The Private Clinic

Rediscover the most beautiful you

Search for a treatment
02033256555

eyes

Recovery after Blepharoplasty: The aftercare guide

by Leave a Comment

Blepharoplasty – the surgical procedure of removing excess skin and fat around the eyes to remove eye bags and correct hooded, or drooping eyelids – is one of the simplest and most straightforward plastic surgery procedures you can have. It is one of the most popular cosmetic treatments which improves the appearance of the upper eyelids, lower eyelids, or both.

A Blepharoplasty procedure can take as little as 30 minutes, but just as any other treatment or surgery, you’ll need to ensure that you follow all the aftercare instructions and advice (how to care for your eyes, medications to apply or take) to allow for a swift and smooth recovery.

eyelid surgery blepharoplasty incison line

What to expect following your Blepharoplasty procedure

Before you leave the clinic, your surgeon will go through these Blepharoplasty aftercare guidelines with you and answer any questions you may have. Our patient advisors will contact you regularly to follow-up on your progress and you will also be given 24-hour emergency numbers, to keep your mind at ease knowing that you can get in touch with us whenever you feel the need to.

On the day of your procedure, we suggest that a family member or friend pick you up from the clinic and stay with you for the first 24 to 48 hours, until you are settled in and feel comfortable about acting autonomously.

While you’re comfortable at home, we recommend following the below general guidelines:

  • Avoid lying down flat. By keeping your head elevated, you can reduce some of the swelling while also being more comfortable. Use 3-4 pillows when sleeping. A 45-degree angle is best and a travel pillow will provide support for your neck. During the first week, make sure to sleep on your back.
  • Try not to bend forward or over for the next three weeks as this can increase swelling.
  • For the first 24 hours, try and eat only liquid, nutritious food so as to exert your face as little as possible.
  • DRINK WATER. We can’t stress enough how important it is for you to stay hydrated.
  • Don’t skip any of your medication. It’s in your own interest to take it exactly as prescribed. When your pain lessens, you can switch to over-the-counter medicine like ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
  • Don’t remove any steri-strips. It might be slightly uncomfortable, but please try not to touch the crusting around your stitches.
  • Quit smoking and alcohol for at least 6 weeks prior to surgery and 3 months after. That way you’ll be ensuring that your body’s healing ability is performing at full capacity.
  • Contact lenses shouldn’t be worn for 2 weeks.
  • Wait at least a week until you start driving again. Use common sense – if you have trouble seeing, don’t drive.
  • Use an SPF 30 sunblock or higher, regardless of your activities or the weather as your skin will be sensitive.
  • Don’t use any fragranced skincare products. If you feel the need to apply skincare products, do so cautiously and stay away from the incision areas to avoid infection.
  • Don’t apply any makeup until at least a week after your stitches have been taken out and the wounds have sealed. It’s best to avoid applying it until your eyes have completely healed in order to avoid scarring and infection. Note that using new products will further lessen the risk of infection.
  • Don’t do any exercise other than walking, which is necessary daily so as to prevent blood clot formation.

The healing process

Depending on your body, you will be advised to take around 1 week off work. It’s normal to experience some bruising and swelling during your initial healing process. This isn’t anything to be alarmed about, and your surgeon and aftercare advisor will talk you through how to control any discomfort. Very few of our patients report any pain experienced with the bruising.

Despite it being a minimal procedure, our patients have expressed great joy at having opted for it. Women in particular, have been impressed at how much easier their morning routines are now that they can easily apply makeup, without having to deal with troublesome creases and folds. Most just tell of how much younger and more refreshed they feel thanks to these small tweaks.


Blepharoplasty with Fat Transfer

The Private Clinic

At The Private Clinic, your safety and satisfaction are our top priorities. You aren’t just a number for us and we care about your well being even after you leave our premises. We pride ourselves in our thorough aftercare and we want you to feel confident that you’ll be supported all the way, no matter the procedure. Our industry-leading surgeons will provide you with all the information you need to have a smooth recovery following surgery and our expert team of medical professionals will be available 24/7 should you need any help or advice.

