How Long Is Recovery After an Eyelid Lift?

At Sule Facial Plastic Surgery Clinic in Dallas, TX, we understand how frustrating it can be to experience eyelid sagging. While you may be able to improve the appearance of your under eyes with makeup, no cosmetics will improve your field of vision if you are experiencing upper eyelid sagging. We want to help our clients improve their self-confidence and quality of life, so we are proud to offer blepharoplasty, otherwise known as an eyelid lift.

How Long Is Recovery After an Eyelid Lift? 

Generally, you should expect to need to stay home resting for approximately 10 to 14 days following your eyelid lift. Just a few days after your procedure, you may feel like you are well-rested enough to return to work, and some people return to work just one week after surgery. However, you should strongly consider working from home if you want to work during the early stages of your recovery process. You may be surprised by how fatiguing even sedentary work is.

Typically, you can expect to feel fully recovered four to six weeks after surgery, and you will be sufficiently healed to resume your usual routine at this point. However, your skin may not be fully healed just four to six weeks after your procedure. Depending on the scope of your procedure, your age, your health, and other factors, it may take anywhere from one to three months to feel completely confident in your new appearance.

What Recovery Tips Will Help Me? 

Take Time Off

One of the best things you can do to ensure a smooth recovery is to take off as much time as you need. You should be prepared to take a week or two off from work and arrange for someone to handle the transportation of your children every morning and afternoon until you are well-rested and able to drive safely. Additionally, if you do not want to have your groceries delivered or send your partner shopping, make sure that your home is well-stocked with essentials.

Take All Pharmaceuticals As Directed

Note that you do not only have to consider groceries when making sure you have everything you need to recover from surgery. You should also fill all of your prescriptions prior to surgery. This includes eye drops, ointments, analgesics, and antibiotics. Once your procedure is complete, you should take all medications as directed. For instance, it is important that you take a full course of antibiotics even if you don’t have an infection.  

Keep in mind, it isn’t just important that you take all medications as directed if you want your recovery to be as smooth as possible. It is also crucial that you do not consume anything that will impede your recovery. For example, you should not take any blood-thinning painkillers, like naproxen sodium, aspirin, or ibuprofen. Additionally, you should avoid all other drugs and supplements that can affect blood-clotting, like: 

• Cranberry extract
• Fish oil supplements
• Garlic supplements
• Vitamin E supplements

Take Care of Yourself

In addition to not putting any pressure on yourself to perform your usual duties, you should take excellent care of your incision sites if you want to heal as quickly as possible. Your eyes should be iced during the first three days following your procedure. Additionally, you should clean your eyelids very gently every day to mitigate the risk of an infection as the incisions are healing.

Another important thing to do to help yourself recover faster is to refrain from rubbing your eyes during your recovery period. Moreover, you should go at least two weeks without wearing contact lenses after surgery. It doesn’t matter if they are soft or hard lenses; inserting and removing them may irritate your incisions. Additionally, you should not smoke for at least two weeks after surgery and sleep with your head elevated for at least three days post-op.

Stay Patient

It can feel frustrating that you don’t have the results you want as soon as your procedure is complete. However, you should do everything you can to remain calm and patient while you are waiting on your skin to heal.

According to the National Institutes of Health, wound healing processes are slowed by both physiological and psychological stress. If you notice that you’re starting to feel anxious about how long the recovery process seems to be taking, try to do something relaxing. You won’t be able to take a hot bath during the first two weeks of your recovery, but you can try aromatherapy, journaling, or going on a stroll to calm your nerves and prevent impeded healing.

Protect Your Eyes

It is absolutely essential that you protect your eyes if you want to recover from surgery as quickly as possible. To protect your eyes from sunlight, you should wear dark sunglasses and a brimmed hat or visor when you go out. Sunglasses can also be helpful for protecting your eyes from the wind. Additionally, it is important to apply sunscreen to your incision sites when you go outside starting two weeks following your procedure.

Note that it is not just the elements that you need to protect your eyes from. It is also extremely important that you protect your eyes from strain. You should generally avoid watching television, playing video games, reading, or texting during the first week or two of your recovery. You should also do your best to avoid anything that can cause your eyes to dry out, like: 

• Wearing eye makeup
• Exposing yourself to extreme temperatures
• Using a hair dryer
• Being dehydrated
• Getting secondhand smoke exposure

Sleep Soundly

Sleeping soundly is another effective tool in the rapid recovery toolbox. Your skin will work around the clock to heal itself after surgery, but healing happens most efficiently when you are in the REM stage of the sleep cycle. You can only get to this stage by completing all the other stages of the sleep cycle, and if you wake up in the middle of the night, you have to start over from the first stage.

Ideally, you should sleep for at least nine hours straight every night after surgery. Starting over from the first stage of the sleep cycle is not the only downside to waking up in the middle of the night. Another downside is that you are missing a major opportunity to spend plenty of time in the REM stage. As you complete multiple consecutive sleep cycles, you spend more time in the REM stage of sleep.

Don’t Push Yourself Too Hard Physically

We’ve already talked about not pushing yourself to do chores or run errands. However, we also feel it is worth clarifying that under no circumstances should you engage in any strenuous physical activity. You should not run, perform HIIT, lift heavy weights, or do anything else that will increase your blood pressure or temperature too much. Sweating should be avoided for at least two weeks post-op, and vigorous physical activity should be avoided for at least four weeks.

Mind Your Diet

You can also go a long way in helping yourself heal from surgery faster if you mind your diet carefully. You may not have much of an appetite after your procedure, but it is absolutely crucial that you remain hydrated and well-nourished. If water isn’t palatable to you, flavor it with your favorite fruits juices, like lemon or lime, or sip on a smoothie with a high-protein base, like Greek yogurt. Lemon water or lime water is also great because it is high in vitamin C.

In general, it is extremely important that you get your RDA of all micronutrients. However, to facilitate rapid skin healing, it is crucial to get plenty of zinc, vitamin C, and protein specifically. Great sources of protein include lean cuts of poultry, seafood, and dark green vegetables. Dark green vegetables, citrus fruits, and tropical fruits tend to be high in vitamin C.

Schedule Your Initial Consultation Today

Recovery after an eyelid lift depends on several factors, including the scope of the procedure. Typically, you can expect to feel up to returning to work 10 to 14 days after surgery, and your incisions should be healed after one to three months. If you think you need help enhancing the appearance of your eye area, contact us now at Sule Facial Plastic Surgery Clinic in Dallas, TX to schedule your initial consultation and find out if you qualify for surgery.