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.
Your eyelid may be swollen and bruised for 1 to 3 weeks after surgery. The appearance of your eye may continue to get better for 1 to 3 months. Most people feel ready to go out in public and back to work in about 10 to 14 days.
You can generally expect to need between five and 10 days off from work. Usually, people who only get upper or lower blepharoplasty feel up to going back to work after just a week off. Contrastingly, people who get upper and lower eyelid surgery feel they need two full weeks to dedicate to their recovery.
Generally, an upper lid blepharoplasty is a non painful procedure that patients can usually have performed, and enjoy a minimal amount of post-operative pain medicine, because the procedure is very mild. It's almost like a skin excision, and the eyelid itself is not particularly painful.
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.
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.
Many patients are interested in knowing if they will be put to sleep for blepharoplasty surgery. To keep you comfortable during your procedure, you will be given either local or general anesthesia. Local anesthesia numbs the eyelid and surrounding area, while keeping you sedated but awake during surgery.
Do not drive until you have stopped taking pain medication and no longer have blurry vision. Make sure that you can safely and comfortably drive a car. This is usually about 5 to 10 days after surgery.
A blepharoplasty, commonly known as an eyelift, can enhance and revitalize the appearance of the eyes. Saggy or drooping eyelids can be an age-defining feature, causing you to appear older than you are.
A blepharoplasty is a long-lasting surgery, and you should enjoy the results for many years to come. Once that skin is removed, it's not going to grow back.
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.
Surgery - done well - is supposed to restore the area to its former youthful flatness. However, as your face changes continually, so your eye bags can be back in full force 10 years later.
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.
After blepharoplasty that involved the reduction of bulging fat pouches, there is a residual bulge. This most often ocurrs at the outer corner of the lower eyelid, at the location of the lateral fat pad. This can create a contour irregularity or a mismatch with the other regions of the eyelid.
A blepharoplasty often will enhance the appearance of a patient's eye area, producing a more youthful and rested appearance but is considered major surgery. Before surgery you should think carefully about your specific expectations and communicate your goals to your plastic surgeon. Complications are rare.
I will come into the room and we will go over the surgery and I will mark your upper eyelids with a surgical marking pen. Then you will lie flat in the procedure chair and I will inject a small amount of lidocaine into the upper eyelid skin to make it numb.
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.
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.
Use a Scar-Reducing Cream or Ointment
Recent studies have shown the effectiveness of silicone-based creams in making scars less noticeable when used in the first few weeks after the wound has healed. Your doctor may also use silicone dressings on the incision as it is healing.
You should be in good health and a non-smoker. The surgery is worth it for people who want to look younger and better rested in and around the eyes. The results are subtle but dramatic, and recovery is minor with little pain reported.
A blepharoplasty can improve the appearance of the eyes, but it does not reposition the eyebrows. Alternatively, a brow lift surgery lifts the eyebrows and improves the appearance of the upper eyelids without removing any skin and fat from the eyelids.
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.