How Soon Can I Return to My Job After Blepharoplasty/Eyelid Surgery?
Blepharoplasty is an effective procedure for improving the appearance of your eyelids. It can also help you see better by preventing your eyelid from getting in the way. But what about recovery? When can you go back to work? Here’s what you need to know.
Typical Eyelid Surgery Recovery Period
Most patients recover from blepharoplasty within 14 days after their procedure. This doesn’t mean you have to wait two weeks to return to work, however. The recovery from this surgery is mostly about reducing bruising and swelling. When you decide to return to work is up to you and your personal comfort levels.
It can take between one and three months to fully recover your normal eyelid appearance and function. However, the majority of post-surgery effects should be manageable around the two-week mark.
How Many Days Should I Take Off Work?
When planning for your eyelid surgery, it’s important to get ahead of the clock and schedule your days off accordingly. It can be difficult to know how many days to take if you’ve never had eyelid surgery before.
On average, blepharoplasty patients take between five and ten days off from their jobs. Your situation may be different if you recover faster or need more time for the bruising and swelling to go down.
It’s a good idea to let your employer know that you’ll need at least five days off. That way, they can plan around your absence without causing unnecessary stress for anyone.
Deciding to Go Back to Work
Some patients get blepharoplasty for cosmetic purposes, while others need it for vision problems. After your surgery, you will be able to decide how well your eye functions in normal settings.
Since you need your eyes to accomplish almost every task throughout the day, it’s best to rest them as much as possible during your recovery period. And when you do decide to go back to work, make sure your eyes can function properly and aren’t strained, excessively swollen, or causing you pain.
How to Speed Up Your Recovery
The best way to have a speedy recovery from eyelid surgery is to follow all postoperative instructions from your surgeon. They may recommend resting for several days in a row to give your eye tissues time to heal and recover.
If you try to push yourself too hard before your recovery period is over, you risk causing complications and damage to your eyes. While it may sound contradictory, the best way to make recovery go faster is to allow yourself to fully rest and recover.
Keeping your head elevated for the first few days after surgery will help drain fluid and blood from your eyes. This can help recovery go smoothly and avoid buildup that interferes with your eyesight and comfort.
You should also use ice and other soothing tools that your surgeon recommends. These methods can help make the recovery process go faster.
Plan Your Time Off After Eyelid Surgery
Now that you know the approximate timeline, you can plan your time off work for your surgery. Get plenty of rest, and remember: recovery is all about taking it easy.
5 Possible Risks or Side Effects Associated With Eyelid Surgery
If you have sagging or loose skin surrounding your eyes, you may be interested in blepharoplasty. Also known as eyelid surgery, blepharoplasty is a cosmetic surgical procedure that removes and repositions the skin around your eyes. This can provide a variety of benefits, including:
A more youthful appearance
A reduction in sagging or “bags” under the eyes
A larger, more open appearance to the eyes
An increased or unobstructed field of vision
While eyelid surgery can produce certain benefits, as with any surgical procedure, it doesn’t come without certain risks. Five possible risks or side effects associated with blepharoplasty include:
1. Infection
Any procedure that makes an incision into the skin comes with the risk of infection. Eyelid surgery is no exception to this. When you have a blepharoplasty performed, small incisions will be made along the upper or lower eyelid. In some cases, incisions are made along both the upper and lower lid.
After your procedure, it is essential that you keep these incisions clean and free of debris or bacteria. Proper incision aftercare can prevent an infection from developing.
2. Scarring
Whenever an incision is made in the skin, there is the potential for scarring afterward. When you have eyelid surgery, the incisions are very small and will be made in discreet areas along the eyelid.
However, there is still a possibility you could develop a small scar. To minimize the risk of scarring, you may need to apply aftercare products that nourish the skin and encourage faster healing.
3. Injury to Eye Muscles
Another risk associated with blepharoplasty is damage or injury to your eye muscles. While this is incredibly rare, it is always possible when working in the small area surrounding the eyes.
When making an incision in the eyelids, it is possible to hit the tiny muscles that surround your eye. This can impact your ability to open or close your eyes after your procedure.
