how long does swelling last after Asian double eyelid surgery swelling after
Asian double eyelid surgery is one of the most common concerns expressed by
people considering this procedure the purpose of Asian eyelid surgery is to
create an eyelid crease which isn't well defined or absent it is common to have
the appearance of a higher eyelid crease than anticipated soon after surgery I'll
explain what exactly causes swelling after asian eyelid surgery and my
approach to minimize post surgical swelling
I'm Dr. Amiya Prasad I'm a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and
Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon I've been in
practice in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years I specialize in all
types of cosmetic eyelid surgeries such as specialty focus on Asian double
eyelids as well as hooded eyes under eye bags and specialized procedures like
eyelid ptosis upper and lower eyelid retraction I also perform corrective or
revision surgery for complications of procedures originally performed by other
doctors in my experience a significant number of asian eyelid surgery patients
who had their surgery done elsewhere contact me to express their concern that
their creases look too high after surgery this applies also to my own
patients who are also concerned that their eyelid creases look too high soon
after surgery the explanation for this phenomena is that swelling between the
eyelid margin and the crease creates this type of appearance as swelling
diminishes the crease level looks more natural the first thing I do as a
surgeon to reduce swelling after Asian double eyelid surgery is to perform the
procedure in a way which minimizes trauma and swelling I do this by
performing the surgery with local anesthesia and LITE IV sedation this
allows for more control over the anesthesia related swelling which could
occur more frequently with general anesthesia caused by coughing and
post-operative nausea and vomiting the degree of swelling and how long the
swelling lasts is affected by the type of double eyelid surgery performed for
example the incisional method of Asian double eyelid surgery typically involves
removal of excess fat that prevents an eyelid crease from forming as well as
exciting redundant or extra skin if necessary once excess fat and skin is
removed the upper eyelid skin is attached with sutures to the levator
muscle and then the lower part of the incision the levator muscle is the
muscle that lifts the eyelid which is like the word elevator without the first
e it is the connection between the eyelid skin and the levator muscle that
creates the eyelid crease if there is no redundant skin or excess fat that needs
to be removed typically seen in younger people without an eyelid crease then I
perform a procedure called a non-incisional asian eyelid surgery I do
this by creating small openings in the upper eyelid to pass sutures to connect
the eyelid skin with the levator muscle in order to create the connection
between the skin and the levator muscle to form an eyelid crease generally I
find that there was less swelling after a non-incisional surgery in comparison
toward the incisional method in the first two days after surgery I advise my
patients to use cold compresses on the eyes to be applied on a schedule of 20
minutes on 20 minutes off while awake during this same period when applicable
I have patients use antibiotic ointment for areas where surgery was performed
such as the entry points of a non-incisional procedure or the sutures
after an incisional procedure after the first two days I encourage my patients
to be moving around and encourage them to talk and smile
I also recommend when they are not active to use warm compresses to enhance
the circulation after the third day I also advise patients to switch from
antibiotic ointment to a petrolatum based ointment like aqua for this
reduces the potential for contact allergy from the antibiotic while
providing a moist environment for optimal healing prolonged use of an
antibiotic ointment can actually lead to more swelling due to a contact allergy
this can be misinterpreted as an infection which motivates the patient to
apply more antibiotic creating a vicious cycle of worsening the allergy and
causing even more swelling following post-operative instructions is important
for optimal healing and clearing of swelling sutures are usually removed at
five to seven days after surgery in my opinion the swelling between the eyelid
margin and the eyelid crease in Asian eyelid surgery is due to a compression
effect that is unique to this type of surgery in non Asian upper eyelid
surgery it's less common to have the same level of swelling in this area
since the skin is usually not sutured to the levator muscle in the same way as it
is in asian eyelid surgery the first month of healing for any surgeries refer
to as the proliferative stage of wound healing this is a time when new collagen
and blood supply is being created after the first month the remodeling stage of
wound healing begins where collagen becomes more organized swelling
diminishes significantly and at the six-month point the appearance is
typically stable and consistent with the originally expected outcome I regularly
follow my patients at specific intervals which are close together during the
first three to six months after surgery to monitor progress and to answer
questions many patients actually look very good in only a few weeks age and
extent of surgery our variables which do contribute to the recovery period
swelling which creates a perception of the eyelid crease being too high after
Asian eyelid surgery can be distressing optimal surgical technique anesthesia
and aftercare can minimize the swelling and the time it takes for the swelling
to resolve as skilled and experienced surgeon can guide you through the
aftercare process so you can achieve the outcome you want I hope you found this
information helpful thank you for your question
you