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Will Flying on a Plane Immediately After Eyelid Surgery Affect Healing?

asked 2 years ago by xpeachpleasurex in Northern California
Latest answer by Edward Szachowicz, MD, PhD
Question viewed 3,066 times
Tags: eyelids, dry eyes, healing, post-op, travel

I booked a flight for home immediately--about 2-3 hours after my eyelid surgery. I'm flying from Southern California (where my surgeon is) back home to San Francisco.

Now I'm concerned that flying on a plane at high altitudes can have some kind of effect on the start of my healing process. I will be following the post-op healing instructions once I get home, but I am especially concerned since I am undergoing eyelid surgery and being in an aircraft tends to dry out eyes.

19 answers to Will Flying on a Plane Immediately After Eyelid Surgery Affect Healing?

Flying 2-3 hours after eyelid surgery is a very bad idea

It is a very bad idea to fly on an airplane two to three hours after any eyelid surgery for fear of bleeding or complications that can occur in the immediate postoperative phase since your surgeon will be unavailable. It is best to stay within a half an hour of the surgery center where the surgery is being performed for five to six days after the surgery and have at least one postoperative visit with your surgeon prior to flying home.

William Portuese, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.seattlefacial.com

Do not fly after surgery

Hi, Thank you for your question. Flying probably has no effect on healing. Planes are pressurized so that the pressure in the cabin is close to that on the ground. If this didn't happen we'd all get the bends. However, I would not recommend it so soon after surgery. More importantly, you should be worried about how soon you are leaving.The most dangerous complication of eyelid surgery is a hematoma. Its best to stay over night in your surgeon's city.You can leave once he/she gives you the... more

Sam Speron, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Flying After Eyelid Surgery

Flying will have no effect on healing. Planes are pressurized so that at altitude the pressure in the cabin is close to that on the ground. If this didn't happen we'd all get the bends. I'm less worried about healing then I am about the closeness of the flight time. The most dangerous complication of eyelid surgery is a retrobulbar hematoma. This can occur when bleeding from the fat excision gets around and behind the globe. If this happens it is a surgical emergency requiring... more

Christopher L. Hess, MD
Fairfax Plastic Surgeon

Flying 3 hours After Surgery Not Advisable

Leaving on a plane several hours after surgery is a really bad idea. As was previously mentioned, cabin pressure after surgery is not the issue. The issue is that there would be no ability for the surgeon to see you in the event of a problem. Unfortunately, situations such as this tend to invoke Murphy's law. Don't tempt fate if you don't have to.

Stephen Prendiville, MD
Fort Myers Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.drprendiville.com

Post-op Flight

If you're just having upper lid skin removed under local, the flight will not change your wound healing in any way. If you're having a real anesthetic (anything from IV sedation to general anesthesia) then flight immediately afterwards is a terrible idea and you shouldn't follow through with it. Make sure your board certified plastic surgeon knows what you've got in mind. Best Wishes.

Ricardo A. Meade, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Airplane travel right after eyelid surgery can cause problems

It's not a good idea to fly home 2 - 3 hours after eyelid surgery for a few reasons. First, it is important to rest after eyelid surgery. Any activity (including walking) increases blood flow to your eyes and raises the risk of bruising and swelling. Carrying a suitcase raises the risk even further. You should be resting with your head elevated and with cold compresses on your eyes for the first 24 hours. In addition, with any eyelid surgery, there is a very small chance of bleeding behind... more

Nancy Swartz, MD
Philadelphia Oculoplastic Surgeon

Travel & flying immediately after any surgery

Eyelid surgery can have a low but significant risk of bleeding after the surgery, especially if you are up and about immediately afterwords. Increases in heart rate cause corresponding increases in blood pressure which increase the risk of bleeding & complications. All injuries, including surgical injuries, increase the clotting factors in the blood for the next 30 days, and thereby, sitting for lengthy periods can put you at greater risk for blood clots in the legs. I am... more

Edward Szachowicz, MD, PhD
Minneapolis Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.facialplasticsurgery.com

Airplane Travel After Eyelid Surgery

Although eyelid surgery is generally extremely safe with a quick recovery period, it is always better to be safe than sorry. Leaving town on a plane, even if it is 2-3 hours after surgery, does not mean that something could not happen. Even though airplane cabins are pressurized, you can sometimes see increases in swelling with air travel. One other logistical concern is that if you develop a problem after you have returned home, it may be difficult to find a physician to take care of you... more

