How Long Will It Take for Bruised Skin to Heal After Eyelid Surgery?

The bruising that you sustain after eyelid surgery depends on the extent of the surgery. In general, the bruising resolves fairly quickly in 7 to 10 days. The purple discoloration will turn yellow and then slowly fade away with time. The swelling from eyelid surgery can take several months to completely resolve. The skin around the eyes is very fine. You will see changes in the swelling with improvement around your eyes for the whole first year after surgery.

In most cases, the black and blue turns to light purple in 3-5 days, then yellow/green and that is all gone in about 10 days. The paler the skin is, the longer it can be seen. Make sure you use sunblock until all of it is gone to avoid hyperpigmentation from the iron in the blood being affected by the sunlight too.

I agree with the other comments - usually bruising will take about 7-10 days for complete resolution. Sometimes the bruising persists a bit longer on the lower eyelid due to attachment of facia that can compartmentalize or trap bruising thus slowing your body's clearance of the bruise. Tissue can be stained with hemosiderin or iron after a lot of bruising making the area appear brown or discolored. This staining is uncommon on the face and eyes and will also resolve completely with time.... more

I agree with Dr. Ip, most patients heal relatively quickly after eyelid surgery, and the bruising and swelling should be nearly resolved after 7-10 days in most cases. If excessive bruising occurred after surgery, it may take a little longer. Sometimes olive skin will discolor even after the bruising is gone. This is a different situation. The discoloration, or hyperpigmentation can take several months, and sometimes up to a year to resolve in some situations. You can generally tell if... more