There are various reasons why people choose to undergo eyelid surgery. They may not like the shape of their eyelids. Another reason why someone may begin to dislike their eyelids is because of sagging due to ageing. Some people may choose to have eyelid surgery to correct this problem.
The procedure of eyelid surgery involves a piece of skin on the eyelid being removed to create a tighter and younger looking eye. Before the procedure, the surgeon marks on your eyelid where the incisions will be made with a surgical marker. Once the general anaesthetic has worked the surgeon will begin to remove the skin. After all of the necessary skin is removed the surgeon will begin to stitch wound up to create your new, tight eyelid.
Post-op
Straight after the surgery patients will suffer severe swelling and redness around the incision areas; this is because the skin has just been cut so it will cause a lot of irritation. Patients will also notice that their eyes will get very tearful. The patient’s eyes get tearful to keep the eyes lubricated. Around the stitches, there will be a lot of itchiness so to combat this just put a cold compress on the eyes for short intervals of time. The cold compress will also help to reduce swelling and redness. The surgeon should advise you to use a certain ointment if you suffer from dry eyes to keep your eyes lubricated, this will also speed up the healing time. Due to the procedure, some people may suffer from temporary blurred or impaired vision so it is best to get a lot of rest and avoid straining them. Within 2-3 days after the surgery, the doctor will remove your stitches, but eyes must be kept lubricated with either ointment or eye drops to simulate tears.
Aftercare
For the first couple of weeks after the procedure you will notice a sensitivity to light, so if you are going outside or in a light area make sure to wear protection such as dark sunglasses to avoid discomfort. Patient’s eyes must be kept lubricated for the first couple of weeks after the procedure to avoid irritation. Things like reading, watching TV, wearing contacts or using a computer should be avoided as they will dry out your eyes. While sleeping patients should sleep with their head elevated higher than their chin. Up to a month after the procedure, the patient should take frequent short naps as their eyes will tire very easily. Up to a month after the surgery, the patient should avoid any activity that increases the blood flow to the eyes. This evolves activities such as bending over, lifting or even crying. 10 days after the surgery patients can return to light work.
Scarring
The surgeon makes sure that they only create incisions in discreet areas they will not be visible after the wound has healed. On the upper eyelid, the surgeon removes the skin in the natural eye crease. This is so the scar is not visible when the eye is open. On the lower eyelid the surgeon cuts and creates stitches as close to the lower lash line to reduce the appearance of any scarring. Naturally, over time, the scars will fade, but the location of the incisions just helps to reduce the appearance.