Can I Take a Shower After Surgery?

Recommendations on how long to wait before getting a surgical incision wet in the shower can vary quite a bit among surgeons. I would stress just asking your surgeon how long you should wait. There may be some variability depending on what specific technique was used to close the incision.

I typically tell patients that the incision line is water tight after 48 hours. After this point there is very little chance that showering would carry any bacteria into the incision and cause an infection.

1. I usually ask patients to keep the surgical area dry for 3-5 days after eye lid surgery depending on what was done.
2. Always check with your surgeon before getting surgical sites wet since there is no hard rule or guideline that says when it is safe to shower.