Aftercare and recovery advice

The first few weeks after your eyelid surgery have a significant impact on the final result of your treatment. It is therefore important to follow the aftercare and recovery advice below carefully; this will minimize the risk of complications, speed up the recovery process, and ultimately ensure an optimal final result.

What IS common after eyelid surgery?

• After surgery, you may not be able to fully open or close your eyes.
• Especially during the first night after surgery, you may experience a small amount of wound fluid mixed with some blood.
• There will likely be some bruising and mild swelling on and around your eyelids, which is normal. Bruises may become more visible in the days following the treatment and change in color, often turning from purple/blue to yellow and usually disappearing a few days later. Typically, bruising is no longer visible 7 to 14 days after your upper blepharoplasty. For lower blepharoplasty, this usually takes about a week longer.
• Your vision will be somewhat blurry for the first few days.
• Dirt may accumulate in the corners of your eyes and on your eyelashes, especially overnight. You can gently remove this with a moist cotton swab in a circular motion.
• Your bandages may partially loosen or curl. Do not remove these bandages yourself! Try to press them back on gently. If your bandages come off completely, contact us; we can apply new ones. If stitches become visible, we strongly advise against cutting or removing them yourself.

What is NOT common after eyelid surgery?

If any of the following occurs after surgery, please contact us immediately:

• Excessive swelling around the eyes, combined with dark purple/black discoloration, causing your eye(s) to be unable to open. This is often accompanied by a strong pressing feeling.
• Bleeding (flowing) that does not stop after pressing with a compress for 5 minutes.
• Pus formation and/or fever.
• Acute vision loss.

Aftercare and recovery eyelid surgery

Driving after surgery

You should not drive yourself home after the procedure. Aside from the fact that your vision may be impaired due to swelling, your insurance may also not allow driving while you still have stitches around your eyes. Therefore, we advise against driving yourself for the first week after surgery until your stitches are removed.

Cooling the eyelids

We recommend cooling your eyelids with a cooling eye mask or a bag of frozen peas for 10 minutes every hour during the first three days at home. From day four to seven, we suggest cooling a few times per day. Cooling helps reduce swelling and bruising and provides relief from itching. It’s important to place gauze between your eyes and the cooling mask or frozen peas to prevent the skin from sticking and to offer some protection.

Avoiding pressure-increasing activities

Eyelids can easily swell due to fluid buildup, especially during the first period after surgery. It is important to avoid pressure on your head for the first two weeks. Do not bend over, lift heavy objects, exercise, or engage in physical exertion.

Showering after eyelid surgery

After surgery, adhesive plasters will be placed over your sutures. It is important to keep the wound and plasters dry. You can shower but avoid directing water directly at your face. We also recommend avoiding baths or saunas due to sweating, as this could loosen the plasters.

Makeup after eyelid surgery

Make sure your eyes are clean and makeup-free before the surgery. After the procedure, you should not apply makeup on or around your eyes for two weeks. Makeup can be applied again after this period.

Wearing contact lenses/h3>
We advise against wearing contact lenses for up to two weeks after the surgery, mainly to avoid pulling on or around the eyelids. Wearing glasses is permitted.

Avoid direct sunlight and tanning beds

Direct sunlight on damaged skin (like your scars) can cause unwanted pigmentation (discoloration). This can lead to permanently visible dark scars. To prevent this, you should not expose your eyes to sunlight or tanning beds for the first six weeks after surgery. Always wear sunglasses outdoors to protect your eyes. It is also advisable to apply a high SPF cream starting two weeks after surgery before going outside.

Arnica drops or cream

We advise against using Arnica drops around the surgery area. You can, however, apply Arnica cream to your cheeks, but avoid contact with the treated area.

Sleeping on your back

We strongly recommend sleeping on your back and not on your side or stomach. Sleeping on your back helps prevent damaging the eye area during sleep. Using a neck pillow and placing a pillow under your knees may help ensure you stay on your back while sleeping.

Paracetamol, aspirin or ibuprofen after eyelid surgery

Paracetamol is allowed after the procedure. We recommend not using aspirin-containing medications or ibuprofen between ten days before and seven days after the surgery to help prevent excessive bleeding during and after the procedure.

Going for walks after the procedure

Gentle walking can be pleasant during the recovery period after surgery. Fresh air is beneficial. However, do not walk too vigorously; make sure to take adequate breaks.

Cleaning wounds after surgery

It is important to keep the area around your eyes clean, but avoid getting the bandages wet. We recommend using a cotton swab lightly moistened with water to gently clean the eyelash line.

Going back to work

In the first days after surgery, you may have some bruising and swelling around your eyes, which can feel uncomfortable at work. Stitches will be removed after about 7 days. Most people can return to their normal work after that. Heavy physical labor should be avoided for at least the first two weeks after surgery.

Exercising

We strongly advise against exercising or performing any moderate to heavy physical exertion for the first two weeks after surgery. Afterward, we recommend taking it easy for a few more weeks, depending on your recovery process and the type of sport you practice.

Scar cream

We recommend using the specially developed VandenBroecke scar cream on your scars once the scabs have disappeared (usually about two weeks after the treatment). The VandenBroecke Kliniek will provide you with this scar cream free of charge after your stitches are removed.

Cosmetic injectables

Injectables such as muscle relaxants can complement eyelid surgery to, for example, lift the eyebrows. You can undergo injectable treatments again starting 6 weeks after eyelid surgery. You are welcome to visit our colleagues at Kliniek Vrijdag for these treatments.

Advice after removal of sutures from eyelid surgery

We recommend that, for at least one week after the removal of your stitches (i.e., two weeks after your surgery), you are very gentle with the area around your eyes. This means: avoid rubbing, wiping, and/or scrubbing the area, etc.

The bandages applied after the removal of stitches can be removed by yourself after 3 days. Gently peel them off from the inside towards the outside.

If any scabs remain, we advise leaving them in place. Do not pull them off, as the healing process will proceed much better if you wait for them to fall off naturally. Once they have all fallen off, you can begin applying the scar cream. You can also start applying makeup to the area around your eyes at that time.

After three months, your final check-up will take place. Our plastic surgeon will assess how the healing process has progressed and whether the treatment has delivered the desired results. During this final check-up, your ‘after’ photos will also be taken. We will create a ‘before-and-after’ comparison with the photos taken earlier and send the image to you via email.

Availability after treatment

During office hours (09:00 – 17:00), you can reach us at: 088 – 0042 700
For emergencies outside of office hours, please call the emergency number we provided to you after the treatment.
The on-call doctor is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you happen to reach our voicemail, please leave your name and the phone number you can be reached at, and we will call you back as soon as possible.