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Lower eyelid surgery recovery is limited by the time it requires for bruising of the lower eyelid down through the upper cheeks and into the neck. The evolution of bruising down and across the face requires approximately seven to ten days.
Patients do have small sutures in place but these sutures are clear and not perceptible with the naked eye when observed by others.
Most patients will feel up to performing their routine chores after two to three days once the swelling in the lower eyelid resolves. The lower eyelid is prone to generous swelling as well as bruising as discussed above due to its high vascular and lymphatic channels.
The high density of vascular structures makes the lower eyelid prone to leakage of fluid, called plasma, which results in transient swelling and bruising.
Lower Eyelid Recovery Time
Patients can usually cover the bruising of the cheeks with foundation and makeup after about seven days while they await the complete resolution of bruising by 10 days which is when they can return to work without the fear of having others detect that they have had cosmetic surgery performed.
Patients’ sutures are typically removed on day 7. Patients may observe minimal swelling that is not aesthetically distracting but which will resolve over the first month after surgery.
Eyelid surgery recovery can be expedited with the use of Arnica that is applied both topically and taken by mouth that will minimize bruising. In addition, ensuring that your blood clotting capacity is normal can reduce the bruising. Blood clotting capacity is measured by evaluating laboratory values for your PT, PTT, and INR.
If your clotting levels are not optimized, early planning can help you normalize your blood clotting ability so that you can minimize your eyelid surgery recovery.
If you are interested in optimizing your eyelid surgery recovery, we recommend that you contact our office at Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Institute well before your surgery so that all precautions can be taken to optimize your blood clotting capacity.
Please see this 57-year-old female who is loving her upper and lower eyelid blepharoplasty.
