Why so many steri strips below my lower eyelid? (photos)

The number of steristrips applied by your surgeon is really up to them, but shouldn’t be a cause of concern for you. Maybe your surgeon just wanted to provide extra support for your incisions. They’ll all be removed eventually, or fall off.

You should speak with your surgeon why he has placed the steri strips. I usually place only one partial strip on the lower eyelid to minimize swelling. Eyelids heal excellent without any taping too.

I utilize steristrips after lower lid blepharoplasty for minor additional support after surgery.  Why your Surgeon used the amount he did is a question that only your Surgeon can answer.  You did the right thing by discussing this with your Surgeon and I recommend that you continue to follow his advice.  Good luck in recovery.

Each surgeon has particular preferences for bandages they may or may not use after surgery, including eyelid surgery.  Some surgeons may use no steri strips while others may use them.  There is no "normal" for the amount of steri strips to use.  I would recommend following your surgeon's advice, as he has the most knowledge about you and your procedure and is ultimately responsible for your care.  

Thanks for your post. Understand that most surgeons have small differences in their post-operative dressings and instructions, but the goals are to minimize the occurrence of complications and speed your recovery. Surgeons' habits are based on their particular training pathway, experiences and newest findings in the literature. I can only speculate why you have so many steri-strips: to help support the lower eyelid, minimize any downward pull on the lower eyelid, and reduce swelling in the area.This is a great question to ask your surgeon in follow-up. Good luck!

and this is just a reflection of that.  You can ask your surgeon if this is his routine or why so much was used for his answer.  Bottom line, there are different ways of achieving a result and your surgeon is trying to minimize the chances that your lid will pull away from the eye while healing.

While there does seem to be a large amount of steri strips, your surgeon is likely just trying to keep swelling to a minimum while supporting the lower eyelid in the immediate post operative period.  Also, the strip across your nose is probably covering the ends of a suture.  These will likely be removed at your 1 week post operative check. 

Hello Kay,Thank you for your question.  Occasionally, I will support the lower eyelid with steri-strips after surgery as well.  It's really to help you heal and used to decrease swelling and provide support.  Don't worry and follow your PS's instructions.  Good luck with everything!

It appears that your surgeon is using the suture strips below the eye, and up alongside the eye on either side, to help provide support to the lower eyelids during these days of early healing.  It does not necessarily indicate anything wrong.  While I don't use this type of postoperative dressing myself, I have seen it used by well-respected facial plastic surgeons. Continue to follow your surgeon's instructions to optimize your outcome.Best wishes!  Harry V. Wright MD, Sarasota, Florida

Surgeons vary in their aftercare protocols following eyelid surgery. Not infrequently, I use steri-strips to aid support to the lower eyelids. I remove these in 4-5 days.