4. Blurry Vision
Sometimes eyelid surgery can impact your field of vision after the procedure. Patients may experience blurry vision or visual disturbances for several days to weeks after surgery.
This may be due to swelling and inflammation of the tissues surrounding the eye. These vision concerns usually subside within days or weeks after your recovery begins.
5. Skin Discoloration
A rare but still possible side effect of blepharoplasty is skin discoloration. You will likely experience bruising around the surgical site for several days to weeks, but some patients see a permanent change in the color of their eyelid skin. This may be addressed with certain topical products or other aesthetic treatments in the future.
When to Seek Eyelid Surgery
Blepharoplasty comes with certain risks and side effects, including blurry vision, scarring, and infections. However, eyelid surgery can be beneficial for many people.
If you struggle with loose or sagging skin around your eyes, you may be a good candidate for a blepharoplasty procedure. Eyelid surgery can remove this skin, helping improve your vision and create a more youthful appearance overall.
Top 5 Ways That Blepharoplasty Can Make Positive Changes in Your Life
If you have excess loose skin on your upper or lower eyelid, you may benefit from a blepharoplasty procedure. Blepharoplasty is a cosmetic surgical procedure that removes or tightens loose, hanging skin from around the eyes. This skin typically develops with age, but it can occur in younger people due to genetics.
When loose skin does develop around the eyes, you may notice a more aged, tired appearance. Having blepharoplasty can resolve these concerns and help enhance your look. Learn more about the top five ways blepharoplasty can make positive changes in your life.
1. More Youthful Appearance
The main purpose of a blepharoplasty is to remove excess skin from the upper and lower eyelids. This excess skin can create a more aged appearance, especially when it occurs underneath the eyes. Excess skin along the lower lid can form “eye bags” that make you look much older.
When you have eyelid surgery, it removes this excess skin to give the eyes a more youthful appearance, helping you achieve a younger look overall.
2. Eyes Look More Vibrant and Awake
If you have loose skin along the lower eyelid, it can make your eyes look tired and stressed. The appearance of under-eye bags is one of the most common aesthetic complaints for this reason. A blepharoplasty can give your eyes a more vibrant, open, and awake appearance that refreshes your face.
3. Enhanced Field of Vision
Another benefit of blepharoplasty is the way it can enhance vision for some people. Sometimes loose, excess skin on the upper eyelid can hang down into the field of vision, affecting your ability to see. This is particularly true for people who have a smaller eye shape to begin with.
During eyelid surgery, this excess skin is either removed or tightened to widen your field of vision and make it easier for you to see.
4. Easier Makeup Application
When you have excess skin around the eyes, it can impact the way you put on your makeup. Many people struggle to apply eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara when their upper eyelid skin is loose. Blepharoplasty can remove or reduce this loose skin to make eye makeup application easier. The result is a flatter, tighter eyelid that makeup glides onto much more smoothly.
5. Improved Self-Esteem
Some people who have excess skin surrounding the eyes feel self-conscious about their appearance. Enhancing your look by having this skin removed can improve self-esteem.
Many people find that eyelid surgery helps them feel like a more refreshed, rejuvenated version of themselves. The result is a boost in self-confidence and overall mood.
Experiencing Your Own Blepharoplasty ResultsBlepharoplasty is a beneficial procedure that can help both men and women at any age. You can see an improvement in both the way you look and the way that you feel by having excess skin removed from the eyelids. From younger-looking eyes to easier makeup application, there are numerous great reasons to seek blepharoplasty surgery.
Top 5 Questions People Ask About Eyelid Surgery/Blepharoplasty
Do you have eye bags under your eyes or loose skin that hangs on your upper eyelids? Excess skin on the upper or lower eyelids can add years to your appearance and create a tired look.
A blepharoplasty procedure can remove this excess skin and help you achieve a more youthful appearance overall. To learn more about blepharoplasty, take a look at the top 5 questions that patients have about eyelid surgery.
