About the procedure
Blepharoplasty is eyelid surgery. The surgeon removes the excess skin of the upper eyelid that hangs over the lashes and makes the eyes look tired, or the fat pads under the eyes that look like permanent bags. It is one of the shortest plastic procedures: upper eyelids are usually operated under local anaesthesia and you go home the same day. The result shows once the swelling settles and lasts for years, because the extra skin is removed, not tightened.
There are three variants, and the partner clinic in Uzhhorod lists them as separate items: upper blepharoplasty, lower blepharoplasty (with a skin lift or transconjunctival, through an incision on the inside of the eyelid with no stitch on the skin) and circular blepharoplasty, when both eyelids are done in one session. Each variant has three complexity types. The surgeon assigns the type at the in-person consultation: how much skin has to go, whether there are fat pads, whether the muscle needs work. So the 'from' price in the heading is upper eyelids of the first complexity type, not the sum for any eyelid operation.
Anaesthesia, the anaesthetist's attendance and a stay in the ward are also separate items in the clinic's price list. For upper eyelids under local anaesthesia a ward stay is usually not needed; for circular blepharoplasty the surgeon may prescribe sedation and a few hours of observation. We do not guess which of these you will need: in the estimate you receive before you travel these items stand separately, and the doctor confirms them after the examination. If the plan changes after the consultation, we agree the change with you in writing before the operation.
Now the reason people travel. In Germany blepharoplasty of both eyelids costs €2,500 to €5,100, upper eyelids alone about €3,300. In the UK a private clinic charges €4,500 to €6,000. In Poland it is €1,100 for one pair of eyelids and about €2,200 for both, in Hungary €900 to €1,800. In Ukraine the same operation costs €600 to €1,500 depending on the scope. For someone from Germany or the UK the difference is measured in thousands of euros, and that difference pays for the trip, the accommodation and a week in Ukraine. From Hungary or Poland the saving is much smaller: there the trip makes sense if you are going home anyway or combine the operation with other treatment, for example dental work or a check-up.
The trip starts with photos, not with a ticket. You send photos of your eyelids and describe what bothers you; we pass them to the surgeon of the partner clinic and return his preliminary calculation in euros together with travel and accommodation. A direct standard-gauge train runs to Uzhhorod from Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava and Košice without a change. We meet you at the station or in Košice and take you to the clinic; accommodation is close to the clinic so you do not cross the city between appointments. Your coordinator stays in touch before, during and after the trip, and once you are back home you write to them, not to the clinic's switchboard.
How many days to spend in Uzhhorod is for the surgeon to say after the consultation. As a guide: the consultation and the operation can take place in the first days of your stay, the eyelid stitches are usually removed after five to seven days, and you have to attend that check-up in person. So we plan the trip so that the stitch removal falls within your stay, not the day after you leave. The first days bring swelling and bruising, which fade within one to two weeks; contact lenses, make-up and sport follow the schedule your doctor gives you. Working at a computer is usually possible after a few days.
What to tell the doctor before the operation: chronic eye conditions, dry eye, blood clotting problems and any medication you take regularly. And your expectations. Blepharoplasty does not remove crow's feet and does not lift the brows; if the heavy look comes from a drooping brow, the surgeon will say so at the consultation and suggest another solution. We do not assess what you need: the doctor defines the scope, our part is the clinic, the estimate, the travel and the schedule.
The surgeon assigns the complexity type at the in-person consultation