Gregory J. Vipond, MD
Pasadena Facial Plastic Surgeon

Flying is a bad idea

There are several reasons why flying immediately after surgery is a bad idea 1. If you sustain a bleed behind your eye, which the risk is highest in the first 24-48 hours after surgery, you will be in flight on a plane. There is a risk with a bleed of losing permanent vision. It is a huge risk to take. 2. On the flight there is a lot of getting up and down, moving around, lifting baggage if needed..all bad things after eye surgery. These in itself increase the risk of a... more

Chris Thiagarajah, MD
Washington DC Oculoplastic Surgeon

Flying after blepharoplasty

Let me add to the bulk of opinions here. I, too, would strongly recommend against flying immediately after the procedure. It's not the cabin pressure that I'm worried about, it's the lack of access to your surgeon for follow up in the next day or two and the complete lack of access to care while in the air (think bleeding complications, blindness, acute angle closure glaucoma, etc.) There is no E.R. in the air and there is no surgeon to evaluate you. Talk to your doc about follow-up and... more

David C. Pearson, MD
Jacksonville Facial Plastic Surgeon

Plane travel immediately after eyelid surgery not a good idea

Please do not rush. This is a bad idea and if you discuss this withyour surgeon, he or shewill adavis agaainst this. The main problem is not the pressure change(plane cabin is pressurized during the flight) but the risk of bleeding and flow up.

Kamran Khoobehi, MD
New Orleans Plastic Surgeon

You should not fly 3 hours after your Blepharoplasty Surgery.

Boarding an airplane 2-3 hours after blepharoplasty is completely unnecessary, and should be avoided. Rushing to the airport, passing through security, along with the stress involved with this plan could increase your risk of hematoma. If you're attached to your surgeon, then stay in Southern CA till your sutures are removed, around 3 or 4 days after surgery. I hope this is helpful for you.

Eric M. Joseph, MD
West Orange Facial Plastic Surgeon

DO NOT BOARD A PLANE AFTER EYELID SURGERY

This is one of the biggest mistakes that can cost you your vision. The changes in air pressure in the cabin can open up a blood vessel that was cauterized during surgery and lead to a hematoma (collection of blood under skin) that starts pressing on your optic (eye) nerve and causes BLINDNESS. For upper eyes without much fat removal the earliest you can fly is one week. For lower eyes three weeks. Regards

Tanveer Janjua, MD
Bedminster Facial Plastic Surgeon

Do not fly immediately after eyelid surgery

I do not agree with the intent of the previous expert posters. I would recommend NOT to fly immediately after eyelid surgery NO MATTER WHAT! Stay overnight and be checked the next morning by your doctor. This is a very safe course of action. As for doing any cosmetic surgery out of town, I at first was totally against it. But now I see patients flying from all over so I have changed my opinion. I do require a minimium of 3 nights stay in MIAMI. Regards

Darryl J. Blinski, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon

I won't let a patient fly immediately after eyelid surgery

I would not let my patient fly for 24 to 48 hours after surgery. Although a Blepharoplasty can be minor, let's assume it is standard - skin and fat uppers and fat lowers. What if you develop bleeding and go blind --- rare.. very rare (probably less than one in a million), but I would not let my patient fly. And if you have some bleeding on the plane, what will you do for iced compresses, etc.? This is real surgery not a simple dermatologic treatment. Did you ask your physician? more

William B. Rosenblatt, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Plane ride after eyelid surgery

I would be concerned with a plane flight directly after eyelid surgery unless it is a simple surgery under local anesthesia with minimal invasiveness. You may not feel like traveling due to the anesthesia. If you have a complication you are now up in the air and away from your surgeon. I would recommend at least an overnight stay unless it is minor surgery under local anesthesia.

Janet M. Neigel, MD
West Orange Oculoplastic Surgeon

Airline Flight and Eyelid Surgery

We are discussing a short airline flight (under 2 hours) in a fully pressurized cabin. In my opinion, there is MINIMAL chance of adverse effects due to such a flight, in itself. This of course is NOT a commentary on the advisability of having a "long distance" doctor-patient relationship with a Plastic surgeon post-operatively. Dr. P. Aldea

Peter A. Aldea, MD
Memphis Plastic Surgeon

Flying on an airplane immediately following cosmetic surgery

Not all eyelid surgeries are the same. For example if you are having isolated upper lid skin removal, flying on a pain is of little concern and I would see no problem in returning home as long as you had someone to carry your bags. However, if you are undergoing a more extensive upper and lower eyelid procedure, I would personally be uncomfortable sending you home and would strongly prefer to see you in followup the nex day. Only your surgeon knows the plan of the extended procedure, and... more