Eyelid surgery

Eyelid surgery is performed under local anesthesia. This means that you will be conscious during the procedure. The procedure can also be performed under general anesthesia. Once the anesthesia wears off, you will probably notice that the upper eyelids are still sensitive. An oppressive feeling is not uncommon. Bruising and swelling tend to occur, but in most cases these disappear again after a week. Cooling the eyes after treatment can reduce swelling. Any medical treatment carries risks. In a personal consultation with the attending plastic surgeon, you will be told if the treatment poses any special risks for you.

You will need to take it easy on the day of surgery, so no physical exertion. NEVER remove the adhesive tapes on the side and on your eyes! The suture is glued with these, so you run the risk of removing the suture prematurely. If the patch comes off, stick a small patch over it. Do not wash the face extensively with soap the first week after surgery; this may loosen the adhesive plasters too soon. You can return to sports 2 weeks after the procedure when the scar has healed and the swelling/blue discoloration has disappeared. Do not use makeup for the first week. The doctor will tell you at your first check-up (= after 7 days) when you can do so again. Do not drink alcohol the night before the procedure and on the day of the procedure. This will thin the blood and increase the risk of bleeding and swelling.

For the first 48 hrs: It is recommended to cool for about 15 min per hour. This is easiest with the coolpack or with frozen peas in a bag protecting the underlying skin with a tissue. This will reduce swelling and bluishness. Keep your head high. If it is necessary to bend down, sink through your knees. The first 2 nights: Can you sleep on two pillows so the head is higher and the swelling goes down faster. After 24 hours: May gently wash the face, preferably keeping the operated area as dry as possible. Should it get wet, gently pat the eyes dry. This will not cause any harm. The plasters MUST stay on the wound. If you do not experience any eye irritation, you may resume wearing your lenses if necessary. Please bring glasses with you on the day of surgery.

Healing of the scar will not begin until the sutures are removed after 1 week. Most of the swelling will be gone by then but blue spots may still be present. Sometimes swelling may still be present after 2 to 3 weeks, but this varies greatly from person to person. Only after 3 months will you see the final healed result. The scar recovery and decrease in color of the scar takes time. The scar normally falls nicely into the crease (arcade arch) of the eye so that it is hardly visible.

Sunlight has a negative effect on scars: in fact, sensitive skin that is still healing can change color. This causes you to go from small, inconspicuous scars that, over time, fade away against your skin, to dark colored lines that remain visible. Tanning bed light has the same effect.

If you wear contact lenses, remove them before the eyelid surgery. During recovery, you cannot wear lenses for the first few days. Wearing glasses is not a problem. You will not be able to wear contact lenses again until you can insert them without pulling on your eyelid. Often this period takes about a week.

Makeup delays the healing of your eyelids. To prevent makeup from getting into the wounds on your eyelids, do not apply makeup for the first two weeks after eyelid surgery. Eye makeup such as eyeliner, mascara and eye shadow can interfere with healing. However, you should also keep foundation, BB cream and day cream away from your eyelids.

You may take a shower after the procedure, but the wounds on your eyelids and the plasters stuck over them should not get wet. Therefore, do not hold your face under the water jet when you shower and do not shower for too long. This is because the steam released during showering also causes the plasters to get wet. After removing the sutures, your eyelids may get wet.

Actually, 3 days after your eyelid surgery, you will look worse than before 🙂 Fortunately, this is only temporary, but keep in mind not to plan too important parties or meetings for the first week. The swelling after the surgery will also start to subside little by little, so you will also have swelling under the eyes. This is normal and will disappear after 1 week on average. After 7 days, the threads may be removed. As you can see in the picture, this lady still has wires and steri-strips, these must remain in place for 7 days.

When pressure is put on your eyelids, it slows wound healing and your eyelids may feel sensitive or even painful at times. Therefore, do not bend forward or lift heavy objects. When sleeping, your head is often slightly higher than the rest of your body. To spare your eyelids, we recommend putting a second pillow under your head. This will prevent too much blood from flowing to your eyelids.

During the first few days of the eyelid surgery, take adequate rest to give the wounds time to heal. We recommend that you do not perform any work in the first 24 hours after the procedure. After 24 hours you can resume light administrative work. Most patients take a week off after surgery to allow the wounds to heal. Swelling and bruising may go away with adequate rest.

