9 weeks post upper/lower blepharoplasty and I still have severe chemosis on one eye. Will this heal and how long will it take?

Although it can happen with any surgery around the eyes (and to any plastic surgeon for this matter), chemosis develops most commonly if lower blepharoplasty has been part of the procedure. If only the upper lids have been operated, it is very rare. If additional procedures have been performed such as canthopexy, canthoplasty or midface lift, chemosis may be more common.
Although after 9 weeks, understandably, most patients and surgeons lose their patience, chemosis will resolve. Many physicians may add steroids to the "mix" of treatments, I tend to believe that still less is more as there is no good scientific data that it actually will help the underlying condition of lymphatic drainage compromize. And any medication has their risk, too.
You are doing the right things! Stay in touch with your surgeon and we all hope for a quick resolution.

Thank you for the question. Chemosis is the swelling of the conjunctiva (the mucous covering of the eye.) It occurs on occasion with lower eyelid surgery. Treatments often tried are cold compresses, chilled artificial tears and steroid eye drops. It usually resolves within a few months. Chemosis is not a sign that the surgeon performed the operation improperly. 

Chemosis is a condition of localized swelling usually in the outer corner of the eye and is usually associated with lower blepharoplasty. Although not rare, it is not that unusual and can happen about 5 to 10% of time. Fortunately, it usually resolves in several days. The treatment initially usually consists of lubricating eyedrops and possibly steroid drops along with taping of the corner of the eye. Sometimes, the standard type of Visine can help. In rare instances, a small surgery can be performed to improve this. In general, however, one would usually wait 2 to 3 weeks as the swelling usually subsides on its own.

Chemosis after eyelid surgery, or what I call jelly eye, is very common, but it should have resolved by now. You should see an eye doctor. Occasionally, Chemosis has to be surgically removed.

                  Chemosis
occurs in a small percentage of patients following blepharoplasty. This
condition is related to swelling of the lining of the eye which is known as the
conjunctiva.

                  The
condition usually resolves spontaneously, but may last for several months.
Treatment usually involves lubrication of the eye with topical agents to
prevent drying and occasionally topical steroids. When the condition persists,
an ophthalmology consultation is appropriate. 

Chemosis is a common problem after eyelid surgery, and affects 5-10% of patients. In some cases, it may persist for weeks or months. It sounds like you have been doing all the right things (drops, usually containing a steroid; lubricant ointments).  Antibiotics are useful if there has been any damage to the surface of the eye, to prevent infection. In particularly difficult cases, sometimes the eyelids need to be temporarily closed, using a special type of stitch (tarsorraphy). In severe cases, an experienced ophthalmologist can actually lance the area and drain some fluid. A second opinion would be a good investment.

Chemosis which is edema of the conjunctival layer of tissue over the eye can occur after blepharoplasty.  Usually the lower eyelid and/or canthoplasty have had a procedure which contributes to this problem.  It will defervesce on its own but sometimes steroids are needed.

Dear Annouscka,
Chemosis is swelling of the conjunctiva following eyelid surgery. The conunctiva is the white covering that surrounds the eye. Just like the eyelids swell after eyelid tissue, the conjunctiva can also swell.
Chemosis is common enough although an incidence of 10% is overstating how often it should occur following cosmetic eyelid surgery. Certain surgical maneuvers are much more likely to cause chemosis, which is thought to be related to disruption of the eyelid lymphatics. In particular, certain midface maneuvers that seek to tighten the lower eyelid including the so called coronocanthoplasty are more likely to produce this condition.
So, canthopexy, a tightening procedure of the lower eyelid, can be associated with chemosis. Making an upper and lower eyelid incision too close to each other in the outer corner of the eyelid tissues is also associated with a higher incidence of chemosis. Preexisting dry eye also contributes to the problem.
Chemosis is usually transient and self limited. However, there are certain conditions where the chemosis can persist. In particular, if the eyes do not closed well after eyelid surgery, there can be continual drying and irritation of the chemosis. This prevents the chemosis form settling down. When chemosis is severe enough, the tissues will actually poke out from behind the eyelids and this makes the drying problem worse.
The simplest approach to resolving chemosis is aggressive dry eye management. Artificial tears should be used at least every hour during the day. At night the eye should be covered with bland ophthalmic ointment. If in fact the eyelids are not fully closing, plastic wrap should be used to cover the eye at night. Do not use a cotton eye pad as this will only dry out the eye. Taping can also help in more extreme cases. This could take several weeks to resolve once you turn the corner on the drying that is permitting this condition to persist.
Finally, there are truly persistent cases of chemosis. These are quite rare. There are circumstances where conjunctival surgery is needed to make the situation better. Again, these situations are quite rare. I think that you should see an ophthalmologist or an eye plastic consultant to help manage this problem.

This can be seen for weeks after surgery. While both steroid and antibiotics have been mentioned to help with the symptoms associated with chemosis, seeing an eye or eyelid specialist is an important part of this process to assure your eye health is stable. Giving the chemosis time to resolve is also very important as after surgery, the normal edema or swelling pathways have been disrupted around the eye and take time to reform. 

Chemosis after blepharoplasty will settle down, but it sometimes can take a couple of months. Continue to use eye drops such as Natural Tears and Lacri-Lube ophthalmic ointment as a lubricant. Antibiotics are not going to make this go away at this point. It could probably take another month or so before it goes away. It is also important to make sure that there is nothing else going on besides chemosis, and a consultation with an ophthalmologist is probably warranted at this point.