I tend to sleep on my side. Will this be a problem when I undergo Asian eyelid surgery under local anethesia?

Question

Local anethesia is a pill given just before the Asian eyelid procedure?

Goretti Ho Taghva, MD, FACS · Answer

Most Asian eyelid procedures are performed under local anesthesia (injection of local anesthetic into eyelids) +/- mild sedation.  You will be lying on your back for the procedure and should be alert enough to not move or start sleeping on your side during the procedure.  After the surgery, I advise my patients to sleep on their back for the first couple of weeks and try to sleep with their head elevated to help decrease swelling.  However, most people move during their sleep and sleeping on your side every now and then shouldn't affect the outcome of the procedure.  Good luck!Goretti H. Taghva MD FACS

Jacqueline T. Cheng, MD · Answer

Hello and thank you for this great question. Both during your procedure, and especially during the first two to three weeks after your procedure, your board certified facial plastic surgeon will recommend lying on your back with your head elevated. Doing so will help minimize swelling as well as any direct impact to your surgical areas. Lying on your back will also help ensure you will heal evenly, without visible differences on one side or the other. After two to three weeks, you can once again sleep on your side, if that is more comfortable to you, without worrying about impacting your results. I hope this information helps you. Good luck with your procedure!
- Jacqueline T. Cheng, MD

James Chan, MD · Answer

Generally it is better to sleep on your back after any type of facial surgery, including Asian Eyelid surgery.  This helps reduce swelling.  However, if you tend to sleep on your side, you may notice one side will swell more than the other.  This does not necessarily mean you cannot have surgery.  I would discuss this with your Facial Plastic Surgeon.

David Kahng, MD · Answer

Dear kho84,
Thank you for your question and congratulations on your upcoming surgery.  In general, it is best to sleep on your back with your head elevated on a few pillows to minimize swelling after facial surgery.  If you happen to lay on your side, you may notice more swelling on the dependent side.  Overall, it is best to sleep on your back to prevent the formation of wrinkles and facial asymmetries that occur more often with side sleeping.
Best Regards,

Umeng David Thao, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question. During your eyelid surgery, you will lie down on your back most of the time unless instructed by your surgeon.  Also, be careful not to sleep on your side post surgery to avoid pressure on the eyelid. Best wishes!

Chase Lay, MD · Answer

Morning!  No, side sleeping isn't and issue but you will want to sleep on your back for the first few weeks.  For patients who persist on sleeping on their side positioning pillows to keep you at least partially on your back works well.  I perform Asian eyelid surgery Mon-Friday and it's never been an issue.Best of luckChase Lay MDAsian eyelid surgery specialist

David Cheung, MBChB, Bsc(Hons), FRCOphth · Answer

Hi there. Greetings from the UK! A common question but not really a problem. You'll be lying flat for local anaesthesia surgery as you're awake but numb from numbing injections only. Even for patients undergoing sedation for their surgery it's not a problem as you're lying on your back for these. You lying on your side may be a problem after surgery for the first postoperative week or so. Your surgeon may recommend that you wear Cartella eye shields following the operation at night to protect the wounds for this reason. We do recommend these for our patients.

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I tend to sleep on my side. Will this be a problem when I undergo Asian eyelid surgery under local anethesia?

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