Eyebrow lift
Natural skin ageing causes our skin to lose elasticity. Collagen and elastin gradually decrease, which is also noticeable in the eyes, especially the upper eyelids. The eyelids can increasingly droop and form drooping eyelids, which are disturbing for cosmetic reasons as they make the facial expression look tired and the eyes appear smaller or restrict the field of vision.
As part of a surgical upper eyelid lift in Frankfurt, we can remove the sagging and drooping skin, gently refresh your eye area and help you regain a more alert and younger facial expression and an expanded field of vision.
In order to achieve a completely satisfactory result, Dr. Nichlos can also combine surgery on your upper eyelids with correction of the lower eyelids or other procedures. Make an appointment now for a no-obligation consultation by telephone or using our form!
An upper eyelid lift (blepharoplasty) is a surgical procedure to remove excess skin and fatty tissue from the upper eyelid. The procedure is usually performed on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia and is one of the most common treatments in plastic and aesthetic surgery.

Dr. Emmanouil Nichlos has specialized in upper eyelid lifts for over 17 years and has extensive experience in aesthetic eyelid surgery.
He places particular emphasis on natural results, honest consultation, and personalized care. During the healing phase, patients who have recently undergone surgery receive close monitoring and can contact Dr. Nichlos personally at any time, even around the clock, if necessary.
Upper eyelid surgery is suitable for patients who wish to have excess skin removed from their upper eyelids for aesthetic or medical reasons. Dr. Nichlos will be happy to discuss with you during a personal consultation whether this procedure is right for you. In Frankfurt, we perform upper eyelid surgery in the following cases, among others:
When the upper eyelids droop, the eyes often appear small and tired. This is not uncommon even among young patients. Women, for example, often face the problem that their eyeshadow barely shows up. The reason is the excess skin that completely covers the movable eyelid. During an upper eyelid lift, Dr. Nichlos removes the excess skin. This makes your eyes appear more open and alert again, and your makeup becomes visible once more.
If the upper eyelids droop significantly, this is often not just a cosmetic issue but also a medical one. This is the case, for example, when the eyelid skin hangs so far over the eyelid margin that it restricts your upper field of vision. Many people affected don’t even notice this, as they raise their eyebrows and thereby unconsciously compensate for the problem. An upper eyelid lift can remove the sagging skin, restoring your full field of vision.
Sometimes the skin of the upper eyelid sags more on one eye than the other. This can create an uneven appearance, which many patients wish to have corrected. During an upper eyelid lift, Dr. Nichlos can specifically address and correct this asymmetry. As a result, your face will look harmonious again, and any discomfort caused by the excess skin will be a thing of the past.
Some patients also come to us with acute symptoms and are interested in an upper eyelid lift. This is often the case when excess skin causes an uncomfortable feeling of heaviness in the eyelids, rubs against the eyelashes, or forms wrinkles that irritate the skin. With an upper eyelid lift, Dr. Nichlos can relieve you of symptoms like these.
The basic principle of an upper eyelid lift is always the same: Dr. Nichlos makes a fine incision along the natural crease of the eyelid and removes the excess skin through this incision. The differences lie in the details, which are what make the procedure so challenging.
For mild to moderate drooping eyelids, it is usually sufficient for Dr. Nichlos to simply remove the excess skin. To do this, he makes the incision so precisely within the natural crease of the eyelid that no scar is visible later when the eye is open.
If not only the skin but also the eyelid muscle has become lax, or if there is additional protruding fatty tissue, simply removing the skin is not sufficient. In this case, the excess fat is removed or redistributed, and the muscle is tightened if necessary. To ensure that your upper eyelid looks defined and natural afterward, the expertise of a surgeon like Dr. Nichlos is essential.
Dr. Nichlos will be happy to discuss with you during a personal consultation whether a simple skin tightening is sufficient for your upper eyelid correction or whether fat and muscle also need to be treated.
