How your eyelid lift works, step by step
From the first click on the appointment calendar to the last check-up: this page describes every step of eyelid surgery at the Kuzbari Centre — what happens, how long it takes, what you should bring and how you can tell that it is going well.
- First consultation about an hour
- Kuzbari Safety Check
- Our own theatres
- Check-ups included
Everything under one roof
Every eyelid correction at the Kuzbari Centre begins with a thorough first consultation with one of the three specialists in lid surgery: Dr Christoph Grill, DDr Jessica Wittmann and Dr Shawqi Arafat. Consultation, diagnostics, surgery and aftercare all happen in the same building — from the first question to the last check-up you stay with the same people.
The route there runs in five steps.
- Booking a consultation
Round the clock through the online booking, through the contact form or by telephone on 01 358 28 01. You book directly in the diary of the specialist of your choice.
- The first consultation
To begin with, professional photographs of your face are taken and we look at them together on a large screen. Features often emerge that are invisible in a mirror. We examine the eye region and compare it with photographs of you as a young adult.
We then discuss the treatment options, the course of the procedure, the risks and the downtime, look at before-and-after cases with a similar starting point and settle the cost including instalments. You get all the time you need. Nobody is pushed towards an operation.
- The Kuzbari Safety Check
We make sure you are prepared for the procedure and draw up your surgical plan, so that nothing is left to chance. You also receive the notes that let you organise the first days at home well.
- Marking up while seated
The procedure begins before the operation: with the marking up. It is done seated, because gravity then acts as it does in everyday life — which makes the result better. We use those ten to fifteen minutes to explain the sequence precisely once more, so that you know what happens when.
- The operation
The operation is a day case in our own theatres, under local anaesthesia and, if you wish, with twilight sedation. Because the theatres are ours, the work is done without time pressure. Afterwards you recover in peace; most people go home two to three hours later.
- Swelling, cooling, suture removal
After the lift the eyes are swollen and discoloured. From the third day the swelling starts to go down; cool packs help. We remove the sutures after about a week. Feeling low in the first days after surgery on the face is normal — we are reachable during that time.
- Back to normal life
Medically most people are fit for desk work again after three days. You are ready to be seen after one to three weeks, and sport is possible after two to three weeks.
- The final result
The result is a fresher, younger appearance and it appears after two to three months. With the right technique the natural shape of the eye is preserved — people notice the brighter gaze but no change of type. Every follow-up appointment until then is included.
1. Booking a consultation
Round the clock through the online booking, through the contact form or by telephone on 01 358 28 01. You book directly in the diary of the specialist of your choice; appointments with Univ. Doz. Dr. Rafic Kuzbari are booked through a separate page.
2. The first consultation — about an hour
A great deal happens at the first consultation, which is without obligation. Please bring photographs of yourself from about the age of 18, and an hour of time.
- To begin with we take professional photographs of your face and look at them together on a large screen. Features often emerge that you had not seen before.
- We get to know each other calmly and discuss the essentials: your wishes and what actually bothers you day to day.
- We examine the eye region — lid height, excess skin, lid tension, brow position, volume in the socket — and compare it with photographs of you as a young adult. That analysis contributes decisively to the result.
- We look together at before-and-after pictures of patients whose starting point resembles yours.
- We discuss which treatment options are worth considering — and which are not.
- We explain openly how the treatment works and which risks and recovery times go with it.
- We discuss the cost and the options for paying in instalments through Kuzbari Finance. You get all the time you need to think. Nobody is pushed towards an operation.
Step 1The examination of the lid region comes first. 
Step 2On screen, what is hard to see in the mirror becomes visible. 
Step 3At the end there is a plan — and a written quotation.
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3. The Kuzbari Safety Check
We make sure you are optimally prepared for your procedure and draw up your precise surgical plan, so that nothing is left to chance. We clarify previous illnesses, medication — including blood-thinning drugs — and everything that has to be stopped beforehand.
You also receive the notes that let you organise the first days at home well: what to get in, how to cool, what to watch for and when to call us.
4. The operation
The procedure begins before the operation: with the marking up. It is done seated — yes, seated, because gravity then acts as it does in everyday life, and the result is better. That takes about ten to fifteen minutes. We use the time to explain once more precisely what happens when and where.
Your eyelid operation is then carried out in the centre’s own theatres, under local anaesthesia and, if you wish, with twilight sedation. Because the theatres are ours, the operation runs without time pressure — between one and four and a half hours, depending on what the findings call for. Shortly after the day-case procedure you return to your room and recover in peace. Most patients go home two to three hours later.
