Eyelid Surgery Cost in Philadelphia & the Main Line (2026 Upper, Lower & Asian Blepharoplasty Prices)

Every price below is the total cost when Dr. Lee performs the procedure in the office surgical suite under local anesthesia. Additional fees apply only if a procedure is performed in a hospital setting.

What Does the Price Include — and What Doesn’t It?

The prices above are total costs when the procedure is performed in the practice’s in-office surgical suite, which is how most of Dr. Lee’s patients elect to have it done. Dr. Lee performs most cases in the office under local anesthesia for healthy patients, so there is no additional facility cost and no separate anesthesiologist fee. Performing surgery in the office eliminates thousands of dollars in additional outpatient surgical center and anesthesia fees.

Additional fees apply if the procedure is performed in a hospital setting. Patients with a serious medical history or anxiety issues have their procedure performed in an outpatient hospital setting and incur an additional cost for the facility use. Prescription antibiotic drops picked up at the pharmacy are not included — that cost depends on your insurance plan — and the rest of your post-surgery supplies are given to you by the office.

Upper Eyelid Surgery Cost (Upper Blepharoplasty): $6,500

Upper blepharoplasty with Dr. Lee is $6,500. The price consists of removal of excess (hooded) upper eyelid skin and fat, if needed, and modification or creation of the eyelid crease due to pre-existing asymmetry or low brow anatomy — this is what sets Dr. Lee apart from other providers, the extra level of meticulous detail. Dr. Lee typically performs the crease fixation for patients with noticeable brow asymmetry, multiple creases/folds or lack of a visible crease to provide a cleaner and defined result after removing excess skin and fat.

Upper eyelid surgery takes less than one hour and is typically performed under local anesthetic in the office surgical suite. Read more about upper eyelid surgery with Dr. Lee.

Lower Eyelid Surgery Cost (Lower Blepharoplasty): $6,500

Lower blepharoplasty to resolve “baggy and puffy” lower lids is Dr. Lee’s most popular procedure and costs $6,500 for fat removal only. It is performed from inside the eyelids, so there is no visible scar; the result is permanent, recovery is minimal, and the procedure takes approximately one hour in the office to complete. See the lower eyelid surgery page for how the procedure works.

• Skin tightening add-on: $3,500 additional, if needed. This adds a noticeable incision scar on the outer lower lids that is visible for 3–6 months.
• Skin tightening without fat removal: $6,500. Tightening of loose and stretched lower lid skin with a visible scar on the outer corners of the lower lids that can take up to 6–9 months to be minimally visible. Dr. Lee’s method achieves optimal tightening without the risk of the pull-down or retraction complication associated with aggressive lower lid skin tightening.

Asian Double Eyelid Surgery Cost: $6,500

Both methods of Asian double eyelid surgery are $6,500:

• Suture method — $6,500. No skin or fat is removed. This method is only appropriate for eyelids with minimal fat and good brow and eye-shape symmetry, since no excess skin is removed; recovery is much quicker and there is no visible incision scar, but it has a higher rate of coming undone. Dr. Lee recommends it only to patients who have the optimal anatomy to maintain the crease long-term.
• Full-incision method — $6,500. Every individual’s right and left eye differ in shape, size, skin thickness, brow height and orbit, and all of these differences contribute to the complexity of this surgery. Patients are told explicitly that this procedure does not correct pre-existing eye asymmetry: the crease is placed above the eyelid and must follow its contour, and one’s unique anatomy determines the optimal crease height.

Canthoplasty, Epicanthoplasty & Ptosis Repair Costs

Epicanthoplasty (medial canthoplasty) — $3,500 bilateral. Elongates the eye by incising and reshaping the inner corners of the eye near the nose, allowing the crease to be more visible in the inner corners. There is a visible scar that can be visible for up to one year, and on close inspection the scar may be seen permanently.

Lateral canthoplasty — $4,500. Elongates and opens the eyes with an incision at the outer corners near the temples, releasing the “cinched” outer corners so the upper eyelids open more and create a more alert appearance. Price is based on the desired effect; the scar can be visible if scrutinized closely even after one year.

Ptosis (droopy eyelid) repair is quoted at consultation rather than from a price sheet, because the plan depends on the examination. Learn about ptosis causes and treatments.

Revision Eyelid Surgery Cost

Revision pricing varies depending on difficulty and is usually at least 150–200% of the standard price. Dr. Lee is very selective when performing revision of surgery performed by other doctors, and revision prices cannot be quoted over the phone because these procedures are uniquely different and require a very high level of difficulty. Revision consultations carry a $250 deposit.