Please arrange for someone to pick you up after the procedure, as you are not yet allowed to drive yourself. As long as the stitches are in your eyelids, we do not recommend that you drive.

After surgery, a cold pack is placed on your eyes. This cooling causes your eyes to become less swollen and blue. As soon as you feel well enough you may go home. Make sure someone comes to pick you up. You may continue to cool your eyes the day of your procedure until the evening, every hour for 15 min. This can be done in several ways. It can be done using a cold pack or frozen peas in a plastic bag (this not directly on the eyes, tissue in between). For the first 24 to 48 hours, the eyes may feel tight and sometimes bothersome. This is due to the swelling and is prefectly normal after this procedure. After about three days it will disappear. After 24 hours you may shower (not for a long time). You may gently pat the eyes dry. Do not rub your eyes the plasters MUST stay in place! The week of the procedure you should take into account that you should not bend down or make heavy physical efforts (sports, lifting, etc.). This will prevent tension on the eyelids. Take it easy for the first few days. Use an extra pillow when sleeping so that your head is slightly higher. After a week the sutures and stitches will be removed. You can return to applying makeup to your eyelids two weeks after surgery unless your doctor instructs otherwise.

Before we begin the eyelid surgery, the doctor will go over everything with you again. If you are allergic to anything, be sure to tell the doctor and the nurse. A photograph will be taken of your face. Then the doctor will make a drawing to indicate how much excess skin he will remove and discuss this again with you. The time has come! You can sit down on the treatment chair. You can keep your clothes on. The nurse will disinfect your entire face and you will get some sterile cloths on your body, this way we are sure that everything remains sterile during the procedure. Once you are completely disinfected, the doctor will inject the local anesthetic. This is actually the only prick you will feel (similar to a prick at the dentist). We now allow the anesthesia to take effect for a few minutes. After a few minutes we test whether the area is properly anesthetized. If you no longer feel anything we can start. The excess skin is removed and corrections are made. Once we are done the sutures are placed. We work with a non-digestible thread that we will remove after 7 days. On these wires we stick a few more special plasters to ensure strength. You will also leave these plasters in place for 7 days. The operation is at an end, just a cold pack on the eyes to counteract the swelling. The nurse will now also come to explain the aftercare and you will be given an appointment to come back after 7 days to remove your threads. Make sure someone comes to pick you up as you are not allowed to drive a vehicle on the day of your procedure.

Before performing surgery, you are required to have a consultation with the plastic surgeon. The doctor will assess your skin quality, eyebrow position and excess skin. They will also discuss your expectations and see if they are realistic and achievable. If you decide to go ahead with the treatment, pictures will be taken and added to your personal file. The doctor will also give you some documents that you should read carefully, such as the informed consent form. If you wear reading material, you must take it off on the day of your operation and wear glasses.

Immediately after the procedure, you will have swollen upper and/or lower eyelids with possible blue discoloration. This varies greatly from patient to patient. In general, the swelling starts to decrease after 3 days. You can see normally after the procedure but the eyes will feel heavy. Your eyes will also be sensitive to light so be sure to bring sunglasses. This is normal and disappears within 2 days. 1 hour after your procedure, the anesthesia will have completely worn off. Feel free to take a painkiller such as paracetamol (Dafalgan) if needed. You do not need to be sober (with local anesthesia). If you are doing well after the procedure (which takes an average of 45 minutes) you may also go home soon under supervision. You are NOT allowed to drive a car or any other type of vehicle. At the follow-up check-up (after an average of 1 week) the plasters and stitches will be removed, however, the final result can be assessed after 3 months. The result of an eyelid correction is permanent. However, over time the skin will begin to weaken again. The scar from an upper eyelid correction is located in the arcade arch (this is the skin crease of the eyes) so it is barely visible. For the first 6 to 9 months, however, the scar may still be discolored red. Always use sunblock SPF 50 to protect your scar. The lower eyelid surgery scar runs just below the eyelashes.

You can schedule a free online consultation with our plastic surgeon. You may also call and we will fix the appointment for you: +32 (0)468 02 94 88 Before we proceed with the actual eyelid correction you will need to fill out a consent form. You can download it here and sign it and bring it to your appointment.