Avoid activities that raise your blood pressure, including bending, lifting and rigorous sports. Keep activities to a minimum for 3-5 days; avoid strenuous activities for 2-3 weeks. Read or watch television after 2-3 days. Return to work in 10-14 days.
Your eyes will grow tired more easily during the initial recovery period, which can make trying to read or watch TV particularly uncomfortable. You might notice that your vision is a bit blurry or that your eyes tear up easily.
It's important for you to avoid sneezing, coughing, and vomiting (throwing up), as much as you can. These can raise your blood pressure and cause bleeding at your surgical sites. Avoid bending at the waist or lifting items heavier than 5 pounds (2.3 kilograms) for 4 to 6 weeks after your surgery.
Do not bend over or do any strenuous activities, such as biking, jogging, weight lifting, or aerobic exercise, for 2 weeks or until your doctor says it is okay. Avoid swimming, hot tubs, gardening, and dusting for 1 to 2 weeks. Wear sunglasses on bright days for 1 year after surgery.
Although the procedure is not major, patients will still need to take some time off from work. Patients who have undergone upper lid surgery will usually be able to go back after 7-10 days. The recovery time is a little longer for lower lid surgery, with time off work increasing to 10-14 days.
Walking is one of the best form of exercise after eyelid surgery. Walking in the initial phases of recovery can promote blood circulation, prevent blood clots and lead to a smoother recovery. It will give you a surge of energy as well.
Refrain from strenuous exercise like running, jumping or aerobics (walking is fine). Also, be careful to avoid everyday activities such as lifting heavy items, bending over or lying flat, which can increase blood flow to your eyes or put pressure on your healing lids.
It is common to experience tightness around your eyes after blepharoplasty procedures for about one or two weeks. This is all normal, and most of our patients feel the outcomes heavily outweigh any post-procedure side effects.
Sleep on your back with your head elevated above your heart for 1 week after surgery. Keeping your head elevated will reduce swelling after surgery. The easiest way to do this is simply with an extra pillow. It is common for wounds to ooze the first few days, so you may want to cover your pillow with an old towel.
The appearance of the eyes can be dramatically altered by the removal of excess skin or puffy bags under the eyes. Eyes that are weighed down or crowded by aging skin or puffy bulges may seem smaller or narrower. Once this skin is removed, the eye can appear more open, rounder, and awake.
It takes a full 12 months for scars to fully mature, flatten and soften. The following videos are techniques Dr. Kolstad recommends for his patients during the recovery period. He typically recommends massaging the incisions 10-14 days after surgery and continuing them until the scars have softened.
After eyelid surgery, it may take about two to three weeks for your vision to return to normal. During the first few days, you may have blurry and double vision caused by eyelid swelling that is usually temporary.
WAIT BEFORE WATCHING TV
Watching TV immediately after the procedure can cause your eyes to strain, and that will negatively affect the healing process. Keeping eyes away from the screen will prevent them from straining, getting tired, and drying out.
For three to four weeks after blepharoplasty, you should avoid lifting, bending and crying, to avoid irritation to your eyes. You should also not exercise or play sport during this time, as this increases blood flow to the area which can impede the healing process.
Complications after cosmetic eyelid surgery are uncommon but can include dry eyes, tearing, excess scarring, inability to close the eyes, rounded or sad eyes, eyelid retraction, and other eyelid and facial malpositions.
Post-operative swelling peaks at about 48-72 hours, and then subsides over the next few days. The majority of swelling after eyelid surgery will disappear in the first week, but small amounts may persist for 6 - 12 weeks during which subtle improvements in appearance will continue.
Yes. Double eyelid surgery (upper and lower blepharoplasty) can make your eyes look bigger by excising excess skin around the eyes and lifting sagging skin.
Avoid activities that raise your blood pressure, including bending, lifting and rigorous sports. Keep activities to a minimum for 3-5 days; avoid strenuous activities for 2-3 weeks. Read or watch television after 2-3 days. Return to work in 10-14 days.
After blepharoplasty surgery, the eyelids will be bruised and swollen for one to three weeks. However, most patients say their eyes look normal and better than before after one to three months. However, people usually feel okay going in public and returning to work after 10 to 14 days.
Your eyelids will probably look puffy after surgery. The incisions will probably look red, too. The swelling and bruising involved with blepharoplasty recovery tend to resemble a black eye. That is all normal.
Use a Scar-Reducing Cream
After your incisions have healed fully, applying a silicone-based scar cream can improve the appearance of your scars. Your plastic surgeon can advise you on scar creams or tapes to use based on your needs.
You should clean your eyelids as soon as that dressing is removed. Using saline solution and sterile gauze pads, gently clean the lids to remove superficial debris. To do this, soak the gauze thoroughly and place over the lids to soften them. (The saline solution can be purchased over the counter or made at home.
It is recommended to not drink coffee and other caffeinated beverages for the first few days after eyelid surgery. Stick to water and fresh juices instead.
1-2 Weeks After the Eyelid Surgery
You will still have puffiness and swelling around your eyes. It usually subsides within a period of two weeks. The incisions around the eyes will be pinkish-red in colour. Your eyelids will be numb for several days.