Local anaesthesia or twilight sedation?
Eyelid surgery works well under local anaesthesia; for the correction of a drooping lid it is even an advantage, because the lid height can be fine-tuned with the eye open. Twilight sedation is available on request and is an additional module: an experienced anaesthetist is with you from the start.
Local anaesthesia or better twilight sedation?
DDr. Jessica Wittmann explains what argues for each option.
5. Healing, check-ups and the result
After the lift the eyes are swollen and discoloured — as after an operation. From the third day the swelling starts to recede. Cool packs or frozen peas help; peas mould better and cool pleasantly. We remove the sutures after about a week.
Medically most people are fit for desk work again after three days. You are ready to be seen after one to three weeks, and sport is possible after two to three weeks. Feeling low in the first days after surgery on the face is normal — we are reachable for you during this short phase.
The result of the eyelid lift is a fresh and younger appearance; it appears after about two to three months. With the right surgical technique the natural shape of the eye is preserved: if the operation was well done, all you notice afterwards is the fresher, brighter gaze, because there is no change of type. Every follow-up appointment until then is included.
The experience of the surgeon is decisive for that quality: correct too much and the eyes look hollow and tired; correct too little and you do not reach the best possible result. Aesthetics and function have to be brought together in a single operation.
At a glance
- First consultationAbout an hour
- ProcedureDay case, no overnight stay
- AnaesthesiaLocal or twilight sedation
- Length of the operation1 to 4.5 hours
- Suture removalAfter about a week
- Back at workFrom 3 days (desk work)
- Back among peopleAfter 1 to 3 weeks
- SportAfter 2 to 3 weeks
- Final resultAfter 2 to 3 months
- CostFrom €2,600
Guide figures for eyelid surgery at the Kuzbari Centre. What applies to you depends on the extent of your procedure and is settled after the examination.
How you prepare
- Bring photographs of yourself from about the age of 18 — they show how your lid region once looked.
- Allow about an hour for the first consultation.
- Which medicines you stop beforehand is settled at the consent consultation; blood-thinning drugs are among them.
- Come on the day of surgery without make-up, without contact lenses and without jewellery.
- Arrange someone to accompany you home, particularly if you choose twilight sedation.
- Have cool packs ready and set aside one to three weeks in which you can take things easy.
The first two weeks, day by day
The most common question after the operation is not whether it hurts but when you will look like yourself again. So here is the course it takes for most patients — as a guide, not a promise.
| When | What you notice | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1 to 3 | The swelling increases and the lids are discoloured. A feeling of tightness is normal; severe pain is not. | Cool consistently, keep the head raised, avoid physical exertion. Painkillers as needed — most people need them only on the first day. |
| Days 4 to 7 | The swelling recedes, the discolouration moves downwards and turns yellowish. The eyes may be dry or watery. | Keep cooling if it feels good. Lubricating eye drops if we have recommended them. Medically, desk work is possible from day three. |
| About a week | At the appointment for suture removal we look at the wound and discuss what comes next. | Suture removal and advice on scar care. The appointment is included. |
| Week 2 | The discolouration can usually be covered up and the swelling has clearly receded. | Make-up only once the wound is closed — we say exactly when at suture removal. Avoid the sun or cover up. |
| Weeks 2 to 3 | Most people are ready to be seen again; slight residual swelling may remain. | Sport is possible after two to three weeks — which sport you start with we discuss at the check-up. |
| Months 2 to 3 | The fine shape has settled and the scar goes on fading. | The final result is there. Until then every follow-up appointment is included. |
When we advise against it
Honest advice also says when a procedure does not make sense. We raise these points explicitly at the first consultation — and if one of them applies, you hear it from us before any dates are discussed.
- If the eyes already tend strongly to dryness. A lift can worsen that in the first weeks; then the dryness is treated first.
- If there is an acute disease of the eye or lids. Clarify first, operate later.
- If the expectation does not match the findings — that is, if a result is expected that the anatomy cannot deliver.
- If an event is coming up a few days later. The downtime of one to three weeks cannot be shortened, and time pressure is a poor adviser.
- If the cause of your complaint is not at the lid at all but at the brow, in the pigmentation of the skin or in a muscle weakness. Then a different route is the right one.
We build on safety
Consultation, diagnostics, surgery and aftercare are all under one roof. As a hospital we are inspected several times a year, we have our own hygiene team and a quality management team working on our processes.
