Asymmetry, The Eyes Look Different, Or Heal Differently. The eyes may look or feel quite different from one another in the days following surgery. This is normal; no two eyes in nature or following surgery are perfectly symmetrical.
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.
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.
This is a misnomer as a blepharoplasty does not lift the eyelid but removes skin and fat to enhance the upper eyelid appearance. In so doing, the skin removal may make the appearance of the eyelid to brow distance look smaller.
So, eyelid surgery can help rejuvenate the upper third of your face. It also helps turn back the clock by restoring a youthful appearance. But blepharoplasty cannot alter your eye shape, though it may initially look that way after surgery.
You'd be amazed at what a difference improving the area around your eyes makes for your overall appearance. Your eyes may appear bigger, brighter, or more awake after your upper, lower, or double blepharoplasty.
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.
Does blepharoplasty lower eyebrows? In some cases, yes. A blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) might cause the eyebrows to drop with time. To avoid that, your plastic surgeon can give you a brow lift at the same time as your eyelid surgery to keep your eyebrows in balance and avoid having them droop after some time.
Lower eyelid retraction is a devastating complication of bad blepharoplasty results in which the lower eyelid is pulled down. Lower lid retraction has primarily been reported in patients who underwent a transcutaneous approach to lower eyelid surgery – when the surgery is done through lower lid skin.
When the skin is removed the eyelids can feel tight and often the eyelids do not close fully for the first month after this. If a patient has this it tends to get better. Even after a month, with time (usually 6 months to a year) the eyelid closure improves and returns to normal.
Your eyes may look swollen and bruised after your surgery. The eyelid swelling is usually worse early in the morning and will get better during the day as you sit or walk around. You may also have swelling on your cheeks and jawline. This will start to get better 2 to 3 weeks after your surgery.
The approach to correcting botched eyelid surgery will depend on the specific issue. In some cases, the surgeon may need to perform revision surgery to correct the issue fully. In other instances, non-surgical treatments such as dermal fillers or Botox injections may be used to address the problem.
Post-upper blepharoplasty syndrome is characterized by upper eyelid ptosis, lash ptosis, high or indistinct upper eyelid crease, hollow upper eyelid sulcus (absent upper eyelid fold), and a compensatory eyebrow elevation. We call this configuration a “synform” upper eyelid fold.
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.
This may feel strange or even frightening at first, but rest assured that this is a normal postoperative effect that should subside with time. The majority of patients report tightness after eyelid surgery to last for about two weeks, though numbness or a change in eyelid sensation may last longer.
You should begin gentle massage to the eyelids one week after surgery. This will help smooth any irregularities and areas of firmness. You may apply lotion to your hand to massage and/or you may use a vibrating massager.
A similar study was previously conducted by Schulz et al. (15), who reported the results of blepharoplasty in 47 patients and identified a surgery success rate of 91.5% in terms of symmetry.
Lashes can be pulled out in the office but typically grow back within 6-8 weeks.
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.
A blepharoplasty (eyelid lift) removes the loose skin in the lower eyelid, as well as the bulging fat. A cheek lift then raises the cheek tissue higher, using the same incision as that used for the lower eyelid lift. Not much fat is removed. Instead, cheek tissue is repositioned.
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.
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.
By removing excess fat and skin and restructuring the tissues around the eyes, blepharoplasty creates a natural, rejuvenated appearance, erasing five to ten years without changing the shape or overall character of your face.
Upper-eyelid surgery can produce beautiful and natural-looking results. The key is to not remove too much tissue so that the results don't look overdone.