The healing of eyelid incisions may take 5-7 days at which time sutures can be removed. You will be ready to return to work and normal activity within 7-10 days and can resume wearing contact lenses in 2 weeks.
Cosmetics can camouflage any bruising or redness that remains. Healing will continue for several weeks as swelling continues to dissipate and incision lines improve.
Diligent sun protection and consistent use of dark tinted sunglasses is essential for 3 weeks. (Rod J. Rohrich, MD, Dallas Plastic Surgeon)
Recovery from blepharoplasty
This question is one of the most frequently asked by patients considering blepharoplasty. Anticipated recovery may be influenced by your surgeon’s approach and technique, so he or she may be able to provide a more accurate estimate in your case.
In general, skin sutures are removed by 5 days, the majority of bruising and swelling are improved by 7 days. Everyone heals differently, but the vast majority of patients are able to return to work within 2 weeks.
There may still be some visible bruising or redness of your incision sites – but those may be concealed with makeup. (James M. Pearson, MD, Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Recovery following eyelid surgery usually short
Recovery after upper and/or lower eyelid surgery is generally short, among the shortest of all cosmetic procedures.
Usually sutures are removed in three to five days. Most patients are able to be up and around the next day following the surgery. I recommend ice packs on the eyes for the first twenty hours after surgery. Driving is permitted three days after surgery. Glasses and sunglasses can be worn immediately after surgery.
Contact lenses should not be worn for one week. No makeup is allowed on the eyelids for one week after sutures are removed. Of course, one should not engage in any heavy exercise, lifting, or straining for at least two to three weeks. (James Tang, MD, Houston Plastic Surgeon)
Eyelid Surgery Healing Time day by day
Every patient heals differently. For an upper Blepharoplasty, I suggest that my patients take one week off from work. the suture removal is typically 5-7 days following surgery. For a lower Blepharoplasty, I suggest 10 days off from work. It is important to follow your surgeons pre and post operative instructions in order to heal properly. (Michael Sullivan, MD, Columbus Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Surgery for upper eyelid
The amount of healing and bruising varies but there is a general guideline to consider. If an eyelid requires the creation of a new crease, the length of time for swelling to diminish typicallly requires 10-14 days. If, however, the eyelid has an exisiting crease, then the swelling typically diminishes by 7 days. The identification of a crease is important to ensure symmetry of the upper lid skin after surgery. (John Pak, MD, PhD, Chicago Oculoplastic Surgeon)
Post op recovery time for eyelid surgery day by day …
After blepharoplasty you should expect to be bruised and swollen for about seven to ten days after surgery. While every patient is different in how he or she heals, you should typically expect to miss 7-10 days of work.
Many patients have the surgery on a Friday, then take the next week off. That way, you have the two weekends to recover as well and only 6 regular work days are missed.
Be sure to follow your post operative instructions including a lot of cold compresses in the first couple of days after surgery for the quickest healing possible. (Andrew Miller, MD, Edison Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Time off of work after a Blepharoplasty
- The amount of time off of work after a blepharoplasty will depend on the following:
- Surgeon’s ability to gentle handle and manipulate tissues (Gentle Touch)
- Appropriate Pre and Postoperative Treatments
- Individual Bruising Factors
- Type of Blepharoplasty
A transconjuctival blepharoplasty patient may be able to return to work in 3 days, while a combination upper and lower lid blepharoplasty patient will likely need one week, due to the possibility of suture visibility. (Anil R. Shah, MD, Chicago Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Recovery after Eyelid Surgery
The typical recovery for eyelid surgery is generally two weeks for the majority of the swelling and bruising to resolve. Most patients have little pain after a few days after eyelid surgery, but the swelling lasts longer.
To minimize your recovery, we ask patients to place ice on their eyes and to sleep with their head elevated. In addition, the use of multipurpose prescription eyedrops can help minimize the swelling that occurs, (Ankit Desai, MD, Jacksonville Plastic Surgeon)
Recovery from blepharoplasty
The degree of post-operative swelling and bruising varies from the Upper lid (much less) to the Lower lid, from patient to patient, it depends on the surgical Blepharoplasty technique used as well as on the your ability to follow doctors’ recommendations.
The less bleeding caused during surgery, the less swelling and bruising. Most of the time, a Blepharoplasty is done under local anesthesia with or without sedation.
To do so, the eyelids need to be injected with a local anesthetic in the process which some bruising can take place. If the surgery is done under general anesthesia, there is no need to inject the lids which causes swelling and bruising and such bruising is totally avoided.
If all cut blood vessels and bleeding points are cauterized immediately, there will be no bruising. If the stitches have needles which push through instead of cut through the eyelid tissues there will be no bruising.
