"My eyelid is drooping" can mean two very different things: ptosis or excess skin (dermatochalasis). The distinction changes everything — surgical technique and insurance cover.
Dermatochalasis: excess skin
The skin of the upper eyelid loosens with age and comes to rest on the lashes, giving a heavy look. The eyelid margin itself stays in place: the eye opens normally. The treatment is upper blepharoplasty.
Ptosis: the eyelid itself drops
In ptosis, it is the eyelid margin that drops and covers part of the pupil — most often through age-related loosening of the levator muscle. Treatment consists of reattaching or shortening this muscle: a different operation from blepharoplasty.
How to tell the difference
Look at a front-facing photo: if the eyelid margin cuts across the pupil, ptosis is likely; if a fold of skin hangs down, more likely dermatochalasis. The two are often combined — the consultation sorts things out, and both can sometimes be treated in the same operation.
What cover applies?
Ptosis surgery is covered by French health insurance, as is functional blepharoplasty when visual field loss is documented. Purely cosmetic blepharoplasty is not. Note: ptosis can also occur in children, where it warrants prompt consultation.
Book an appointment
Consultations in Boulogne-Billancourt (Ophtalife) and Saint-Maur-des-Fossés (Beaurepaire).