Had Lower Skin Pinch Blepharoplasty 5 Days Ago. Eyes Still Very Puffy.

It is very normal to have swelling 5 days after any surgical procedure.  The pinch blepharoplasty is a good technique.  It has less trauma than others.  It is still surgery.  We have our patients sleep with their head elevated for at least a week.  We like ice also.  Please check with your Plastic Surgeon first, and let him/her know your concerns.

Maximum swelling is usually at about 3-5 days and goes away over a few months. You should sleep with your head elevated and cut back on salt to help the swelling.

Being a Cosmetic Oculofacial Plastic Surgeon super-specialist of the eyes and face in New York, swelling under the eyes after blepharoplasty is something I deal with on a daily basis with eyelift surgery patients. Swelling after eyelid surgery can be variable and can last from a week to a month. Even with minimal trauma after lower lid skin pinch blepharoplasty, you can still get obvious swelling and puffiness under the eyes during the recovery period. After having the lower eyelid pinch bleph, you may notice the first 2 days that swelling is at its maximum. Usually at 5 days, you can use warm compresses for your puffy eyes or and carry on with normal activity (moving, blinking, talking, smiling). Compared to standard blepharoplasty, a limited amount of skin removal during a skin pinch eyelid surgery is less traumatic than removing fat or other surgery. However, in my 16 years of practice, I've witnessed a wide variation in recovery after eyelid surgery a lot of swelling for a little procedure and virtually no swelling for a lot of surgery. If you've ever had particles or debris go into your eyes or rubbed your eye due to allergies, you can remember your eyes are very sensitive to any kind of trauma. I recommend following the instructions given to you by your eyelid surgeon for after care following eyelid surgery. As long as your doctor sees no immediate concerns, you should be optimistic that the swelling will do down after eyelift surgery.