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.
Eyelid surgery is among the least painful cosmetic procedures. Aside from minimal discomfort on the day, you'll have a quick recovery and see the results swiftly. So the procedure isn't very painful, but you may have other questions.
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.
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.
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 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.
Expectations After Blepharoplasty
Patients should expect mild pain, discomfort, bruising, and swelling for four or five days. But these symptoms are normal and will recede with time. You can reduce swelling and bleeding if you use ice or a cold compress for a few minutes at a time.
The incidence of permanent vision loss after blepharoplasty is 0.04%. [1] The exact pathophysiology has not been established. However, retrobulbar haemorrhage is a frequent cause. [2] This occurs in 0.055% and leads in 0.005% to permanent vision loss.
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.
What Is the Ideal Age for Blepharoplasty? Droopy eyelids appear when you get beyond 30. This is the ideal age for blepharoplasty, though younger people can also go through it. However, most plastic surgeons recommend one to be at least 18 to undergo the procedure.
While most people who undergo this procedure are in their mid-30s, any adult may qualify if they have loose and sagging eyelid skin, excess fat deposits under the eyes, or excess eyelid skin.
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.
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. General anesthesia keeps you asleep throughout the entire procedure.
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.
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.
There is no upper age window for blepharoplasty. Patients in good health can get eyelid surgery even in their 60s, 70s, or 80s.
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.
Discomfort during removal of silk sutures has generally been a problem only after blepharoplasty and not after a vast array of other oculoplastic procedures. We can think of two reasons for this difference between our patients who have undergone blepharoplasty and the rest of our patients.
The eyelids are naturally delicate and even more so after surgery. Avoid rubbing them, pressing on them or performing any other activity that stretches or puts pressure on them. Be gentle when washing your face or showering, and avoid getting them wet.
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.
Because your eye area is sensitive just after surgery, it's important to sleep on your back and stay elevated. Use pillows to stay elevated to at least a 45-degree angle.