In fact, it’s a great idea. Often, combining procedures is the best way to achieve a harmonious overall result. Dr. Nichlos looks at your face as a whole and will be happy to suggest possible complementary procedures. In Frankfurt, we frequently combine upper eyelid lifts with the following procedures:
The counterpart to an upper eyelid lift. In this procedure, Dr. Nichlos addresses under-eye bags and other issues that make your eyes look tired and heavy. By combining the two procedures, only one anesthesia is required, and both eyelids can be harmoniously balanced.
Would you like to learn more about lower eyelid lifts?
What looks like drooping eyelids at first glance may not actually be the case. This is often the result of sagging eyebrows that weigh down on your upper eyelid or pull it downward. In such cases, a simple eyelid lift alone is unlikely to achieve the results you desire. This can only be corrected by specifically adjusting the position of your eyebrows. Dr. Nichlos lifts the eyebrows, thereby relieving the pressure on your upper eyelid and opening up your gaze.
Dr. Nichlos will be happy to explain to you in person whether this procedure is right for you and which combination of treatments might be suitable.
Learn more about the eyebrow lift
If you would like an upper eyelid lift, we will first invite you to a non-binding consultation at our practice in Frankfurt. Here, Dr. Nichlos will thoroughly examine your upper eyelids and ask you about your wishes and expectations regarding eyelid correction. If nothing speaks against an operation, the specialist will then introduce you to the various methods of drooping eyelid treatment, explain the procedure, the risks associated with eyelid lifting surgery and the expected costs.
If you have any questions of your own, you can of course ask them at any time. If you decide to have the procedure, Dr. Nichlos will arrange a binding date for the operation with you and inform you about the necessary preparation measures. This includes, among other things, refraining from taking blood-thinning medication for a few days before the operation and, if possible, avoiding alcohol and cigarettes, as these stimulants can impair wound healing.
On the day of the operation, you will come to the Berger Clinic. Here, Dr. Nichlos performs minimally invasive eye surgery in modern operating theatres with the support of an experienced team. An inpatient stay is not necessary. The upper eyelid lift is performed on an outpatient basis and usually only requires a local anesthetic, so that you can leave the clinic immediately afterwards. The procedure takes around 45 to 60 minutes.
As soon as you are prepared for the operation and lying comfortably, Dr. Nichlos draws the exact incision and the excess skin to be removed. In doing so, he follows the natural crease of the eyelid so that hardly any scarring is visible later. As soon as the anaesthetic takes effect, he uses a scalpel to make a fine incision along the marked line and carefully removes the excess skin. If necessary, fatty tissue is also removed or redistributed (e.g. in the case of drooping eyelids) and, if necessary, some muscle (if the eyelid muscle has slackened).
The wound edges are then carefully closed with very fine sutures and you can leave the clinic. Please note our information on aftercare, which you can use to actively support the healing process and thus the subsequent appearance of the result.
Swelling and redness are normal immediately after the operation and can be soothed with a cooling pad. However, please wrap it in a cloth to prevent skin damage from the cold. If you are in pain, you can use over-the-counter painkillers from the pharmacy. If the pain is severe and persistent, please contact us.
After the outpatient procedure, you should give your body sufficient time and rest so that it can recover from the eyelid lift. Avoid stress and physical exertion and stop working on the computer for about a week. You should also refrain from driving and reading for the first few days after the procedure.
To avoid inflammation, it is important that you do not apply make-up to your face and especially your eyes for the first few days. The small particles can get into the wound and cause discomfort. Once the stitches have been removed about a week after the operation, you can apply make-up to your eyes again. Please ensure that you are well protected from UV radiation in the first few months after the operation. It is best to wear sunglasses and use creams with a high sun protection factor around the eye area.
Drooping eyelid surgery is generally considered to be a very low-risk procedure, especially when performed by an experienced plastic and aesthetic surgeon such as Dr. Nichlos. Despite expertise, gentle techniques and high hygiene and safety standards, risks and complications can never be 100% ruled out.
As a rule, however, there is very little discomfort after drooping eyelid surgery. In most cases, patients experience slight redness, swelling or hematomas around the treated eye area, but these quickly subside on their own. In some cases, the skin around the eye area may also be temporarily more sensitive or feel numb. However, both are usually only temporary and quickly subside.
