What complications can come from a blepharoplasty? How do you handle them?

A blepharoplasty is a wonderful procedure with an amazing outcome and quite low complication. I always perform my signature TBT-eyelift procedure which is a less-invasive and less-traumatic procedure which minimises the risks and complications. Instead of removing the orbital fat which needs a resection/opening of the orbital septum I reposition the orbital fat and leave the septum intact. This septum divides the eyelid from the orbit with its very delicate structures. With the traditional blepharoplasty a major risk is the over-resection of orbital fat which creates a hollow-eye look of the upper eyelid which looks either very operated or even very old (since we loose this fat with ageing). When resecting the orbital fat the lacrimal glands which look similar to the orbital fat could be hurt or removed resulting in a dry eye for life. Bleeding fat might glide back into the orbit after a part was resected and could cause pressure on the optical nerve which can cause blindness. These risks are not involved with the TBT-lift since the septum is not destroyed but only tightened with an external suture. Further complications of an upper eyelift could be a temporary dryness or chemosis (irritation) of the eyes. Risks like conjunctivitis are very rare and more likely occur when an upper and lower eyelift are combined. An assymetric result is very rare but can easily corrected in a minor revision surgery.

These vary from the upper to the lower lid.  The most common is more than expected bruising and swelling.  Chemosis or swelling of the skin of the eye can occur, as can dry eyes. eyelid closure issues, and irritation.  Worse complications are changes in the shape of the eye, pain, chronic redness and tearing.  These are less common unless heling is delayed (rarely occurs).  These are the basics but the discussion requires a lengthy review.  You can go over this with your surgeon prior to surgery.

I am not going to go through a list of technical complications of the surgery, as many of my colleagues have already done so at length. As a blepharoplasty surgeon specialising in revisions and redos, I would like to offer a different perspective.
Although complications like eyelid retraction etc do occur, by far the most common complications are related to the eye surface, particularly dye eye and blepharitis. Blepharoplasty is unique among cosmetic procedures in that most of the surgeons who offer this procedure have no training in ophthalmology. This means that if there is an underlying problem or complication affecting the eye, they have no knowledge of what might be going on, no training in examining the eye and no concept of how to manage or when to refer. 
As an oculoplastic specialist, I have been trained in ophthalmology first, meaning that I have a deep understanding of eye disease. An essential part of the preoperative work up is the actual eye examination which is performed with biomivroscopy and is essential to anticipate potential eye problems. Only an ocloplastic specialist can do this. 
There is no doubt that plastic surgeons have great tissue handling skills etc and can execute the surgery well, but given at they have no undstanding or ability to assess and manage eye problems, I would strongly advise using an oculppalstic surgeon.
To summarise this message, I would say that the complications not really meantioned by others are the most common, which are ocular surface disorders. Theses can lead to chronic discomfort, pain and sometimes visual problems. I have dealt with a huge number of these cases that have been left untreated and could have been anticipated and avoided if carefully examined and prepared before surgery. If you want the confidence of knowing that your eyes are also being taken care of, use an oculoplastic specialist.