Blepharoplasty

• General
• The Consultation
• The Operation
• Recovery
• Gallery

After your eyelid surgery you will be advised to take a number of precautions:

• To avoid bleeding, you should not stoop or carry out vigorous activities for five days after your surgery.
• Your eyelids should be gently splashed with water but not rubbed in any way.
• Antibiotic eye ointment should be applied for three or four days and you should not use eye makeup for the first week or two.
• It is important to avoid aspirin after your surgery. Any discomfort around the eyelids may be controlled by mild analgesics such as Paracetamol. You may also find the use of artificial tears helpful in the first few days.
• You will not be able to wear contact lenses for some time after your eyelid surgery, so you will want to arrange for glasses to use during this time.
• It is essential that you have large sunglasses to wear after your surgery.

Your stitches will typically be removed three to seven days after your procedure. Your scars will be pink for some weeks, occasionally months, however they are easily hidden with makeup. Scars in the "crow's feet" area may become lumpy for a while but will invariably flatten in time. This flattening may be helped by gentle massage begun two weeks after your eyelid surgery.

Every surgery involves some risks and uncertainties.

• Complications after eyelid surgery are rare and most, including excess tears or abnormal pigmentation of the eyelid skin, are temporary.
• As with any surgery, bleeding and infection can occur. Bleeding might require a return to the operating theatre to avoid damage to the eye. Infection is usually readily treated with antibiotics, extending the course of treatment that you will have received after your surgery.
• Occasionally, what appears to be a transparent sack of fluid develops and covers part of the white of the eye mostly in the outer corner. People who suffer with hay fever may be familiar with this problem as they sometimes notice it during a bad season. While this looks distressing you should not be alarmed as it will settle on its own. During the period when it is settling you need to use eyelid lubricants regularly.
• A scratch on the cornea (the surface of the eye itself) while not serious, can be irritating and may take several days to heal.