Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
What you can expect
By Mayo Clinic staff
Blepharoplasty is usually done in an outpatient setting under local anesthesia. Your surgeon injects numbing medication into your eyelids and administers intravenous (IV) medication to help you relax. This may make you groggy, but you will not be fully asleep.
During the procedure
If you have surgery on your upper and lower eyelids, the surgeon generally works on your upper lids first. The surgeon makes an incision along the natural fold of the upper eyelid. Then excess skin and some muscle and fat beneath the skin is removed. The incision is closed with tiny stitches that leave a nearly invisible scar. Sometimes surgical tape or skin adhesives are used instead.
The incision on the lower lid is made just below the lashes in your eye's natural crease or inside the lower lid. The surgeon removes excess fat, muscle and sagging skin. Depending on where the initial incisions are made, stitches may follow the lower lid's natural crease or be placed inside the lower eyelid.
If your eyelid droops close to your pupil, blepharoplasty is done in conjunction with another procedure to address that problem, which is called ptosis (TOE-sis).
After the procedure
Blepharoplasty usually takes less than two hours, depending on the amount and location of tissue being removed. Afterward you spend time in a recovery room, where nurses and their assistants monitor you for complications. You can leave later that day to recuperate at home.
After blepharoplasty a lubricating ointment will be applied to protect your eyes and prevent dryness. The ointment often may cause temporary blurred vision. You may also experience excessive tearing, light sensitivity and double vision just after the surgery. Your incisions will be red and visible at first, and your eyelids may be puffy and feel numb for several days. Swelling and bruising, similar to having "black eyes," will likely last a week or more. Ice packs or cold compresses applied to your eyes can help reduce swelling.
Pain is usually minimal. You may be given a pain reliever, such as acetaminophen, for mild discomfort, but remember to avoid aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), other NSAIDs and herbal supplements that may increase bleeding.
If stitches were used, they'll be removed in three or four days.
Take the following precautions for a week after the surgery, unless advised otherwise by your doctor:
- Don't lift anything weighing more than 20 pounds (9 kilograms).
- Avoid swimming.
- Avoid strenuous activities, such as aerobics and jogging.
- Sleep with your head raised higher than your chest.
- Follow your doctor's instructions for cleaning your eyes and using eyedrops.
- Seek medical attention immediately if you experience shortness of breath, chest pains, an unusual heart rate, new pain, bleeding or visual disturbance.
- Kim EJ, et al. Blepharoplasty. In: Lalwani AK. Current Diagnosis & Treatment in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw Hill Medical, 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aid=2833075. Accessed June 12, 2009.
- Surgery of the eyelids. American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. http://www.aafprs.org/patient/procedures/blepharoplasty.html. Accessed June 12, 2009.
- Eyelid surgery for women. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Accessed June 12, 2009.
- Trussler AP, et al. MOC-PS CME article: Blepharoplasty. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 2008;121:1.
