Droopy Eyes After Lower Blepharoplasty

Lower lid surgery can have a longer recovery time and more complications than upper lid surgery. Surgeons nowadays tend to remove minimal lower eyelid skin in order to prevent the lower eyelid from retracting the patient developing what's called ectropion, which is where lower eyelid everts. I have my patients start performing upward massage along the lower eyelid bone as well as doing a squinting exercises where they squint real hard and hold it for three seconds. I'll have them do this... more

Since it has only been approximately two weeks since the surgery, your eyes can still be a little droopy from the edema and swelling. Give it a couple of months to settle down and have your surgeon re-evaluate your eyelids.

Lower lid blepharoplasty, depending on how much work was done, can cause significant swelling and hence drooping of the eyelids for quite some time. This is especially true is the periosteum or layer of tissue over the bone was elevated for fat redraping. The best thing you can do is continue to massage the lower lids in a upper and out direction to both help the swelling the direct the tissues to their correct position. If you still have issues after 12 weeks then it's worth... more

Dear Scared Florida Your concerns are reasonable and should be addressed by your surgeon. There are many steps at this time which will help keep the lower eyeid from pulling down more- massaging the lid in an upward direction several times a day temporary partial closure of the lower eyelid to the upper eyelid steroid injection into the healing tissue(if needed) Theratears - eye lubrication if you have dryness and/or patching the eyes at night or goggles for dryness taping of the lower... more

One of the most significant risks associated with lower eyelid surgery is ectropion. This is when the lower eye lids are pulled down. (could be everted in more sever cases) The reason is that the lower eye lid supporting ligaments can not handle the down ward pull of the skin of lower eyelid or the cheeks. Most of the time this is due to swelling and is temporary. But it could also be the result of scar retraction or excessive skin removal. Your surgeon needs to know about this.... more

Lower lid malposition is onr of the most common sequela following lower blepharoplasty. Most cases will not require any further managment. Massage and taping will help in the early stages. If you develop any signs of corneal irritation, please seek the advice of your surgeon and start using eye drops during the day and ointment at night.

 If you post a picture, we may be able to give you more specific advice.  However, this early after surgery, it is best for conservative treatment (massage and taping).  You should discuss this with your surgeon.  Good luck.

You are still experiencing swelling, and reduced eyelid function.  At this time, it is early in the recovery.  Talk to your doctor about taping the lower lids, and perhaps massage.  Now is not the time to do anything but conservative treatment.  Hang tough. sek

I assume you are talking about your lower eyelids. The upper can look “droopy” because of swelling right after any procedure on the eyes. The usual cause of “droopiness” of the lower lids at this point is residual swelling of the lids and some lack of support of the lateral lid, especially after a redo procedure. Although this can be a problem that may eventually need correcting, it will frequently resolve with a little time and TLC. You need to do several things.... more

I agree that you need more time to heal. It sounds as though your lower eyelids are drooping or pulled down creating what we refer to as a sad eyed look. An external lower eyelid incision does interfere with the support of the lower eyelid, and drooping is particularly common if the lower eyelid is lax and does not have good support. A secondary lower blepharoplasty is particularly prone to drooping and in some cases can progress to an ectropion, especially if extra lower eyelid skin has... more

Dear Scared Gladwell got the concept of thin slicing on the money in his book Blink. Your impressions are probably correct. However, it is not clear to me if you are referring to your lower eyelids or your upper eyelids. You state you had lower eyelid surgery and now your eyes look droopy. You could be referring to a sag in the lower eyelid position or a heaviness in the upper eyelids. When the upper eyelids swelling which can occur with lower eyelid surgery, they will look heavy. ... more

After 2 weeks, remaining swelling and muscle weekness can all contribute to a droopy looking lower lid. I general, any blepharoplasty will disturb the lower eyelid support. Having had a blepharoplasty in the past, I would be not surprised that your support is borderline. Many blepharoplasty surgeons may add support with virtually any secondary lower blepharoplasty prophylactically. You will see improvements over the next weeks (and even few months). If the lid is still droopy after 4 months,... more

Only two weeks after a blepharoplasty is too soon to be worried about the outcome. Give it more time. However, it sounds like what you are describing is that the lower eyelid margin is pulled down a little bit called scleral (the white part) show or lower eyelid retraction. It is a risk especially in revision blepharoplasty. Right now the most important consideration is that the eye is well moisturized. If the eyelid is pulled down and exposing too much of the globe (eyeball) you may... more