Results from the Kuzbari Centre
Before-and-after photographs show what was possible from a particular starting point — not what is possible for you. That is exactly why at the first consultation we look at cases whose starting point resembles yours.
Drag the slider to compare before and after.
- Case
- 20330
- Age
- 38 years
- View
- Looking straight ahead
- Anaesthesia
- Local or twilight sedation
Photographs of patients who have consented to publication. Every lid heals differently; a result shown here cannot be transferred to anyone else.
More cases from the Kuzbari Centre
Every case comes from a patient of this centre. The findings and the procedure are given below each pair, so you can judge what was done and what was not.
- Case 19717
before 
after 
Findings: Pressure on the upper lids and a permanently raised forehead; when relaxed, people told her she looked stern. Procedure: Upper eyelid blepharoplasty.
- Case 19502
before 
after 
Findings: Increasing excess skin on both upper lids, more pronounced in the evening and when tired. Procedure: Upper eyelid blepharoplasty and internal brow pexy.
- Case 17658
before 
after 
Findings: Eye bags for five to six years, swelling each morning and worsening again in the afternoon. Procedure: Transconjunctival lower eyelid blepharoplasty without visible scars, plus fat grafting.
- Case 19445
before 
after 
Findings: Age-related changes to the lower lids increasing over several years. Procedure: Transcutaneous lower eyelid blepharoplasty and fat grafting.
Photographs of patients who have consented to publication. Every lid heals differently; a result shown here cannot be transferred to anyone else.
Who operates on eyelids at the Kuzbari Centre
Three specialists at the centre operate on eyelids. Whoever advises you also operates on you — and sees you again at every check-up. You choose who you feel most comfortable with.
Focus on facial surgery, several times an award winner of the Austrian Society for Aesthetic Surgery. He operates on both upper and lower lids and measures his work by a result nobody recognises as surgery.
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She works on the face only, combining surgical precision with a fine sense of what a single millimetre at the lid changes.
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He combines international training with a treatment plan drawn up for each patient. Alongside eyelid surgery, facelifting and wrinkle treatment are his focus.
View profile- First consultation with photo analysisincluded
- Diagnostics and surgical planningincluded
- Operation in our own theatresincluded
- Local anaesthesiaincluded
- Suture removal and scar adviceincluded
- Every follow-up appointmentincluded
Through Kuzbari Finance over up to five years, 9.99% annual percentage rate. The binding terms are set out in your application.
Frequently asked questions about the procedure
What should I bring to the first consultation?
Photographs of yourself from about the age of 18, and about an hour of time. The photographs matter more than it sounds: they show us which change has actually taken place — which makes it possible to rejuvenate without changing.
How long does the first consultation take?
About an hour. In that time professional photographs are taken, we examine the lid region, look at before-and-after cases and discuss options, risks, downtime and cost. The consultation is without obligation.
Why is the marking up done seated?
Because seated, gravity acts as it does in everyday life. Lying down, the tissue shifts and the marking would not match what you later see in the mirror. Marking up takes ten to fifteen minutes.
Do I have to stay overnight?
In most cases no. Eyelid surgery is a day case; most patients go home two to three hours after the operation. If you would rather stay, or the procedure turns out to be more extensive, a single or twin room is available.
When are the sutures removed?
After about a week. That appointment is included in the price, as is every follow-up appointment up to the final result.
How many check-ups are there?
As many as your recovery needs — up to the final result after two to three months. All of them are included in the price, and you always see the same doctor.
What helps against the swelling?
Cooling. Cool packs or frozen peas do the job well — peas mould better and cool pleasantly. The swelling starts to recede from the third day.
Is it normal to feel low afterwards?
Yes. In the first days after surgery on the face you can feel low — we know this from many patients and it passes. We are reachable for you during this short phase; call if something worries you.
Who will operate on me?
The doctor who advised you — Dr Christoph Grill, DDr Jessica Wittmann or Dr Shawqi Arafat. You choose, and you see the same person again at every check-up.
How soon can I get a date for surgery?
That depends on your diary and on the surgical team’s. We plan our capacity so that an agreed date holds and is not moved.
Read on
Eyelid lift at a glance · Upper eyelid lift · Lower eyelid lift · Correcting hooded lids · Removing eye bags · Eyelid ptosis · Cat eye and fox eye lift · Cost · Private or public · Experiences · Videos
Your eyelid check-up
About an hour of time, professional photographs, an examination of your lid region, a look at photographs of you as a young adult and a written quotation — without obligation and without pressure.
Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00 · Seitzergasse 2-4, 1010 Vienna
01 358 28 01
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