Will Skin Under Eyelids Tighten As Lower Blepharoplasty Heals?

Question

I'm a 51-year old who is 4 weeks post-op from a lower blepharoplasty (under-eyelash) and lateral incision to remove a small amount of excess skin. For the first time, I now have some laxness to the skin under my eyes as well as a slight crepey look and numerous under-eye wrinkles when I smile (I didn't have any of this before the surgery and had the surgery only to deal with some smallish bags). Will this resolve on its own as I heal further or will I need to take further action at 6 months?

Ali Sajjadian, MD, FACS · Answer

Hi, Four weeks after surgery, your eyelid skin will not change significantly.

	You are a good candidate for some sort of skin tightening with chemical peeling or Fractionated laser resurfacing.

	Please see your surgeon to go over all your options.

	Hope this was helpful.

	Good Luck

Mehryar (Ray) Taban, MD, FACS · Answer

Your lower eyelids won't change significantly after a month from surgery.  There are various options to address excess skin of the lower eyelids.  Some of what you are descrbing might also be the underlying orbicularis muscle, which requires different treatment.

	Dr T.

Stephen Prendiville, MD · Answer

4 weeks after a lower eyelid surgery, you can expect some improvement in swelling. As the swelling subsides, you will notice the return of a few lines and wrinkles. Although lower lid Blepharoplasty allows for removal of some skin excess, it is not designed to be a "skin tightening" procedure per se. The reason for this is that the lower eyelid is not a very strong structure. Since wound contracture is part of the surgical healing process, removal of too much skin will lead to a lower lid "rounding", retraction, or even ectropion (everted, pulled down lower lid). If you are unhappy with residual lines and wrinkles 2-3 months after your surgery, you may want to consider a resurfacing procedure such a fractionated laser treatment or chemical peel.

Michael A. Persky, MD · Answer

Hi,

	Best to discuss thes concerns with your blepharoplasty surgeon.  If there is some residual crepiness or excess skin it can be addressed with a fractionated CO2 laser treatment.  Good luck and be well.

	Dr. P

Joseph A. Eviatar, MD, FACS · Answer

After blepharoplasty there is some swelling before the skin tightens up. However, if there’s some hollowing, there could be the appearance of excess skin. In general, I would wait a minimum of 3 months before assessing whether any skin tightening procedure, such as laser or skin removal, is necessary. 4 weeks is really not adequate to tell.

Will Skin Under Eyelids Tighten As Lower Blepharoplasty Heals?

Answers (5)