Does Daily Contact Lens Use After Blepharoplasty Ruin Skin Around Eyes?

Dear Montana,
Yes, your mother was right. Severe rubbing of the eyelids is bad for the skin. However, the gentle traction on the eyelid that is need to insert a contact lens is generally not a problem. Remember, millions and millions of people wear contacts lens. If there was a big problem with this, we would have developed definitive information regarding this issue.
On the other hand, immediately after eyelid surgery, the eyelids are swollen, tender and contact lens wear may not be a good idea until things have healed. I recommend that my patients plan on not wearing contact lens for about 10 days. Of course as anyone who wears contacts lens should have back up glasses, it is a simple matter of wearing the glasses until things are healed enough to resume contact lens wear.
Finally, some people who are in contact lens probably should not be wearing them. Typically these are individuals who have allergies to the proteins that chronically build up on the lens or lack sufficient tears to support the lens, or have chronic lack of corneal irritation from the lens with dilation of the little blood vessel at the edge of the cornea.
This type of issues may reach a tipping point after eyelid surgery-the proverbial straw that breaks the camels back. Anyone doing eyelid surgery should be appropriately trained to recognize these types of issues before the eyelid surgery. Unfortunately, many surgeons who perform eyelid surgery lack the necessary background in ophthalmology to do an appropriate examination.
This is why I encourage individuals to look for a fellowship trained oculoplastic surgeon if they are considering eyelid surgery rather than a general plastic surgeon or facial plastic surgeon. The American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS) maintains a website with a directory to assist you to find a highly qualified surgeon in your area: ASOPRS.org

Wearing contact lenses a few days after surgery should not be a problem. The larger question concerns stretching of the lower eyelid skin and support structures over time. The daily pulling of the lower eyelid when inserting a contact lens should be kept to a minimum. Over time this can cause a weakening of these delicate support structures and may result in a sagging of the lower lid.