13 Things to Expect When Recovering From Eyelid Surgery

Eyelid surgery or Blepharoplasty can help remove excess muscle, fat, and skin around your eyes.  It’s ideal to improve the shape of your eyes and make it more appealing. However, before undergoing surgery, you need to prepare yourself for recovery. Here are some things that you can expect after surgery.

1.    Recovery Period

Before anything, you need to know that your eyes will take around 10 to 14 days to recover completely. In other words, you need to cancel meetings, gatherings, and other plans for a week or two.  You also need to apply for a two-week leave, as you will not be able to go to work with painful eyes.  Not to mention, surgeons recommend staying at home completely for at least two days. During this time, you need to avoid straining the eyes and try relaxing to speed up recovery.

2.    Redness

Most likely, you will also feel redness around your eyes, particularly in the incision area. In some cases, patients also feel a little bit of pain around the eyes. Don’t worry, though; it’s normal and will go away if you follow your doctor’s guidelines. Try to hold back from touching your eyes due to pain or redness and be careful not to scratch the incision unknowingly.

3.    Swelling

After eyelid surgery, you can expect a little bit of swelling around your eyes. In fact, in the beginning, your eyes might look dramatic and worse. But it will start to look better after a day or two.  In some cases, it looks like you have bruised black eyes, but don’t worry. Your surgeon will recommend several ways to reduce swelling.

4.    Blur Vision

Patients may experience blurred vision for a few hours or a couple of days until the swelling heals. Depending on the extent of your surgery, everything may look blurry. In this case, performing household chores and regular activities can become difficult. To avoid the risk of accidents, have a friend or family member stay with you for a few days to help you eat, change clothes, and get stuff done around the home.

5.    Sleeping Position

If you are a side or stomach sleeper, you need to be cautious while sleeping.  A cosmetic surgeon may recommend you to sleep straight on your back and keep your head up with the help of a pillow. This position limits the risk of putting pressure near your eyes, which can lead to problems like bleeding.

6.    Rest

In most situations, reading a book or watching TV count as relaxing, but when you’re recovering from eyelid surgery, that’s not the case. It’s likely that your doctor may advise you against engaging in any activity that puts strain on your eyes, especially watching screens. You need to use your eyes as little as possible and give them plenty of rest for quick recovery.

7.    Avoid Pets

People who share a bed with pets must avoid sleeping with their furry friends for a few days after surgery. This is because they can potentially lick or slap your eyes, which increases the risk of irritation, bleeding, and scarring. So, it’s a good idea to have them sleep in another room for a few nights.

8.    Shower

Your surgeon will take a thorough look at your eyes after eyelid surgery and give you some preventive measures. They might suggest that you skip on showering for a while. Instead, you can sit in a bath. This way, your eyes don’t come into direct contact with water. Otherwise, you risk increasing the risk of irritation and infection, which can slow down the healing process.

9.    Diet

Generally, after Blepharoplasty, you don’t have to worry about dietary restrictions. You can continue your eating habits as you did before the surgery. However, if you’re experiencing symptoms like stomach pain, queasiness, or nausea, it’s best to stick to light food items. This includes soups, oats, fruits, juices, and other food items that don’t make you feel extra full and heavy. You can also opt for personal light recipes so that you can satisfy your cravings during the recovery period.

10.                    Makeup

No matter how much of an urge you feel to hide your bruises from makeup, you need to avoid using cosmetic products the first couple of days. Makeup comes with chemicals that can get into your incisions, leading to irritation and other problems.  Additionally, pigments that get into your incision can lead to permanent discoloration around your eyes. So, consult your surgeon before opting for any makeup product if you want good results.

11.                    Sensitivity to Light

Since your eyes will swell up and feel irritated, try to avoid bright sources of light. For people who experience light sensitivity, it’s best to turn on a few lights in the room. Also, if you have any bright lights just above your bed, try not to turn them on while sleeping.

12.                    Sunglasses

Your doctor may suggest you wear dark sunglasses whenever you go outside for a couple of weeks, even if you don’t feel swelling or redness.  Goggles are the best option to redirect sunlight and protect your eyes during the recovery period.

13.                    Tears

Some people also generate excessive tears after surgery, and it can feel very uncomfortable. In this case, use a high-quality ointment recommended by an expert to help reduce the risk of dryness. However, you need to keep in mind that ointment can temporarily blur your vision. If your eye produces a high amount of tears even after applying ointment, visit your surgeon to discuss this problem.

Bottom Line

Although Blepharoplasty is a simple surgical procedure, it also has some side effects. It can lead to dry eyes, irritation, bleeding, difficulty in closing eyes, infection, skin discoloration, scarring, muscle injury, etc.

If you want excellent results, we at Clinic Expert can help. We have qualified experts who use safe and secure equipment and methods for eyelid surgery. You don’t have to worry about results, and your recovery period will also be relatively less. So, if you are looking for experienced and skilled experts in town, get an appointment for a Clinic Expert.

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