One of the more frequently asked questions is what will my eyes look like after an upper blepharoplasty, or eyelid lift, procedure? Or what can I expect at one week out from my eyelid lift? Within the first 72-96 hours your eyes will swell and might even bruise. We always recommend ice compresses (or Karo syrup bags) to the eyes during this period to minimize swelling and discoloration. Within 5-6 days, I will see you in our office to remove the sutures. The sutures are fine threads placed along the upper eyelid crease to bring the skin edges together very carefully. There are some additional sutures along the outside of the eyelid in some cases where the patient has ‘hooding’ of the skin to the side. You may still look puffy that day when the sutures come out but within a few days to weeks will begin to look more and more presentable in the public. One of our San Diego rhinoplasty patients who had an upper eyelid blepharoplasty is shown in the attached photo 5 days out from surgery on the left showing what the average patient looks like at this point. Notice the fine blue sutures along the upper eyelid. On the right is the same patient within a few weeks. Happy healing. Dr. Hilinski
