Risks And Recovery Time For Eyelid Lift Surgery

Eyelid surgery is relatively simple but as with all operations it is not 100% risk-free. Here are few things that you need to consider before opting for eyelid surgery and if you have any concerns about them then your surgeon will be more than happy to discuss the procedures with you:

Potential Risks With Eyelid Surgery
Initially you may experience some minor complications such as temporary double or blurred vision. Some patients complain of a stinging, gritty sensation in the eye as well as excessive watering and even a slight asymmetry in the size and shape.

These are usually temporary and nothing to worry about but more serious, but again normally temporary, some complications can include very dry eyes, problems with closing eyes completely, prominent scars or the drooping of the lower lid.

In nearly all cases these problems rectify themselves after a few days but if the problems persist it may be necessary to have further surgery to correct the problem.

A more severe, but thankfully rare condition is bleeding behind the eye. This is quite serious as it temporarily increases the pressure around the eye and may need a procedure to release the pressure.

There are some medical conditions that can cause complications after eyelid surgery and you will need to discuss them with your surgeon before agreeing to the surgery. The conditions include, dry eyes or lack of sufficient tears, thyroid problems, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. If you suffer from any of these problems, please tell you surgeon about them as they can increase the risk of the problems mentioned earlier.

After The Operation And Recovery Time
How can you expect to feel after the operation? Well, as the anaesthetic begins to wear off your eyelids will feel tight and sore with a possible burning sensation. You will have some swelling for several weeks after the procedure and bruising for at least 10 days.

To speed up the recovery process keep your head elevated with extra pillows above the level of your heart when you are laying down. You might find that using cold compresses and ice packs during the first 48 hours will also reduce the swelling. Your surgeon will also advise your to avoid alcohol. This is good advice as alcohol dries out your eyes, causes fluid retention and significantly extends the time you need to recover.

The fine stitches used for closing up the incision will be removed three to five days after the procedure. You will need to clean the eye area for a week to ten days after the stitches have been removed, as the eyes will become sticky and itchy. In some cases your surgeon might recommend that you use eye drops or an eye lubricant, especially for use at night.

Do not try to wear contact lenses for one to two weeks after the operation. You might feel more comfortable to wear large sunglasses to cover the bruising and as protection against the light and dust because the eye area will be very sensitive to the sun, wind and other irritants for several weeks after the operation.

Your surgeon will explain all of these points to you before you decide to have the operation and will help to allay any fears or concerns that you might have.

Should You Have An Eyelid Lift?

One of the first signs of getting older is droopy or hooded eyelids. In cases like this many people decide to have eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty).

An eyelid lift can restore the contour to the lids and help get rid of the bags under the eyes. However, it won’t get rid of your wrinkles or crows feet. You will need to have Botox treatment for that.

Generally, droopy upper eyelids and/or puffy lower ones are often genetic and run in families and it affects men as well as women. What happens is that the eyelid skin begins to thin and stretch as we get older and then becomes loose. The muscles around the eyes weaken and the fat pads that cushion the eyeball move forward resulting in saggy eyelids.

Puffiness of the eyes can occur when a fat pad starts to pull away from the bone of the lower eye and begins to sag. Droopy upper eyelids can result in hooding over the eyes as the lids get fuller and heavier.

So if that is happening to you and you are considering having an eyelid lift what can you expect and what is involved?

The procedure itself if relatively simple. It may be performed under a general anaesthetic or ‘twilight’ anaesthesia, which is also known as conscious sedation. This is where you are asleep but not unconscious. This is not as scary as it may sound. In fact, if you are only having eyelid surgery it is likely that you will be admitted as a day patient, using the twilight method, which means that you won’t have to spend a night in hospital.

Lower Eyelid
There are a number of was that the surgeon will perform the operation but the most common method of performing lower eyelid surgery is to make an incision along and under the lower lashes. The surgeon then lifts the skin and muscle to remove a small amount of fat. Excess skin and muscle are then trimmed from the lower lid.

If it is just your lower eyelids that are affected by fatty deposits the fat can just be removed from the inside of the eye without leaving a visible scar.

Upper eyelid
Surgery on the upper eyelid involves making a curved incision across the eyelid crease in the natural skin fold. This follows the shape of your eyelids. The surgeon will draw a line to identify the lower edge of the skin and will then trim it away. Next, the excess skin of the upper eyelid is marked out and this is removed along with any fatty tissue and a thin strip of muscles to give the eyelid crease more definition. The incision is then closed and the scar will be hidden by the natural fold in the upper eyelid.

Operating time will generally be about 1 to 3 hours and as I mentioned earlier you will be released from hospital shortly after it, probably the same day.