It’s easy to see why Evan H. Black, MD, FACS, FAACS, has been voted one of the Best Doctors in America for 14 consecutive years. He’s a professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at Oakland University/William Beaumont Hospital School of Medicine, an associate professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at Wayne State University School of Medicine, and section head of the Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery Division at Beaumont Eye Institute in Royal Oak.
With his colleagues at Consultants in Ophthalmic and Facial Plastic Surgery, PC, Dr. Black offers cosmetic eyelid and brow surgery; treatment of lower eyelid “bags”; Botox treatments around the eyes; surgical management of drooping eyelids, eyelid tumors and reconstruction, and lower eyelid malposition. Dr. Black is also a consummate researcher whose interests include advances in eyelid surgery, tearing eye treatment, and botulinum toxin investigations. He has published numerous articles, and he lectures both in the U.S. and abroad.
One of Dr. Black’s foremost areas of expertise is the brow/forehead lift. As we age, collagen production diminishes and our skin loses some of its elasticity, becoming more flaccid. Fine lines and wrinkles appear and become permanent features on our faces.
In some – largely due to genetics – upper eyelids droop, sometimes so severely that peripheral vision is impaired. This can result in fatigue, and always creates a tired, aged visage.
People with drooping eyelids invariably use their hands to lift their eyebrows. Noticing their temporarily improved vision and considerably more attractive countenance, they consult a plastic surgeon to request a blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) to lift the lids.
What such patients often fail to recognize however, is that the manual lifting of the eyebrows that they performed in front of their bathroom mirror might actually make them ideal candidates for a brow/forehead lift with or instead of blepharoplasty.
Blepharoplasty can correct vision by removing the folds of skin to allow more light to enter the eye, and it creates a more pleasing, less aged look to the face. But Dr. Black says that when he began his practice, he noticed the cosmetic results of eyelifts didn’t always totally meet patients’ expectations – eyelids retained a bit of their sag because the tissues on the forehead drooped below the upper ridge of the orbital bone. He decided to find a way to make his patients completely happy.
Facial tissues – skin, muscle, fascia – form a continuum from the brow to the lids. Excising and tightening brow tissue often lifts the eyelids to create the desired result as effectively as eyelid surgery might. Dr. Black was aware of this, but he also knew that traditional brow lifting leaves a huge scar across the forehead because the primary incision is placed in one of the furrows that have developed across a patient’s brow.
In order to develop a better brow lift, Dr. Black and his associates spent years perfecting endoscopic surgery. This procedure creates an effective means of correcting ptosis of the eyelids while eliminating the scar across the forehead.
With endoscopic surgery, an incision is made just behind the hairline. The endoscope allows the surgeon to probe behind the facial skin and lift and contour in a manner that will be the most effective for the desired outcome. When the incision is closed, scaring is minimal and hidden.
Since 2000, Dr. Black and his associates have performed thousands of successful endoscopic brow lifts to the great satisfaction of their patients. There are times, of course, when blepharoplasty is necessary or when it is recommended in conjunction with a brow/forehead lift. A consultation will determine the best route for patients interested in correcting drooping eyelids.
Consultants in Ophthalmic and Facial Plastic Surgery, PC, has seven locations: Southfield, Troy, Flint, St. Clair Shores, Novi, Southgate, and Livonia. In addition to Dr. Black, five other surgeons, Drs. Gladstone, Nesi-Eloff, Schlachter, Beaulieu, and Mikkilineni compose the practice. All physicians hold affiliations with only the top-accredited hospitals, and all are experts in the field of oculoplastics. Dr. Black is available at the Southfield and Troy offices.
