Health: The No-Knife-Eyelift

By Stephanie Stahl

CHERRY HILL, N.J., (CBS) -- Non-surgical alternatives to plastic surgery around the eyes are more popular than ever and sometimes the therapy can be used to improve eyesight.

For a Philadelphia sports legend he received a bonus after he had the procedure to improve his vision.

For hockey legend Bernie Parent, life is good.

Parent is a little happier than usual these days after finding a quick and easy fix for his sagging eyelids.

"It's this skin that's really causing problems," said Parent, pointing out his saggy eyelids before his cosmetic procedure.

The Hall Of Fame goalie is seeing a plastic surgeon not for cosmetic reasons but to improve his vision.

Bernie, who is 70-years-old, says his upper eyelids drooped so much they interfered with his vision.

"Amazing, if I'm driving, if I bring the eyelid up a little bit everything's nice and clear", he said.

Typically, that extra skin is removed surgically, but Bernie wanted a less invasive alternative.

"Botox has allowed us to do sort of a chemical brow lift or a chemcial eyelid lift," said Cherry Hill plastic surgeon Dr. Steven Davis.

Dr. Davis says Botox eases wrinkle lines by paralyzing muscles and it can also help lift the forhead and the eyelids.

"What we're trying to do is get the excess skin that's resting on his eyelids to be lifted away so that in a normal every day situation he's not trying to constantly to keep his brows up," said Dr. Davis.

Before and after comparisons from other patients show less creping or wrinkling in the upper eyelid with the Botox injections.

After seeing his photo before the treatment and one after the treatment Bernie says it's already working.

"It's already been a week and what a difference it has made," he said as he looked in the mirror. "I feel awesome."

Last year Bernie had his breasts reduced with Dr. Davis using a fat-melting technology.

Bernie said he was embarassed about the condition called gynecomastia, a condition of enlarged male breasts.

For Bernie's eyelids, Dr. Davis uses a series of Botox injections just above the eyebrow.

And while the Flyer favorite might not have been looking for a cosmetic improvment, he received one anyway.

"I looked at myself this morning and I went, ' wow, who's this guy I'm looking at,' so it's working both ways," Bernie said who now sees things much better.

Bernie received two rounds of Botox injections, each one a week apart.

They cost between three to six hundred dollars.

Botox results will be more subtle with eyelids and only last for about 6 months.