Dear Dr. Seckel, Could you tell me what the downtime would be for eyelid rejuvenation surgery with fat grafting (transconsunctival laser blepharoplasty)? Thank you, Gail, Methuen, MA.
Dear Gail,
The eyelid rejuvenation procedure called transconjunctival laser blepharoplasty with arcus marginalis release and fat grafting or fat repositioning usually requires 10 days to 2 weeks for recovery.
This eyelid rejuvenation operation also called an eyelid tuck is most commonly done to remove eyelid bags and dark circles under the eyes and correct the tired look.
The lower eyelids are swollen and slightly bruised (some patients have no bruising) for the first 3-5 days, and then the swelling starts to go down and is usually resolved by 2 weeks. The bruising if it occurs takes about 2 weeks to go away. Make-up will cover the bruising after about a week to 10 days.
I ask patients to not do heavy lifting and exercise for the first 2 weeks because vigorous activity can make swelling worse and can cause the eyelid to bleed.
I have my patients take an herbal medicine called Arnica three days before and 4 days after surgery-this helps prevent bruising.
When fat grafting or fat repositioning is done to correct dark circles under the eyes, the fat grafts can produce swelling in the area of the dark circle that can last up to 6 weeks. The swelling is not noticeable to most people and is well tolerated by most patients.
Thank you for your question. For further information on blepharoplasty, eyelid rejuvenation, and dark circles under the eyes read Save Your Face or contact me.
Boston, Massachusetts