I had a full facelift May 4 of this year. My eyes still won't close all the way. How long will it take for the eyelids to close?

Question

How long will it take for the eyelids to close. I put eye drops in them a few times a day but I tend to blink a lot and people notice. They also see that my eyes are bloodshot..this is really bothering me...

John J. Martin, Jr., MD · Answer

Did you also have lid surgery?  If you did just a facelift it would be unusual to have difficulty with eyelid closure.  If the nerve to the eyelid and brow was affected it can take 6 months for full function to return.  See an oculoplastic surgeon who can evaluate the eyelid muscles and the cornea.

Vincent N. Zubowicz, MD · Answer

I'm not sure why facelift would create blinking problems if that was the only procedure you had. Nevertheless, the motor nerves to the eyelid are very sensitive and sometimes it take several weeks for normal blinking to recover.

Christopher Khorsandi, MD · Answer

It is difficult to determine the nature of your condition, there are no photos and it is not clear whether or not you had a surgery on your eyelids at the same time. Sometimes with eyelid surgery excessive skin resection can leave you with a condition called lagopthalmous.   if this is the case then there are several different treatment options which you should discuss with your surgeon. Massage and taping can be performed in conservative treatment,   and at the extreme sometimes skin grafting is needed to relieve the tightness. If no eyelid surgery was performed in it's possible that there was injury to the facial nerve. This requires evaluation again by the surgeon. Good luck.

Gary L. Ross, MBChB, FRCS · Answer

This is very unusual following a facelift only. I would see your PS. If you are using eyedrops and protecting your eye and still having issues you need to be assessed by both your PS and an oculoplastic surgeon.

Curtis Wong, MD · Answer

even when blepharoplasties are done, though when living on the edge and an aggressive excision is done, this can be transient for a few weeks.  If not getting better in anyway, you need to let your surgeon know so you can be provided massages and options for correcting that.  In the meantime, you have to protect your eyes with natural tear drops during the day and ointment at night.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

Since you are now 3 months since your eye lid surgery. There are many causes of this, but an exam in person is essential. Good luck.

Stephen P. Smith, Jr., MD · Answer

I’m sorry that you are experiencing this uncommon problem
after a full face lift.  Did you have any
other procedures done at the same time, such as a brow lift, upper
blepharoplasties, lower blepharoplasties or all of the above?  There are a number of reasons that a patient
could have difficulty closing the eyes after these types of procedures.  Some possible explanations are increased
lower lid laxity, unfavorable scarring causing ectropion, overresection of skin
and or muscle during blepharoplasty, and facial nerve injury.  Without knowing your full history and
examining you, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly why this has occurred.  It is essential that you see your surgeon or
another board-certified facial plastic surgeon for a complete evaluation as
soon as possible.  The inability to
completely close your eyes can cause permanent damage to the eyes.  I wish you the best.

Brooke R. Seckel, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

If you did not have eyelid surgery but only had a facelift my concern is some injury to the facial nerves which supply the lower and upper eyelids.Usually if these are injured however you will see some abnormality of brow elevation.If you have had a blepharoplasty then massage and possibly Botox to drop the brow may help with your lid closure.  It can be helpful to wear a sleep mask with cotton balls to keep the eyes closed during sleep and the use of drops during the day.If after several months you have inadequate eye closure and the problem is due to nerve injury Gold weights can be placed into the eyelid to help eye closure.If the problem however is due to a blepharoplasty skin grafting may be required.

James Hoyt, MD (retired) · Answer

It is difficult to give the best answer without knowing exactly the procedure that you had, and without photos that show what appearance your eyes have now.I am assuming you also had eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) at the same time.Several months out is very unusual to still have problems closing your eyes.  This can lead to corneal problems and chronic eye irritation.  In rare cases, if the eyelids have been "overdone" small skin grafts may be necessary to allow the lids to close.Ask your doctor about this, and see another consultant if needed.  Three months post op this should not be a problem.

I had a full facelift May 4 of this year. My eyes still won't close all the way. How long will it take for the eyelids to close?

Answers (9)

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