Swelling Under Eyes After Upper Eyelid Blepharoplasty

It's common to have swelling and bruising in other areas of the face and eyes, even though plastic surgery was not necessarily performed in those areas. This extension of facial bruises & swelling is due to gravity and the natural movement of fluid in the tissues.
Ice to eyes after cosmetic eyelid surgery is most useful during the first 48 hours. I advise cosmetic patients to keep fresh, clean ice pack over surgical wounds while they are awake only for the first 2 days. After the first 2 days, ice does help control swelling but is much less effective. I still recommend using ice for the first week, as tolerated. Each plastic surgeon has a preference based on the procedure and each specific patient.
Keep your head elevated at all times, and avoid bending over. Sleeping on top several pillows or in a chair also helps reduce facial swelling after cosmetic surgery.
I advise patients to strictly avoid lifting, straining, or any strenuous activity (including sex) for at least 2 weeks following facial plastic surgery. This activity restriction helps healing during the recovery period.
Some plastic surgeons also prescribe a steroid pill, such as prednisone, to control post-procedure swelling and help in recovery.
Although, most swelling after eyelid surgery resolves in a couple weeks, it really takes longer for the final swelling to go away.
Speak with your eyelid surgeon regarding swelling.

It's not unusual for patients to develop swelling in the periorbital region after upper lid blepharoplasty. In the vast majority of patients this swelling is transient and resolves in about one to two weeks following surgical intervention. Unfortunately, in some cases, swelling may be persistent, lasting for several months following surgery.It's not uncommon for this swelling to extend into the surrounding soft tissue. When this happens, gravity can have a significant impact upon the location of the swelling. This often results in dependent edema which not only impacts the upper eyelids, but the lower eyelids as well.When this situation arises, it's important to avoid strenuous activity, maintain head elevation and utilize low salt diets. When these steps are take, resolution of swelling is facilitated.If you're concerned about post-operative swelling, it's important to consult your plastic surgeon. Your surgeon should be able to address your concerns and alleviate your anxiety.

Your question is helpful for many patients who often have similar concerns. The swelling (edema) following upper eyelid surgery migrates downward to the lower lids due to gravity. There is nothing unusual or worrisome about this. Fortunately, the swelling typically improves significantly during the 2 weeks post op period. Thank you for the question.

Maximum swelling is usually at about 3-5 days and goes away over a few months. You should sleep with your head elevated and cut back on salt to help the swelling.

With all facial plastic surgery the swelling from surgery will gravitate downward due to gravity. From upper blepharoplasty to the lower eyelids, from lower blepharoplasty to the cheeks, from cheek or midface lift surgery to the jawline and neck. This swelling will resolve. Taking homeopathic Arnica Montana and Bromelaine can help.

This is very common and may be aggravated by the Restylane use but should be markedly improved by 7-10 days. If it lasts more than 6 weeks you may want to consider the off label use of hyaluronidase. In the meantime, sleep with your head elevated, consider cool compresses and inquire about the implementation of manual lymphatic drainage.

Yes, it is not uncommon to have lower lid swelling after upper eyelid surgery because the swelling moves to dependent positions due to the effect of gravity, before it finally resolves. If you had a recent filler treatment prior to surgery, while the filler is not the cause of the swelling, it may take longer for the swelling to go away since multiple procedures in the same time frame can contribute to prolonged swelling. By one month after surgery, most of the swelling should resolve but everyone heals differently.

The lower lids are swollen after upper blepharoplasty because of gravity and dependent edema.
We do not recommend Restylane injections into the eyelid area for fear of injecting into the orbital septum, which can create a longstanding puffiness that may last several years. It is still acceptable to undergo a lower blepharoplasty even though you had the injections performed.

Immediately after upper lid blepharoplasty there is swelling of the upper eyelids.
With your face in an elevated position, even on pillows at night, the swelling of the upper eyelids will gravitate inferiorly and can cause some swelling of the lower eyelids. This will then gravitate downward to your cheeks (to a lesser degree) and then ultimately dissipate.
If only an upper eyelid blepharoplasty was performed, I would expect swelling of the lower eyelids in cheeks to completely dissipate within 1 to 2 weeks.
If you had Restylane injected into the lower eyelids, there will be desirable or undesirable swelling of the lower eyelids related to the Restylane.
If the Restylanewas injected just prior to the upper lid blepharoplasty, then most of your swellingmay be related to the Restylane. Restylane eventually absorbs and disappears. When this will happen depends on the amount and the depth of injection.  

The skin of the lower lid is the thinnest skin in the body and will reflect any injury above it. (As such, surgery or trauma to the forehead or the upper lid will be reflected with bruising and swelling of the lower lid). If Restylane is applied too superficially OR if an excessive amount is placed, it too will result in lower lid puffiness.
Post-surgical lower lid swelling SHOULD subside significantly by a week after surgery. Persistence of the swelling would suggest that it is due to the tear trough Restylane and your options would be to "wait it out" for 6-8 months or to dissolve the Restylane by injecting it with Hyaluronidase.
Hope this helps.