Because blepharoplasty is a straightforward outpatient procedure, some patients falsely assume they can leave the surgery and return immediately to their daily routines. Blepharoplasty is a delicate procedure. A patient must allow a proper recovery to avoid many of the common complications. Continue reading for tips on avoiding these complications after your eyelid surgery.
Things To Do After You Have Blepharoplasty
The most important thing you can do after having eyelid surgery is take a week off. This includes your job and other regular activities. You must rest to prevent excessive swelling and bruising. Dr. Zenn requires a week of rest for all blepharoplasty patients. He knows from experience that minimal activity, ice packs, and head elevation are best for healing. Boredom should be the biggest enemy after surgery, as patients do nothing but sit around the house for a week. Please take this recovery time as an opportunity to listen to some great audiobooks or simply rest and enjoy a well-deserved break. The surgery is not painful, so discomfort should not be an issue.
As you are resting, you should use cool compresses or ice packs for your eyes as long as possible for the first two days after surgery. This is where ice masks come in handy. You can expect swelling and bruising of the eye area after blepharoplasty; however, icing the surgical site can reduce these side effects and get you back to looking like you - only better!
Besides taking a week off to rest, the next best thing you can do if you are a smoker is to avoid smoking for four weeks after surgery. Smoking isn’t just harmful to your cardiovascular health; it also negatively impacts your body’s ability to heal. In fact, smoking is so detrimental to your healing process, not to mention the actual plastic surgery, that Dr. Zenn often requires his patients to be non-smokers or to quit smoking at least two months before their procedure.
Things Not To Do After Having Eyelid Surgery
Your eyelid surgery will involve stitches and swelling of the eye tissues. While recovering from blepharoplasty, it is not a time to rub your eyes! Doing so can reopen your incisions and introduce bacteria from your hands that may lead to an infection or worsen swelling. Other than eyedrops and lubricants as prescribed by your doctor, avoid touching your eyes after blepharoplasty surgery at all costs.
Finally, for women who wear eye makeup, you must go au natural for about two weeks. While not wearing makeup for two weeks may disappoint some women, it is essential for optimal recovery. In fact, while Dr. Zenn’s typical recommendation is to avoid makeup for two weeks, he tells patients in their post-operation instructions to wait until he has verbally cleared them for makeup use during a postoperative appointment.
Learning More About Blepharoplasty
If you have drooping or sagging eyelids that you’d like to address, blepharoplasty can be a great way to achieve your aesthetic goals. If you’d like to learn more about the procedure the best thing you can do is schedule an initial eyelid surgery consultation with Dr. Zenn. At your consultation he will explain the process in detail and answer any questions you may have.
Call Zenn Plastic Surgery today at (919) 480-3885 to schedule this appointment.