1. What Is the Purpose of Blepharoplasty?
The goal of blepharoplasty is to remove loose or excess skin from around the eyes. Many people struggle with excess skin on their upper eyelids. This skin can hang over the eyes and create an aged appearance. Extra skin on the upper lids can also impact your field of vision and impact the way you see.
Some people have loose, hanging skin along the lower eyelids. This condition is more commonly known as having eye bags. Eye bags can create a tired, aged appearance. Blepharoplasty can remove and tighten the skin along the lower lids to make the area around your eyes look smoother and more youthful.
2. How Is Eyelid Surgery Performed?
During a blepharoplasty, the surgeon makes a small incision along the fold of the upper eyelid. Through this incision, they remove the excess skin, muscle, and fatty tissue. The incision is then closed with tiny sutures.
If the surgeon is working on your lower lids, they will make an incision just below your lower lash line. Sometimes, they fold the lower lid outward and make an incision on the inside of the lid. They remove excess skin, muscle, and fat through this small incision.
Incisions on the inside of the lid are closed with small dissolvable sutures, while incisions on the outer bottom lid are closed with small sutures.
3. Will Blepharoplasty Affect My Vision?
A common concern patients have before getting blepharoplasty is how it may affect their vision. Many patients worry that a surgical procedure around the eyes could have a negative impact on their ability to see, but this is not the case with blepharoplasty.
In fact, a blepharoplasty procedure could actually improve your sight. If you have hanging skin on the upper eyelids, blepharoplasty can remove this skin and increase your field of vision.
4. What Is the Recovery Process Like?
Another frequently asked question about eyelid surgery is what the recovery process is like. The recovery process after blepharoplasty is simple for most people. You will be sent home the same day as your procedure to begin recovering at home.
Depending on where your incisions were made, you may have tiny sutures in place. These sutures can typically be taken out about one week after surgery. You may experience mild swelling and bruising around the surgical site, which will gradually subside in the weeks following your procedure.
For about four to six weeks after surgery, you should avoid rubbing your eyelids or encountering anything that could cause trauma to the incisions. Many patients avoid wearing eye makeup during this time because the application and removal process can cause friction at the surgical site.
5. Will I Have Visible Scarring from My Blepharoplasty?
As with any surgical procedure, there is always a risk of scarring at the incision site. With blepharoplasty, the risk of scarring is very low. The incisions made during eyelid surgery are small and discreet.
A qualified plastic surgeon will make your incisions in areas where the natural creasing of your eyelid can easily hide them. Proper aftercare will also reduce the risk of scarring after a blepharoplasty.
4 Reasons for You to Schedule Blepharoplasty in 2023
Eyelid surgery, medically known as blepharoplasty, is among the most widely performed cosmetic procedures in the world, offering dramatic changes in your appearance with limited downtime. Blepharoplasty comes with both medical and aesthetic benefits, including better vision and a more youthful appearance.
If you’ve considered eyelid surgery, there’s no time like the present. Scheduling blepharoplasty in the new year is a great way to start fresh and enjoy the benefits of this impactful procedure. See the 4 best reasons to consider getting blepharoplasty below.
1.Restore Your Vision
As the delicate skin of your eyelids droops over time, it can obstruct your peripheral vision, causing more difficulty when driving or reading.
Eyelid surgery removes excess skin over the eyes and tightens the underlying muscle that contributes to sagging eyelids. As a result, the procedure can restore your vision clarity while offering a long-term solution to drooping skin.
2.Rejuvenate Your Bright, Youthful Appearance
The eyes are where you connect with others. They’re one of the first places you look when meeting someone new or interacting with friends and loved ones. Unfortunately, as the skin around your eyes is thinner and more fragile, the eyes are also one of the first areas to show signs of aging.
Over time, the skin around your eyes begins to lose its elasticity, and the muscle supporting your eyelids begins to weaken. As a result, your eyes look older, more tired, and less engaged.
Upper eyelid surgery tightens eyelid muscles while removing excess fat and skin in the eyelids to restore your youthful appearance with brighter, more open, alert eyes. Lower eyelid surgery can correct and smooth the skin to reduce lines, puffiness, and sagging, diminishing undereye bags and hollows.
