How Does the Recovery for Eyelid Ptosis Compare to That of Blepharoplasty?

Bruising, swelling is usually greater with ptosis surgery than blepharoplasty. Healing overall is also slower. But it all really depends on what technique is used for each.

The recovery depends on the technique used for ptosis correction - whether its internal or external. The internal approach usually results in less swelling/bruising than external. Most patients return to work 4-7 days after either procedure but it depends on the amount of swelling that one gets and how quickly the eyelid recovers. Ptosis correction is more technically challenging (especially the external approach) than blepharoplasty of the upper eyelids. 

Ptosis ("toe-sis") is a drooping of the eyelid due to a weakness of the eyelid muscle. Ptosis surgery is very technical and requires great precision to have a natural, beautiful outcome.  It is definitely more challenging and more invasive than a blepharoplasty. That being said, the bruising is generally mild afterwards.  This is one of the most common surgeries I perform and my patients are back functioning fully in just a few days.  Any patient may have bruising that may last up to 2 weeks but the bruises appear under the eyes and in the upper cheeks.  I advise my patients (even men) that they can use cover up makeup over these areas as long as they avoid the incision lines. One possible "excuse" would be to say you had to have a treatment of a "lazy eyelid causing problems." For a further discussion, you need an in-person consultation with a board-certified, fellowship-trained Oculofacial Plastic Surgeon with extensive experience in ptosis repair and eyelid surgery. Please avoid any doctors that do eyelid surgery part time, they cannot help you. I wish you well with your surgery! 
Damon B. Chandler, MD
Harvard-Penn Trained Oculofacial Plastic Surgeon

Working on all four eyelids at once as you did for a blepharoplasty can cause significant swelling and bruising, and you will certainly not experience as much after unilateral ptosis repair. However, ptosis surgery itself is more invasive in the sense that it involves isolating the muscle that opens the eyelid whereas blepharoplasty usually involves just skin removal (sometimes fat and/or muscle). Afterwards, you will still have swelling and bruising that typically lasts 1-2 weeks. As far as working, as long as your job is not strenuous (manual labor), you would be okay to resume your normal duties within a few days. 

Hello.  In general, secondary eyelid surgery - ptosis or bleph following previous eyelid surgery leads to a slightly longer recovery time than the primary surgery.  It is important to remember that eyelid scarring from previous surgery may cause slightly longer recovery.That being said, primary ptosis surgery, depending on technique has a similar recover to primary blepharoplasty. Internal ptosis repair requires no external incisions and can be performed with swelling that lasts at least 7 days.  In external ptosis repair (levator advancement), the dissection is slightly deeper in the eyelid than blepharoplasty which occasionally can lead to minimally increased recovery time.