Blepharoplasty Surgeons at The Private Clinic

Blepharoplasty treatment procedures are available in our London, Manchester, Leeds and clinics.

Consultations for Blepharoplasty procedures are available nationwide in Glasgow, Northampton and Milton Keynes.

What does Blepharoplasty do?

by Leave a Comment

It’s often cited as one of the quickest and easiest plastic surgeries, with relatively small downtime and noticeable results. But what, exactly, does Blepharoplasty do?

Blepharoplasty Plastic Surgery upper and lower eyelids

Our eyes are one of the first areas to show visible signs of ageing and the effects can sometimes feel impossible to prevent; at less than 1mm, skin around the area is the thinnest on the body and signs of tiredness or dehydration often rear their ugly head on even the youngest of us.

To make matters worse skin around the eye thins even more as we age, meaning fine lines become more pronounced and the most minor of issues can feel extremely noticeable. Perhaps it’s no surprise then that Blepharoplasty was the second most popular cosmetic surgery treatment last year, with a total of 7,752 procedures performed in the UK alone.

The treatment, although surgical, takes little as 30 minutes and has extremely high safety records. The exact version of the treatment you need will vary, however, depending on what exactly you’re looking to achieve from it…

Hooded eyelids

Those who have heavy drooping on their upper eyelids are best suited for an Upper Blepharoplasty. Having hooded eyelids is not just an aesthetic issue; lots of patients come to us complaining of issues with vision or heaviness in the area that can make them feel tired, regardless of whether they are young or old.

Treatment on the upper eyelids is normally the most simple of any blepharoplasty procedure – taking around 30-60 minutes for the majority of cases. Likewise upper eyelid revision is usually performed under local anaesthetic, allowing patients to return home on the same day as their treatment (after adequate resting time, of course), while recovery is normally relatively speedy with full results on show within a couple of months.

Blephs image

Under eye bags

Under eye bags: something a lot of us have to battle with (particularly as we age) and something that’s extremely difficult to conceal. A Lower Blepharoplasty is usually the best way to address the issue, removing fatty deposits and excess skin from the area to reawaken the eye and leave the area refreshed.

More complicated than treatment for the upper lids (but still a fairly simple plastic surgery), lower blepharoplasty will normally take around 1-2 hours and is often performed under general anaesthetic, meaning you may have to stay in a hospital overnight after your procedure.

While the treatment is extremely effective in removing bags in the area, it’s important to remember it cannot remove discolouration; consultations with skin experts are the best way to ascertain what will and, as always, we firmly recommend against going with any clinic that doesn’t give you adequate consultation or consideration time.

Puffy eyelids

Depending on where the puffiness around your lids is, you may require either one of the above – or a combination of the two. A Combined Blepharoplasty will always be tailored to your needs so will vary massively from patient to patient, but is often be performed under general anaesthetic due to its more complicated nature meaning, again, the prospect of an overnight stay in hospital.

Sutures are often used to close blepharoplasty incisions, and these will normally be removed after 4-5 days regardless of the area it is performed in. Healing, however, is a completely individual process – work with your clinic to understand the best way forward for you.

Wrinkles

While Blepharoplasty can help ease heaviness in the eyes and get rid of excess skin, it isn’t always the best treatment for wrinkles around the eyes. Issues like crow’s feet are normally better solved through the use of non-invasive treatments like wrinkle injections or a resurfacing skin peel or treatment. This is why proper consultation with your practitioner is absolutely vital – only they can advise on the best way forward.

The Private Clinic

With over 30 years of Harley Street excellence and a team of the UK’s leading plastic surgeons behind us, we know you’re not simply a number. Your needs aren’t the same as anybody else’s and, even if undergoing the same procedure, your treatment should never feel the same as anybody else’s. We believe in working with you so you’re fully aware of why we choose a treatment, and what results you can expect to achieve.

Remember – Blepharoplasty is still a surgical procedure and should never be something you rush in to. A good surgeon should be able to assess you thoroughly and tell you whether the treatment is the best (or the only) way to combat whatever you’re looking to achieve. You and your safety are always the most important part of any treatment; remember that, and you should be able to achieve your expectations with sensitivity and care. www.theprivateclinic.co.uk