Should Blepharoplasty scars be less evident by now?

I had eyelid surgery 5 weeks ago and my scars are still prominent even with makeup. I have followed recovery instructions and use an oitment my doctor had me start 5 days after surgery to hasten healing.

My scars are not only a very visible and long redline, they also are thick and raised -- very promenent when I close my eyes and touch my scar. The doctor said this is no problem, such evident scaring is normal at 5 weeks. However, I have read in more than a few articles and websites that eyelide scars should be not much noticeable by this time.

Am I impatient? Or, if red, thick texture lines at 5 weeks is not usual, what should I do? This is my second eyelid surgery. Does that make a difference?

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7 answers to “Should Blepharoplasty scars be less...”

A: Eyelid incisions

Barry E. DiBernardo, MD

At this point in time the incisions should still be visisble...however the desciption of thickened may be more than expected. You should go beck to see your physician  regarding this matter more

A: Thick, red, raised eyelid scars are not normal after 5 weeks

George J. Beraka, MD

Of course, you are understandably anxious, and may not be describing things quite accurately, but if your scars are as prominent as they sound, then there is a problem. Hypertrophic scars or keloids are almost unheard of in the eyelids, so I am not sure what to suggest, but definitely talk to your doctor.

A: Be patient

Vishal  Kapoor, MD

While all patients scar differently, most upper eyelid scars heal very well. In general scars in most places tend to look fairly red and inflammed at about the 6-8 week mark, and continue to mature for up to a year, somtimes longer. I would tell you to wait several months before considering doing anything else... more

A: Don't panic, but there may be ways to speed blepharoplasty recovery

Edgar Franklin Fincher, MD, PhD

Don't panic. Upper eyelid incision scars usually heal beautifully with barely perceptible lines. Occasionally, these incisions will take longer to heal, especially if large amounts of skin were removed or the incision was extended farther to the outside to remove more skin. The skin involved in healing is... more

A: All incision scars go through a maturation phase

David Shafer, MD

This is a good question. Whenever you have a wound or incision, the healing scar must mature, which involves multiple phases of collagen transformation. At six weeks, the collagen is the thickest and then over several weeks flattens. At the same time, the overlying epidermis of the skin turns red or pink... more

A: 5 Weeks Is Early to Worry But You Can Start Treating Eyelid Crease Scarring

Mark Berkowitz, MD

I am sorry to learn about  your concerns.  After 5 weeks I would still expect your being able notice  the eyelid crease incision ( I assume your are speaking about an upper eyelid surgery.)  Everyone is different in the amount of time that this takes to heal.  If the area is raised you... more

A: Patience is a virtue

Robin T.W. Yuan, MD

Unless you have an infection, you should be patient as scars of the uppr lids are usually the most imperceptible. Sometimes, if large amounts of skin is removed, there can be a noticeable transition between thicker skin of the upper part of the lid and the thinner skin of the lower part of the lid.

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Comments

Rehana
unregistered guest

28 Jul 2009

I had my operation blepharoplasty for the upper part of the eye 2 week ago. The doctor removed some skin and also some fats and now it almost healed but I am not satisfied with the results coz I believe that there is still some skin that should be removed.. I am 27 years old and this skin gives me much older age. is it possible to go for a correction operation after 2 more weeks? if yes is the healing process is going to be as difficult as the first time? my second problem is that my doctor has pulled the lines of the surgery out of the eyes to the outer corner. he said that this will give you a wilder look promising me that there wo'n be any scars later.. now there are tow scars which are not covered when I open my eyes. Is such procesure normal and are these scars going to be invesible later as they are now or not? please answer me and advise me what to do.. thank you very much

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