3.Rebalance Asymmetry in Your Eyes
As the skin around your eyes begins to sag and fold, it rarely happens evenly and causes the eyes to develop an asymmetry that affects the balance of your entire face.
Restoring symmetry in the eyes is one of the most common reasons patients choose blepharoplasty. Whether your eyes are naturally asymmetrical or develop an unevenness with age, restoring balance enhances your overall appearance.
A skilled plastic surgeon who understands the golden ratio can ultimately and subtly enhance your appearance through a minimally invasive procedure like eyelid surgery.
4.Look and Feel Your Best
When your drooping eyelids are the first thing you notice when you look in the mirror, it affects how you feel about yourself. Eyelid surgery is a relatively inexpensive, fast procedure with a limited recovery time that offers impressive results.
Performed as an outpatient procedure that doesn’t require general anesthesia or an extended hospital stay, blepharoplasty reduces sagging eyelids, lines, wrinkles, and eye asymmetry.
Most patients return to their normal activities in 10 to 14 days with brighter, more youthful eyes and improved confidence.
Aging is a natural part of life. However, when the signs of aging affect how your eyes function and feel, eyelid surgery offers a dramatic improvement with few, if any, drawbacks.
What Does Recovery After Blepharoplasty Look Like?
If you’re experiencing droopy eyelids or baggy under-eyes, it may be time to take action to achieve younger, rejuvenated-looking eyes. Blepharoplasfy surgery can help turn back the hands of time and significantly improve the appearance and function of your eyelids.
What Is Blepharoplasty Surgery?
Blepharoplasty (also referred to as an eyelid lift) is a type of eyelid surgery for removing excess skin on the eyelids.
The skin around the eyelids is very sensitive. As you age, the skin stretches, and the supporting muscles weaken considerably. This causes excess skin and fat around the eyes, resulting in droopy eyelids and puffy bags under the eyes.
Aside from the cosmetic need to get an eyelid lift, it may also be necessary to improve vision. When eyelids are particularly saggy, they can negatively affect your peripheral vision.
Blepharoplasty can be performed on the upper, lower, or both eyelids, depending on your needs and aesthetic goals. Both men and women can benefit from blepharoplasty surgery. After blepharoplasty, you’ll enjoy younger, more alert eyes for years to come, as the results are long-lasting.
The Blepharoplasty Procedure
Prior to your surgery, you can opt for local anesthesia with either oral or IV sedation — whatever is most comfortable for you.
During an upper eyelid blepharoplasty, an incision is made along the natural fold of the eyelid, allowing for the removal of skin and fat. Lower blepharoplasty requires an incision along the lower lashes to remove excess skin and fat.
After your procedure is done, you’ll go into recovery before you’re released to go home and begin the healing process.
Recovery After Blepharoplasty Surgery
Once your surgery is complete, recovery starts. Recovery after blepharoplasty is not difficult, as patients can usually return to normal life soon after surgery. Immediately after surgery, it’s common to experience any of the following:
Watery eyes
Blurred vision
Sensitivity to light
Numb eyelids
Swelling
Bruising
It is important to note these are all temporary and will improve in the days after your surgery. To promote healing, you can do the following as recommended:
Place ice packs on the eye area
Use eye drops and ointments
Sleep with your head raised to reduce swelling
Wear dark sunglasses if going outside
Patients usually do not experience pain after surgery, only slight discomfort. While some patients take a few days after surgery off from work and activities, some patients who work desk jobs feel comfortable returning to work a day or two after their procedure.
Exercise and strenuous activity should be avoided for a week after eyelid surgery. Patients are able to return to their normal exercise routines within two or three weeks after their blepharoplasty. Once stitches around the eyes are removed, patients can resume wearing makeup.
The Results of Blepharoplasty Are Worth the Recovery Process
The results of blepharoplasty speak for themselves. Recovery is not as uncomfortable as you may believe, allowing you to enjoy your results and benefits just weeks after your surgery. Experience younger-looking eyes and better vision with blepharoplasty.