Heavy Eyelids After Blepharoplasty and Brow Lift?

Dear Poco
There is a very big difference between hearing about a surgery and reading through a laundry list of possibilities that are in the surgical consent and living the aftermath of the surgery. I think that it is often difficult for the surgeon to adequately empathize with the patient's impending experience. Part of the difficulty is that generally the surgeon really does not know you as a human being but rather "the browlift in room C."
Another factor that is very important in recovery is the need to be out of our routines as we do the initial healing. This is the time where the emotional wheels come off. Most of us live very structured lives. There is a time and a place to be and this keeps us focused and moving forward.
However, when you are recovering from surgery, you necessarily are taken out of that structure. Think of it as post-surgery sickness but it really is acute post-surgical depression. It is common. How common-in my experience 20 to 30 percent of patients experience this to some degree.
Being told that you look "marvelous" when you come for you post-op check does not fix the feelings. If anything it makes people in your situation feel more isolated. The doctor may know that the issues you are concerned with and even your feelings of depression may only last a few weeks but a failure to acknowledge the emotional challenges you are facing right now can lead to a long term feeling of disgust regarding your surgical outcome irrespective of how good the surgery actually is.
So are your eyelids heavy right now-absolutely. Will they stay like this? No, generally the heaviness will be at its worst for the first few weeks after surgery and then gradually improve. Will you ultimately be happy with your surgery. This is hard to know. In looking at your photos, I don't have your before photos.
However, I think you have had a lot of skin removed from the upper eyelid and you appear to have a very high crease. You may have an unaddressed upper eyelid ptosis that is now much more visible with the removal of the upper eyelid fold. However, you absolutely need time to heal.
I think that your first job is to begin to feel emotionally whole. Please give yourself the space to heal emotionally. You may or may not be satisfied with the results of your eyelid surgery but it will be much easier to judge this in 6 months not at one week. If your surgery needs to be refined with can be done if needed. Don't spin your wheels right now second guessing you choice or the surgery performed by your surgeon.
If you need emotional support right now, ask your internist or obgyn for a referral to a psychotherapist to work through your immediate feelings of lose and sadness so you can focus on healing. Ultimately you may be satisfied or unsatisfied with your surgery but you have to get out of the funk to move forward.

Healing after #eyelid and #eyebrow surgeryRecovery time after eyelid surgery varies
greatly between individuals. The upper eyelids heal very quickly but complete
healing of the lower eyelids can take six weeks if the muscle and fat are
treated.The brow position will drop.  You may benefit from fat grafting in the upper lids when all is healed

Poco,
Of course you are feeling distressed about your present appearance. This feeling is very common after cosmetic surgery. It has even been given a name, post surgical disatisfaction syndrome, similar to post traumatic stress disorder. As you continue to heal and look better and better over the next few weeks these feelings will subside. You will gradually come to love your new more youthful appearance as the compliments continue to roll in. Hang in there and Good luck!