Wound healing disorders, inflammation, secondary bleeding or infections rarely occur after correction of the upper eyelids. In individual cases, surgery on the eyes can lead to asymmetry of the eyelids. However, this can also be avoided by choosing an experienced surgeon such as Dr. Nichlos.
Many patients want to know the costs associated with an upper eyelid lift before undergoing treatment. Since every eye area is unique, the exact price may vary depending on the findings and the extent of the procedure.
At our practice in Frankfurt, the cost of an upper eyelid lift typically starts at:
The exact costs depend, among other things, on the severity of the sagging skin on the upper eyelid and whether additional fat tissue needs to be removed or redistributed. Following a personal examination, Dr. Nichlos will create a customized treatment and cost plan that transparently lists all services.
The total cost of an upper eyelid lift consists of several components. These typically include:
In addition, there are clinic costs since the procedure is performed in a specialized clinic.
To help you plan your treatment flexibly, you also have the option of financing the costs of an upper eyelid lift in convenient monthly installments.
Financing is provided by an experienced financing partner and can be tailored to your individual financial situation. This means you don’t have to pay the full cost upfront but can settle the treatment through monthly installments.
We would be happy to inform you about the requirements and the financing process during a personal consultation.
In principle, an upper eyelid lift makes sense if the excess eyelid skin is disturbing for functional or aesthetic reasons, regardless of the person’s age.
Most requests for an upper eyelid lift come from people between the ages of 35-60, with 35-40-year-olds usually wanting to counteract the onset of drooping eyelids, while drooping eyelids are often more pronounced in 45-60-year-olds, the most common patient group. However, if the eyelid skin is severely sagging for genetic reasons, an upper eyelid lift can also be performed from the mid-20s.
As a rule, local anesthesia is sufficient. However, the treatment can also be carried out under twilight sleep or general anesthesia on request.
Swelling or bruising may occur in the first few days. The stitches are usually removed after about a week. Most patients heal completely within a few weeks.
Many are socially acceptable again after around 7 to 10 days. Slight swelling or discoloration may still be visible during this time, but can usually be easily concealed.
Despite modern surgical procedures, it is not possible to prevent scars from remaining after an upper eyelid lift. However, these are located in the natural crease of the eyelid due to the incision and are practically invisible when the eyes are open. Careful scar care following your eyelid lift can further reduce the visibility of the traces of surgery.
Normally, the results of an upper eyelid lift last for 8 to 10 years. However, depending on skin ageing and other factors such as diet, stress and UV exposure as well as the consumption of alcohol and nicotine, the skin in the eye area may start to sag again earlier, making it necessary to tighten the eyelids again.
As with any procedure, there may be temporary swelling, bruising or wound healing problems. Detailed medical information will be provided during your personal consultation.
Yes, this is very possible and in many cases even useful to achieve the desired result. A particularly beautiful effect (open look, improved eyelid contour) can be achieved, for example, with an upper eyelid lift in combination with a moderate eyebrow lift. The procedure can be performed through the same incision so that no additional scar is created.
In addition, the upper eyelid lift can also be combined with other cosmetic surgery or treatments in the eye area or other regions of the face, such as a lower eyelid lift to remove bags under the eyes, a forehead lift or a (mini) facelift, depending on requirements. Supplementary injections with Botox or hyaluronic acid can also be useful to underline the effect of the operation and increase the elasticity and freshness of the skin.
The costs start from 2,900 euros plus a stay in the clinic. You will receive an individual offer after a personal consultation.
You should not drive immediately after the procedure. As soon as your field of vision is unrestricted again and you are no longer taking any medication that affects your ability to react, you will usually be able to drive again after a few days. Dr. Emmanouil Nichlos will advise you individually.
Dr. Emmanouil Nichlos, MD, is a board-certified plastic and aesthetic surgeon in Frankfurt who has specialized in upper eyelid lifts for over 17 years.
All content on this page has been personally reviewed by him and reflects the current state of medical knowledge in plastic and aesthetic surgery.
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Do you suffer from drooping eyelids and want a fresh and open look again? As an expert in eyelid surgery, Dr. Nichlos is the right person to talk to. Make an appointment now for a no-obligation consultation at our practice in Frankfurt!
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