Blepharoplasty

Blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) is usually a day procedure. For the first 24 hours after surgery you will have blurry vision (from ointment in the eye) and you may have some minor oozing of blood from the suture lines. You will need someone at home with you to help you. We recommend sleeping with 3-4 pillows rather than head flat, which will help with the swelling, and gentle icepack. During the first 24 hours post operatively, if you experience any severe pain or abrupt alteration of vision (such as loss of colour perception) you should attend the emergency department. You will be reviewed at the 1-week mark post-surgery.

From the 4-week mark post surgically we will give you instructions about scar management and massage.

Blepharoplasty (Eyelid Surgery) is a delicate operation involving tightening of the eyelids. Overcorrecting can cause problems therefore it is important to accept that the aesthetic result of the procedure may not be perfect, however great improvement of the problem is usually achievable. It is not uncommon to have so slight asymmetry of the contour of the eyelid from side to side or of the position and length of the scars as the skin of the eyelid stretches in slightly unpredictable ways after surgery.

The risks of the procedure include;

◉ Scars- these usually fade over time to discrete fine-line scar which is hard to see, however occasionally the scars can be thickened, tightened or unsightly.

◉ Pain, bruising- usually there is moderate bruising which persists for up to 2 weeks and mild pain. Some people have more severe pain post operatively.

◉ Bleeding, retrobulbar bleed- some oozing of blood after the surgery is common and not a concern. Rarely however, there can be bleeding into the eye socket behind the eyeball. This is called retrobulbar bleed and is an emergency that will require urgent return to theatre. In extremely rare cases it is possible for this to result in blindness or nerve injury.

◉ Minor wound infections- any surgical wound can develop a minor wound infection however this is very rare in blepharoplasty.

◉ Numbness- it is possible to get some numbness of the skin around the eye or on the forehead however this usually resolves.

◉ Over-tightening and lid distortion- at the end of the operation it is not uncommon to have a slight gap at between the eyelids when closing the eye. This settles back to normal over the first few weeks. On rare occasions however, permanent distortion of the upper blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery)can occur resulting in problems closing the eye, dry or teary eyes. Whilst these complications can be improved with further surgery they can usually not be corrected completely.