, not a national survey: prices vary by city and provider, packages are usually cheaper per session, and menus change without notice.
Total course = per-session fee × planned sessions + consultation + product, cartridge, or serum + anesthesia or facility + prescriptions and aftercare + expected maintenance. Ask for the plan price in writing.
Healing and results timeline
- Appointment
- About 1–2 hours under local anesthesia with sedation or general anesthesia
- Downtime
- About 7–14 days of bruising and swelling
- Healing
- Swelling and bruising peak over 2–3 days, sutures come out around a week, most bruising resolves by 2 weeks, and subtle swelling and scar pinkness fade over 2–3 months.
- Results appear
- Visible at 2–4 weeks; final at 3–6 months
- Duration and maintenance
- Upper-lid results often last a decade or more; lower-lid fat removal is generally long-lasting
Benefits, limitations, and risks
Realistic benefits
- Shorter recovery than most facial surgery
- Can improve vision when lid skin obstructs it
- Well-hidden scars in the lid crease
Limitations
- Cannot fix dark circles, crow's feet, or skin texture
- Lower-lid surgery is more technically demanding
- Over-removal creates a hollow or startled look
Common effects
- Bruising and swelling
- Dry or watery eyes for weeks
- Temporary blurred vision from ointment
Serious risks
- Lid malposition (ectropion) or inability to close the eye
- Persistent dry eye
- Retrobulbar hematoma with vision loss, rare
Candidacy and pause signs
Usually considered for: Adults with excess lid skin or fat, no untreated dry eye or thyroid eye disease, and realistic expectations.
You have dry eye disease, thyroid eye disease, glaucoma, or a bleeding risk not yet evaluated, or the surgeon has not examined your eyes and tear function.
Operator, setting, and regulation
Who performs it in the U.S.: Board-certified plastic surgeons, oculoplastic surgeons, or facial plastic surgeons in an accredited facility.
Regulatory status: Surgery governed by medical licensing and facility accreditation. Insurance coverage for functional upper-lid surgery depends on documented visual-field loss.
Rules differ by state and by country. A product approved in one market may be unapproved in another, and the same device can be used within or outside its cleared indication.
Questions to ask before you pay a deposit
- Do I need upper, lower, or both, and are you removing or repositioning fat?
- Have you checked my tear function and lid laxity?
- What is your rate of lid malposition, and how do you correct it?
Use and market context
Popularity measures use, not effectiveness or safety. Each figure carries its source and its main methodological limit.
Sources on file
These links support the claims above. Reviewed September 1, 2026. Where a figure comes from a survey, the caveat is in the file, not in a footnote.
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons — eyelid surgery cost (opens in a new tab)
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons — 2025 procedural statistics report (PDF) (opens in a new tab)2025 statistics
- Aesthetic Plast Surg 2023 — upper eyelid blepharoplasty techniques and results: meta-analysis (PubMed) (opens in a new tab)
- Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open 2025 — safety and complications in lower eyelid blepharoplasty: systematic review (PubMed) (opens in a new tab)
- American Society for Dermatologic Surgery — blepharoplasty (opens in a new tab)