By Fiorella Valdesolo

When he first started his Manhattan oculofacial plastic surgery practice in 2007, Dr. Robert Schwarcz found that patients seeking a blepharoplasty tended to be in their 50s or older. Now, they're often decades younger.

Dr. Melissa Doft, a plastic surgeon on Manhattan's Upper East Side, reports the same shift: "There's been an increase in patients and a decrease in age." In 2025, Doft says, she's even had blepharoplasty consultations with 20-somethings. Dr. Abigail Waldman, a dermatologist at Mass General Brigham in Boston also confirmed the trend: "The number of young people I've seen on social media getting these procedures is remarkable."

A blepharoplasty, or bleph -- a shorthand once reserved for plastic surgeons and now ubiquitous far outside medical circles thanks to social media -- targets excess skin, muscle and fat on the eyelid (an upper bleph) and undereye (a lower bleph). The upper tends to address hooding and volume loss of the eyelid, while the lower focuses on puffiness and dark circles or hollowing under the eye, says Dr. Flora Levin, a Connecticut-based oculoplastic surgeon.

Once mainly performed to aid with obscured vision due to excessive eyelid droopiness, the bleph has turned increasingly cosmetic. The price? An upper or lower bleph can run from $3,000 to $15,000 depending on the doctor. Patients can get just one; some opt for both.

According to RealSelf, an online marketplace for cosmetic treatment providers, blephs were the most searched-for procedure in 2025, and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons $(ASPS)$ reports that they have ranked in the top five for the past three years.

What's driving the bleph boom? Transparency online about the surgery has helped demystify the process, say experts. (Even high-profile people like gymnast Simone Biles have been open about the experience.) Social media has also pushed increasingly younger patients toward the "tweakment" culture of surgical intervention. "People see before-and-afters and that drives both education and potential insecurity too," says Dr. Jennifer Tsai, a Manhattan optometrist.

ASPS president Dr. Bob Basu credits the rise of blephs to the unprecedented amount of time people spend seeing themselves on video. "Constant self-viewing makes eyelid heaviness and a chronically tired appearance far more noticeable," he said.

Watching herself on endless Zoom meetings is what drove Jodee Caruso, 40, the head of production at a video production studio in Connecticut, to get an upper bleph at 37 with Levin.

"I never thought I would get plastic surgery," said Caruso, who opted in after noticing that her eyeliner no longer showed up on her eyes due to hooding. "It was an investment, but it was the best decision I ever made."

Excessive screen time can also physically affect our eye area, says Tsai. "Constant squinting, reduced blinking and rubbing the eyes due to eyestrain can accelerate laxity and puffiness."

So can rapid weight loss. "A lot of patients are on GLP-1s nowadays and when the midface drops there's less support for the lower eyelid too and bags become more obvious," Schwarcz explained.

Schwarcz and L.A.-based oculoplastic surgeon Dr. Kami Parsa say they're also operating on more men than ever. "Twenty years ago when I started practicing the ratio of male to female was 10/90, now it's 40/60," said Parsa. Surgeons shouldn't, however, treat male and female eyelids the same, cautions Levin. Typically, "men have a straight brow, thicker skin, a fuller upper lid, more prominent fat pads and less space above the lashes, so when you take out too much skin, you're giving them more lid, which is feminizing," said Levin. A more-hooded male lid is often considered masculine. "Online the term used for it is 'hunter eyes,' " said Doft.

A bleph can feel more approachable than other surgical procedures. It can be performed under local anesthesia, scars and bruising are discreet and easier to conceal, the time commitment is minimal (the surgery can be done in an hour) and recovery usually takes two weeks or less.

But it's not without risk. Infection, severe bruising, asymmetry, dryness, prolonged swelling or difficulty closing eyes completely are all possible, says Tsai -- and not everyone is a good candidate, despite what your feed might suggest.

Melinda Farina, a plastic surgery consultant and patient advocate known as the Beauty Broker, worries that social media is persuading a lot of younger women they need a bleph. The decision should be carefully considered, she added: "This is a procedure where a millimeter makes a tremendous difference -- it could really change how you look."

Noelle Brewer, 33, says she opted for surgery only after weighing other options. To address the hollowing under her eyes that she felt made her look perpetually exhausted, the Dallas pharmaceutical sales rep tried countless creams, as well as noninvasive treatments like Ultherapy, Thermage and PRP injections. She was also exploring filler. Last year she decided to fly to Connecticut for a lower bleph with Levin. Said Brewer: "I was just tired of looking tired."

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 01, 2026 10:00 ET (15:00 GMT)

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