Finally, if you are not anxious or raise your blood pressure (with early work, exercise, lifting) too soon – you will have no to very little swelling and bruising. You should be able to be presentable for work in 7-10 days in the vast majority of Blepharoplasty procedures. (Peter A. Aldea, MD, Memphis Plastic Surgeon)
Eyelid surgery recovery time
It is important to remember that every patient is different. We all do not heal the same way. The healing time will depend on what procedures are performed. With just upper lids, usually patients can return to work very quickly.
When both upper and lower lids are done the swelling tends to be a little worse and the recovery may take a little longer. In general, most patients return to work within 7-10 days. (David Freilich, MD, )
Two weeks should be fine for blepharoplasty recovery
Every patient recovers from surgery differently, but in general I usually tell my patients it will take 7-10 days. The most common lingering issues you may expect at that point include redness around the incision, residual swelling, and the last stages of a resolving bruise. Makeup can conceal a lot, and occasionally eye glass frames can hide the swelling.
I have found that the amount of discomfort is not significant. The most common complaint is the sensation of burning around the eyes that is readily relieved with cold compresses and oral pain medication. This lasts for a few hours after surgery and usually subsides very quickly. (Edmon Pierre Khoury, MD, Lone Tree Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Blepharoplasty recovery
Normally sutures remain in the eyelids for about 3-5 days. There may be some residual bruising around the eye for 1-2 weeks. But, you are pretty much good to go back to work within a week with cover up make-up. (Steven Wallach, MD, Manhattan Plastic Surgeon)
Typical eyelid surgery recovery should be less than two weeks
Surgery for upper eyelids should allow you to wear make-up within a week and even if you have sutures that need to be removed, we use dissolvable ones, they should also be removed within a week.
The recovery for lower eyelid surgery can take up to two weeks if you bruise or swell a lot but typically does not take longer and if you have surgery done transconjunctivally for the lower eyelids the recovery should be ten days.
Typically, you can use ice to speed recovery process and keeping head of bed elevated helps. There may be some bruising but typically it is not a very painful procedure and barring unforseen circumstances, you should look pretty good within two weeks. (Scott Trimas, MD, Jacksonville Facial Plastic Surgeon)
One week recovery after blepharoplasty.
Of course, there are no guarantees in surgery. But in Manhattan, most of our eyelid surgery patients look entirely presentable and go back to work in one week. (George J. Beraka, MD (retired), Manhattan Plastic Surgeon)
Eyelid recovery depends on the extent of surgery done on the eyelids our the surrounding areas. Standard blepharoplasty convalescence is 1 week at least before getting full activities. the aim is to diminish the swelling and the risk of bleeding. Swelling and bruising still persist in the eyelids beyond one week up to 2 or 3 weeks. Work can still be resumed after one week. (Jacques Haddad, MD, Philadelphia Oculoplastic Surgeon)
Blepharoplasty is an outpatient procedure, where you will be able to go home the same day. You will be able to do normal activities such as walking and reading immediately, although you will likely have bruising and swelling immediately post-operatively.
Sutures are removed approximately 5 days post-operatively. Most patients are able to return to work within one week, although some people require makeup or glasses to camouflage remaining bruising and swelling. Your individual recovery timeline will depend on your unique characteristics. (Lara Devgan, MD, MPH, Knoxville Otolaryngologist)
Eyelid Surgery Recovery blog
Usually, the recovery for a typical eyelid lift procedure depends on the extent of surgery. If only upper lids are done, the recovery can be a few days, and a week or slightly more is plenty sufficient. If both upper and lower lids are done, and especially if a transconjunctival (inside the eyelid) approach is used, then 2 weeks is more what you need.
The sutures used are usually removed by postoperative day 5-7, depending on surgeon preference. The transconjunctival approach makes an incision in the inside of the eyelid, and is usually not closed with any stitches, since it would irritate the eyeball from the inside.
This lends to extra tearing and redness in the whites of the eyes, and makes you look fairly scary at times. Best to stay at home if that’s the case. Typically, most people whip out the big sunglasses and cover up as much as possible. They all seem to do just fine with daily activities. (Daniel Kaufman, MD, FACS, New York Plastic Surgeon)
In general in two weeks you will still have some swelling and visible marks but nothing thatreally stops you for having a normal life. (Enriquillo Clime Rivera, MD, Dominican Republic Plastic Surgeon)
Recovery after blepharoplasty blog
Recovery time varies and is dependent on multiple factors. I tell my patients to plan on 5-7 days off work.
