What procedure should I do first, total facelift or eyelid surgery, after chemo?

If your chemo was completed 4 years ago, it would not likely affect your wound healing now. If you're nervous and want to do one procedure first, I would recommend doing the eyelid surgery first. These incisions heal well in general. The eyelid skin is thin and has minimal if any tension on it as it heals, and it typically heals with a barely visible scar. The facelift incisions may or may not have some tension (depending on surgeon and technique) while they heal, and the surgery itself is a more involved operation than the eyelids. The facelift and eyelids could be done at the same time too, unless there was another reason to separate them (other medical issues, or financial, or social downtime etc) Also, for both facelifts and eyelids, how well the scar heals has a lot to do with the surgeons level of skill and the technique used, so keep that in mind and ask to see before and afters to get a sense of how that surgeon's results look. In my office we have patients who do not want their facelift photos online but don't mind the photos being shown in the office, so we offer that to patients to get a sense of what to expect.

Congratulations on being a survivor and for giving yourself a gift of “a new you.” Chemotherapy should not be interfering with your healing process at this stage. I always recommend doing eyelid surgery and a facelift on the same day to minimize downtime. The scars should be minimal and mostly hidden. I hope this helps.

Thank you for posting your question. First and foremost, congratulations on making it through your chemotherapy treatments. When considering surgery after chemotherapy, the most important thing is to is prioritize your health. Once your doctors give you medical clearance for surgery under general anesthesia, then you can schedule your procedures. With regards to your concerns about healing, this should be discussed with your surgeon at the time of your consultation. In my experience, I find it best to consolidate downtime and do these procedures together. This will also minimize the number of times you go under general anesthesia, which can take a toll on the body. For more information, please schedule a consultation with a board-certified facial plastic surgeon. Best of luck!

For the most part, I found no bases to separate the surgeries. I believe that at this point there is being enough time after you quemotherapy that you can do both procedures at the same time.  Nevertheless more important than anything else is how the tissues are handle an how careful the surgeon is in treating your case

I certainly with you the best after having ovarian cancer.  Going through that is brutal and why not do something that improves how you feel about yourself.  In most cases when I perfor. A face lift, I also perform eyelid surgery unless it had been done previously.  Facelift and eyelid scars almost always heal very well and that issue should not be a concern.  Best wishes,

Thank you for your question. Since you have not been exposed to the chemotherapy medications since 2013, they should not cause a problem with your wound healing. In my opinion I would do both procedures at the same time. There is really no reason not to. If you do want to split them up, the eyelid procedure is a very fast recovery so I would do that one first. Best of luck.

You're likely ok with doing both at the same time but if you're really worried then do the Bleph first and see how you heal.  

I'm sorry you had to go through your experience with cancer.  If your chemotherapy is completed and you are no longer under active treatment, I don't see a problem with doing one, or both.  Make sure you speak to your primary physician about your plans for cosmetic surgery in case there are other mitigating factors which you may not know of.

So much depends on healing.  I recommend to not have the facelift and eye surgery at the same time.  The blue-plate special is preferred by surgeons primarily for income reasons.  Separating surgery is more expensive because the first hour of anesthesia is more expensive than subsequent hours. Depending on your overall health, it is by far easier on the body in terms of recovery to break up surgery in two stages.  Which surgery to do first in that case depends on your issues and your preferences.  There are individuals who have such a dramatic improvement in their facial appearance with eyelid surgery that they put off the facelift.  Seek several opinions.  If your consultation is just a few minutes with the surgeon, it is unlikely that the surgeon has gathered the necessary information to make an appropriate surgical plan for the eyelids. 

While a facelift can have great rewards and you will likely be very satisfied, the eyelid surgery alone is like dipping in your toe to how the water is. Try it first and see how you feel and how you heal.  It is a far less involved surgery and most patients are very happy with these results too.   The eyelid surgery is also commonly the first surgery for which patients inquire. Good luck!!