Question : Does lower lid blepharoplasty require much time for recovery? What are the complications of this procedure?
Answer : Blepharoplasty is often a middle aged patient’s first foray into cosmetic surgery. Opening up your eyes goes a long way in facial rejuvenation. Upper eyelids we do in the office under local anesthesia. Lower lids we usually do with sedation or general anesthesia. If fat is removed from the lower eyelid, the swelling and black and blue is usually gone by 7 days. If you require a fat transposition, moving of the fat causing the lower eyelid bags into the hollows and the so-called tear trough below the eye, you will have more swelling and more black and blue. I would not plan on returning to work before 10 days. This is our more common variation on the procedure. We prefer to use the fat pads of the lids to help provide youthful fullness to the lower lid. Complications are rare and are usually related to bleeding. It is important to stop any medications or herbal preparations that can cause bleeding 10 days before surgery. Aspirin, ibuprofen and other NSAID’s, warfarin, St. John’s wart, gingko biloba, garlic, high doses of vitamin E, and ginseng can cause bruising. Drinking pineapple juice for a week before and after surgery helps prevent bruising; it contains bromelein. If you have any questions about bruising as it relates to medications or other preparations you may be taking, please call us at 508-363-6500 or email us at [email protected].
Here are some images of lower lid blepharoplasty:
http://www.drbentkover.com/photogallery/wrinkles-scars/patient-4
http://www.drbentkover.com/photogallery/blepharoplasty-eyelid-surgery/patient-10