Upper vs Lower vs Both: How the Cost Adds Up

Upper and lower blepharoplasty are separate $6,500 line items on Dr. Lee’s price sheet, so the cost of your surgery depends on which eyelids actually need treatment: $6,500 for upper only, $6,500 for lower fat removal only, $10,000 for lower fat removal with the skin-tightening add-on, and, when both upper and lower are recommended, each is priced as its own line item — a combined quote is confirmed at your consultation.

If your concern is under-eye bags, the relevant line is lower eyelid surgery; if it is hooded or heavy upper lids, it is upper eyelid surgery. Not sure whether a brow lift is part of the answer? Read brow lift vs blepharoplasty.

How Dr. Lee’s Prices Compare to the National Average

The figure most cost articles quote is the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) national average of $3,359 for an upper blepharoplasty and $3,876 for a lower blepharoplasty — and ASPS states that this average is only part of the total price, as it does not include anesthesia, operating room facilities or other related expenses (plasticsurgery.org). CareCredit’s cost guide puts the national average total for eyelid surgery at $4,451 and the Pennsylvania average at $4,402, with a typical range of $3,500–$9,250 (carecredit.com).

Dr. Lee’s $6,500 is a total in-office price, not a surgeon fee to which facility and anesthesia charges are added, and it is performed by a board-certified ophthalmologist who completed an ASOPRS fellowship in oculoplastic surgery at Wills Eye Hospital and who has performed over 12,000 eyelid, brow and facial surgeries. When comparing quotes in the Philadelphia area, ask whether the number is the surgeon fee alone or the all-in price, where the procedure is performed, and who is performing it.

Is Eyelid Surgery Covered by Insurance?

Cosmetic eyelid surgery is generally not covered by insurance. Upper eyelid surgery can be covered when it is functional — when the excess skin interferes with vision — and your carrier’s criteria are met. Aetna’s Clinical Policy Bulletin 0084, for example, requires photographs taken within the past 12 months showing the eyelid skin overhanging the lid margin or resting on the lashes, plus visual field testing within the past 12 months, taped and untaped, showing a superior visual field of 30 degrees or less before taping and an improvement of at least 12 degrees or 30% after taping; ptosis repair additionally requires a margin reflex distance of 2 mm or less (Aetna CPB 0084).

Medicare excludes cosmetic surgery by statute, and its contractors’ local coverage determinations treat upper blepharoplasty or ptosis repair as functional only when the lid or overhanging skin is low enough to produce documented visual complaints and visual field testing supports it (see, for example, Medicare LCD L34528).

Aetna’s policy also notes that lower eyelid surgery is rarely considered medically necessary, because excess tissue beneath the eye rarely obstructs vision. Coverage is decided by your carrier’s criteria and documentation, not by the surgeon, so bring your plan details to your consultation. For eyelid conditions such as ectropion and entropion, see reconstructive eyelid surgery.

Consultation Deposit, Financing & Payment

A $100 (non-revision and general) or $250 (revision surgery) non-refundable deposit is collected to schedule your appointment with Dr. Lee; there is no deposit required for the practice’s other providers. This fee assures that everyone Dr. Lee sees is serious about having a procedure and understands that they are paying for Dr. Lee’s time and expertise.

The deposit is non-refundable and can be applied toward any non-surgical treatment with Dr. Lee or the practice’s medical estheticians for up to one year, as long as you do not cancel or reschedule within 48 business hours of your appointment. If you cancel within that window, you forfeit the deposit and pay another deposit to reschedule.

Financing: the practice offers interest-free financing through Cherry and works with CareCredit®. See plastic surgery financing options for plans and how to apply.

Other In-Office Facial Procedures Dr. Lee Prices

• Dr. Lee’s suture brow lift — $9,500. Dr. Lee’s signature surgery, performed with only local anesthesia in the office with minimal recovery; ongoing Botox treatments every 3 months are recommended to complement this procedure. See brow lift surgery.
• “Mini” mid facelift and temple lift — $9,000. A one-hour office procedure Dr. Lee invented, performed under local injections with a small incision hidden in the scalp above the ear; results typically last 2–3 years. See the temple mid facelift.

*Prices noted above are total costs when performed in our office surgical suite- most of our patients elect this; add’l fees will apply if procedure is being performed in a hospital setting. Dr. Lee gives patients the optimal result in Main Line, Philadelphia & Bryn Mawr. Learn more about the financing options available for facial cosmetic surgery. If you have additional questions or would like to schedule your consultation with Dr. Lee, please contact us today or call 610-789-6701.