How to care for the eyelids after blepharoplasty: highlights



As a rule, plastic surgeons warn their patients about the unpleasant consequences of such an operation as blepharoplasty, and they themselves prescribe recommendations for postoperative eyelid skin care on an individual basis. Let's figure out how to care for the eyelids after blepharoplasty.

In order for the eyelid skin tightening procedure to be successful and without side effects, it is usually sufficient to care for the postoperative sutures, following the recommendations of the plastic surgeon who performed the procedure.

These recommendations, as a rule, are as follows:

• To heal the stitches faster, you need to regularly clean the skin around them: in the first days after the operation - washing with clean, cool water; later, when the stitches are removed - using special non-comedogenic (i.e., cleansing skin fat ducts) hypoallergenic means.
• To deal with pain and swelling, after surgery, with the permission of a doctor, you can apply ice or cold compresses to the sutures.
• Another good way to combat postoperative swelling of the eyelids is to sleep only on the back, with the head elevated on the pillows.
• To improve the elasticity of the skin, you can use special creams, for example, with an extract of Chinese fungus, which can also speed up the healing process (just in case the patient should consult with the doctor who operated on him before using such tools).
• After 5-7 days after the operation, in order to enhance the blood circulation of the skin (which also contributes to the rapid healing of the sutures), one can begin to attend appropriate massage procedures in special salons.
• In the first months after blepharoplasty, it is extremely important for the patient to observe a certain sleep pattern. The patient should rest at least 8 hours a day (he should go to bed preferably no later than 22.00).

Among other things, the patient must observe some precautions:

1. During the first time after surgery, the patient should avoid both physical exertion and emotional overstrain.
2. The use of scrubs for the skin of the face, as well as any color cosmetics is unacceptable for at least the first two weeks after the operation.
3. The patient should exclude from his diet alcohol, some fruits (mainly citrus), affecting blood clotting.
4. For the same reasons, after the operation, it is necessary to abandon certain medications, such as aspirin.
5. The patient should avoid direct sunlight on the eyelid (in the first weeks after blepharoplasty, leaving the house without wide dark glasses is unacceptable!).
6. The most important rule of a patient who has undergone blepharoplasty is that in no case should one rub or delay the eyelids (unless, of course, the doctor who performed the operation has given his special permission to do so).

Observing these simple recommendations, the patient may well expect that just a week after blepharoplasty, the effects of the operation (swelling, bruises under his eyes) will disappear, and he will be able to return to his usual life. However, unfortunately, there are unpleasant exceptions to this rule. How to care for the eyelids after blepharoplasty, if you already have some effects?

If there are bags left after blepharoplasty - what to do?

It is important to understand that in order to objectively evaluate the success of such a procedure as blepharoplasty, you must wait at least 3-6 weeks from the moment of surgery. If after this period the patient has some side effects, in particular, bags under the eyes, then it's time to take the appropriate measures.

Some doctors recommend that their patients apply dry heat to bags under their eyes. It is very convenient to use slightly cooled boiled eggs for this purpose. If this measure (as well as cosmetics specifically designed to eliminate this problem) does not bring any improvements, it is likely that bags under the eyes after blepharoplasty will have to be removed with the help of another operation. Namely - laser resurfacing or, in severe cases, surgical correction.

How to remove bruises after blepharoplasty?

It is much easier to deal with the inevitable consequence of blepharoplasty, like bruises under the eyes. To do this, it is enough to use the following simple recommendations from practicing plastic surgeons.

Care of the eyelids after blepharoplasty on the advice of surgeons suggests the following:



• To ensure the speedy outflow of lymph and blood from the operated area, which, in turn, will result in a decrease in hematoma, the patient should keep his head on some elevation (for example, on several pillows) during sleep.
• The first few days after the operation to reduce bruises allowed to do cold wet compresses, narrowing the vessels.
• The patient should try to blink as rarely as possible: eyelid muscle tension contributes to an increase in swelling and bruising. So that the operated person can successfully follow this recommendation, he will have to abandon any activities that contribute to the rapid drying of the eye surface (reading, watching TV).
• In order to prevent blood flow into the eye area, the patient should refrain from most types of physical activity and from overheating.

How to properly care for eyes after blepharoplasty: sunken eyes and scars after blepharoplasty

If the patient can observe a “sunken eye” effect after blepharoplasty, most often this means that during the operation the surgeon made the mistake of “pulling” too much fiber from the wound. Unfortunately, it is possible to eliminate the consequences of such a mistake by the doctor only through another operation aimed at correcting the muscles of the eyelids.

What can smear scars after blepharoplasty?

In the first days after the procedure, while the patient is in the clinic, or regularly goes there for bandaging, any care for postoperative stitches is performed by the nurses. After the bandages are removed (usually this happens 4–7 days after blepharoplasty, depending on the skin condition), all the responsibilities for the treatment of the incision sites fall on the shoulders of the patient.

• Depending on where exactly the incisions were made, the ointment can be applied on the upper eyelid or laid under the lower eyelid. In the latter case, the patient may feel discomfort and experience some side effects of the drug, such as a temporary blurred vision.
• It is important to understand that such phenomena are absolutely normal and cannot serve as a reason to stop using the ointment. However, in any case, it is worth informing the physician operating the patient about them.

With proper regular care, postoperative scars and scars on the eyelids become completely invisible after 4-6 months from the date of the procedure. Until then, they can be quite successfully masked with the help of decorative cosmetics (it was already mentioned above when it is possible to begin using it).

Proper eye care after blepharoplasty

To avoid visual impairment after blepharoplasty, for the first time, the patient must reduce any strain on the eyes. In the first 7-10 days from the moment of surgery, it is recommended to read less. It is also necessary, if possible, to completely abandon the use of the TV and computer.

But already after 2 weeks after the procedure, the patient can return to the usual way of life (with the exception of heavy physical exertion) without the slightest risk to health.

If the patient already has some vision problems, in the first 14 days after the operation he will have to refuse to wear contact lenses, replacing them with glasses. Desirable - with a blackout effect.