After that time period, they can return to work, but they will still have some mild swelling and bruising (more so with lower blepharoplasty vs upper blepharoplasty). They can wear makeup 24 hours after the sutures are removed. (Clyde Mathison, MD, Miami Plastic Surgeon)
Recovery Time After Eyelid Surgery blog
There are many factor that influence recovery time following a blepharoplasty. These include: how extensive an procedure needs to be done in order to achieve the desired results, your personal genetics, and how well you are able to rest in the days following surgery.In our practice we like to “under promise and over deliver” In other words we would prefer that you are pleasantly surprised by how quickly you are recovering rather than disappointed or worried that the recover is taking longer than expected.
I tell my patients that I want them to take it very easy for 4 days after surgery and avoid exercise for one week. Most people go back to work after one week. The healing over the next several weeks is variable depending on the patients natural biology and the extent of the surgery performed. However we tell people that they should be “photo ready” (like for their daughter’s wedding) in 6 weeks. (Marc Cohen, MD, Miami Plastic Surgeon)
Following eyelid surgery pain is not usually that big an issue. But bruising and swelling can be. The majority of patients look “good enough” in public at two weeks with maybe a bit of coverup make up. Healing does take usually about 12 weeks total- you will notice lots of changes in this period as most likely you will be watching your progress closely in a mirror.
However to the casual observer you will pass in two weeks, in general. Upper lids seem to lose bruising faster than lower lids. (George Volpe, MD, Boston Plastic Surgeon)
Recovery after Blepharoplasty surgery
An upper blepharoplasty surgery (removing extra skin on your upper eyelids) will require less time to recover than a lower blepharoplasty surgery. Swelling and bruising is more significant when the lower eyelids are operated, in particular if your surgeon uses a transcutaneous (skin) incision.
In my practice, I tell patients they will have 1 week of swelling and 1 week of bruising. In all of my blepharoplasty patients I prefer to use Arnica and Bromelain starting 1 week before surgery and for 1 additional week post-op as these 2 natural products have been known to reduce swelling and bruising associated with surgery.
All sutures are removed at 1 week post-op. In 2 weeks, most patients are able to return to work, and in many cases even before depending on the nature of their work. The most important factor when deciding to have your eyelids done, is to choose a surgeon that has had additional training in eyelid and periorbital surgery as this areas complex anatomy will require an additional set of skills to achieve the best results and faster recovery time by avoiding common complications. (Jose Rodriguez-Feliz, MD)
It’s roughly 7 to 10 days but there are patients that have lingering bruising for weeks. Woman have the advantage of being able to use coverup more easily and many of my working patients go back at 5 days with the help of makeup.
Wearing a pair of glasses is also a huge help. The swelling peaks at 48hours and goes down more quickly than the bruising. There is little discomfort. (Katrinka L. Heher, MD, Boston Oculoplastic Surgeon)
Eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty surgery) recovery
Length of blepharoplasty surgery recovery can vary from patient to patient. That said, two weeks is a generous amount of time for recovery from upper or lower eyelid surgery. Exercise and strenuous activity should be limited for three to four weeks but most people can return to an office type position easily within two weeks. You may still have some swelling and perhaps some bruising but this could be covered with makeup. (Christopher J. Morea, MD, Raleigh-Durham Plastic Surgeon)
Blepharoplasty surgery recovery yime Is Very Patient Dependent
The recovery time will vary from patient to patient as well as from doctor to doctor. Clients at my practice benefit by the fact that I do not utilize a scalpel blade for my eyelid surgery (blepharoplasties). I have been using a CO2 laser for over 2 decades.
The benefit of this technique is the laser helps to minimize bleeding so patients have faster operating room times and in my hands faster healing. Most patients have minimal ” black and blueness” I have my patients ice for only the first 24 hours time. Most of my patients are back to their regular activites in one week. (Mark Berkowitz, MD, Sterling Heights Oculoplastic Surgeon)
2 Weeks Is Sufficient in Most Cases
There is no “standard” recovery time for everyone. For most patients, 2 weeks should be sufficient to recover from a blepharoplasty. In most cases, even if there is bruising, it should be minimal at that time, and makeup should be able to cover it.
I often advise using Arnica and bromelain to potentially decrease the bruising and swelling and, of course, to avoid any potential blood thinning medications (Advil, Motrin, Aspirin, Excedrin, Omega fatty acids, green tea, and so on) for at least 2 weeks prior to the procedure. This should help drastically decrease the post-op bruising and potential bleeding complications. Also immediately after the procedure and for the first week, you should expect to do nothing but rest! Good luck in your recovery. (Louis C. Cutolo, Jr., MD, FACS, New York Plastic Surgeon)