Droopy upper lids can significantly age your appearance or give you a perpetually tired look. If you are bothered by these physical appearances, an upper blepharoplasty can help! When preparing for surgery, it’s important to understand the recovery process and what to expect. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you with an easy recovery.

What is Upper Blepharoplasty?

Drooping eyes can make you appear older than you are or create the appearance of being constantly tired. Upper eyelid surgery or upper blepharoplasty removes unwanted loose or hanging skin around the eyes, giving you a softer and more youthful appearance. Excess fat is also removed during the procedure to open up the eyes and brighten your appearance. By removing this excess hanging skin and fat, vision is also improved since severely sagging lids weigh heavily on the eyes.

Tips For Upper Blepharoplasty Recovery

For a smooth recovery and excellent final results, follow these steps during your eyelid surgery recovery:

1: Get Adequate Sleep

After surgery, your body needs time to rest and heal so getting a good amount of sleep is important. Make sure to sleep with your head elevated slightly for the first week to minimize swelling.

2: Protect Your Eyes

Your eyes may be sensitive to bright light after surgery so it is important to avoid sun exposure and wear dark sunglasses when outdoors. Heat and sun exposure can worsen swelling and impact your recovery. Sunglasses will also protect your eyes from the wind and debris that could blow into them.

3: Eat a Healthy Diet

Just like sleep, your body needs a good, nutritious diet to heal. Eat a diet that mainly consists of vitamin-rich vegetables and fruits and protein-rich lean meat, fish, or nuts.

4: Do not apply makeup

You should also only wear makeup with your eyelids once Dr. Golosow says it is safe. If your eyelids are still swollen, you should wait at least 2 weeks before applying makeup. This is good to know if you are planning to an upcoming event since you’ll want to give your eyes time to heal.

5: Avoid rubbing your eyes

Some people may feel uncomfortable after surgery because of dryness of the eye area. Rubbing the eyes could re-open the incisions and cause more irritation. If your eyes feel itchy, apply lubricating eye drops or moisturizer to the surrounding skin.

6: Avoid Strenuous Activity

Strenuous exercise as well as heavy lifting and bending at the waist can increase blood flow to the face and worsen swelling. Eye strain can also dry out the eyes, making you more uncomfortable, so try to avoid activities like reading and watching TV for about one week.

Schedule a Consultation

If you want to refresh your youthful appearance, schedule a consultation today with board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Lorraine Golosow. She will be happy to answer any questions you might have and discuss the procedure in greater detail.