Is it normal for swelling to persist beyond three weeks after upper eyelid blepharoplasty? (Photo)

Thank you for your question.  It is absolutely normal to have swelling of the eyelids after surgery for up to 3 months.  As you start resolving the swelling, you may see pockets of swelling. Massage those areas gently from inside to out.  Hope this helps.

Your swelling is minimal and not likely noticeable to others.  The upper eyelid ptosis that you have, is not caused by swelling.  Assuming that you did not have ptosis before surgery, your upper eyelid blepharoplasty has caused this ptosis.  This occurs without the fault of the surgeon (except that they may or may not have told you this was a possibility).  Healing in the eyelid after blepharoplasty can actually disinherit the tendon that raises the upper eyelid.  As the eyelid heals, the eyelids become progressively more droopy.  I do not think that this ptosis will resolve with more healing.  The eyelids needs to heal at least 6 months before considering revisional ptosis surgery. 

It is not unusual to have a little residual swelling in the lids a month after a blepharoplasty. The swelling is usually mild, like yours. This little bit of swelling can take up to 6 months to go away, so be patient. Andrew Campbell, M.D.

Facial Rejuvenation Specialist

Quintessa Aesthetic Centers

Thank you for the photo!
At 3 1/2 weeks, you are still in the early stages of healing.
By 3 months things should be looking pretty normal but in some cases can take a bit longer.
No need for concern at this stage.

It is normal to still have persistent swelling three weeks after upper eyelid surgery; the surgeon's assistant is right.  It is difficult to tell because of the persistent swelling and from the photos provided, but you might actually have upper eyelid ptosis.  This is a condition not corrected by the upper blepharoplasty procedure and additional surgery by an oculofacial plastic surgeon could be necessary.    Good luck!

can persist for a long period of time. In some parts of the body the swelling will take up to a year to completely resolve. The eyelids typically a lot faster than that, but a month or two would not be uncommon for some patients. 

Swelling is normal for the first 4-6 weeks, and depending on the person sometimes even for a little bit after that. It is hard to assess asymmetry until the first recovery milestone at 6 weeks, when the majority of swelling subsides.
If you are concerned and wish to have someone take a look, I would suggest seeing an oculo-plastic surgeon, which is an ophthalmologist with a concentrations in plastic surgery specifically around the eyelids.

Yes.  Generally speaking, swelling will reduce by about 75% by 3-4 weeks after surgery.  However, the last 25% can require 3 or 6 months to resolve.  Also, the swelling can increase and decrease on any given day, and I not consistent.  This decreases over time, and eventually goes back to normal.

The 3 month issue is not unusual. But you might be asking why more skin was not removed?>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Swelling after blepharoplasty may persist for months, but you should see some improvement week by week. Health issues and medication may prolong swelling - thyroid dysfunction, ACE inhibitors, fluid retention secondary to renal or cardiac problems, heavy salt intake/ sleeping in prone position, etc. You may want to use warm compresses, keep your head elevated, and minimize added salt in your diet. Regarding the possibility of ptosis/ levator detachment, I find it difficult to diagnose with one or two photos taken in down gaze. What I do see in the photos is that you have very little space between your eyelid creases and your eyebrows - I believe you have brow ptosis. Correction of the brow level would provide a more youthful appearance and eliminate the heaviness and crowding of the eyebrow fat pads onto the eyelids. A direct approach would work nicely as you have good eyebrow cilia. Laser modalities such as fractional CO2 and OPL when combined restore youthful skin and reduce pigment and redness. These options would enhance your blepharoplasty results. Best wishes.