Are There Things Than Can Speed Up the Recovery from Eyelid Surgery?

Hello! Thank you for your question! The recommendations for the use of these homeopathic medications are surgeon preference. I typically suggest the use of Arnica Montana to decrease swelling and bruising. It is an herbal medication that is propagated from the seeds of an herb. I, as well as my patients, have seen some benefit with the treatment in the postoperative period. Although there is little evidence to its effectiveness, I believe there is some benefit, and no harm. I recommend 4-5 tablets under the tongue 4x/day for 3-5 days prior and 5-7 days after the procedure. Hope that this helps! Best wishes!

The best thing to do after eyelid surgery is to ice the surgical area, I recommend 15 min every hour whenever you can, especially for the first three days. But you don't need to stay up to do icing of course. And also over the counter Arnica is liked by a lot of my patients as a dietary supplement after surgery to decrease bruising and swelling.

There are several things such as ice, arnica or bromelain, steroids, etc but also the technique of the eyelid procedure is critical. 

Thank you for your question, as it is a very common topic with all patients preparing for eyelid surgery. Prior to your blepharoplasty, your chosen surgeon will outline your recovery plan and advise of over-the- counter and homeopathic remedies to ease discomfort and speed the healing process. It is important to note with eyelid surgery recovery is not instantaneous, but your activities performed after are what counts the most toward healing. Within the first 2-3 days, increased swelling is expected; to remedy this, your head should be elevated and ice should be placed as a cold compress. Activity should be reduced during this time to avoid excess bruising and swelling. Television or reading is fine, however the first few days the eyes will be more swollen and may feel heavy. Diet is crucial as well, salty foods, fish oils, and aspirin are to be avoided as they can elongate both swelling and bruising period. Best of luck!

It's not unusual for patients to be worried about recovery times following blepharoplasty surgery. Delayed recovery is almost always related to prolonged swelling and bruising. For this reason, every effort should be made to minimize the potential for these complications.





It's, therefore, important to avoid the use of drugs that inhibit platelet function before and after surgery. Drugs in this category include Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Aleve and Motrin.





In the immediate post-operative period, patients should utilize iced saline compresses and maintain elevation of the head. It's also important to maintain a low salt diet, high protein diet following surgery. Although no scientific data is available, many surgeons recommend Arnica Montana to minimize bruising in the post-operative period.





When these steps are taken, recovery times following blepharoplasty surgery are optimized. Despite this, the vast majority of patients need seven to ten days to fully recover.

The best thing you can do is to follow your surgeon's pre- and post-operative care and try not to rush the healing process.  Sleep elevated and apply cold compresses to the area as much as possible. Eat a protein-based diet and don't skip meals and take Arnica.  Avoid pulling/tugging and scratching the eyes.

Bromalaine and Arnika are 2 great herbal supplements we recommend taking beforehand and after procedure. These can be found at your local vitamin store. Also, head elevation and cold compresses really do make a big difference in how you heal after the procedure. 

Since bruising and swelling are a reality for many patients that undergo a blepharoplasty procedure, I have outlined some recommendations below that I offer to my patients in the hopes of getting them back to their normal activities sooner.1.  Avoidance of multivitamins, aspirin, aspirin containing products and/or blood thinners for 2 weeks before your blepharoplasty procedure.  With that said, if patients are currently on an aspirin or blood thinner regimen as per their medical doctor I recommend that they defer to their medical doctor before stopping any of these medications.2.  Use of arnica and bromelain oral tablets (i.e. BruiseGuard) beginning 2-3 days before your surgery and for 4-5 days after.3.  Head elevation for one week after your procedure.4.  Cool compresses for 24-72 hours after your procedure.With that said, I always recommend that patients defer to their operating surgeon to discuss any pre- and post-operative protocols.  I hope this helps and good luck!

Thank you for your question.  Recovery can significantly differ from patients to patients, however a few things below are what I would advise my patients to do to help recovery, and make it more comfortable for them.- Ensure you get adequate rest in the first 48 hours post procedure and ensure you are adequately hydrated and maintain a healthy diet.- Avoid heavy lifting and bending over for 7 days post the procedure.- Do sleep for the first 3 night with your head raised on a few pillows to prevent any further swelling- Do use cold packs as a method of reducing any swelling.- Do take paracetamol as required.- Do shower the day after surgery although avoid the direct pressure of the water on your face/eyes.  You can wash your hair as normal and then use the hair dryer on a cool setting to dry the area around your eyes.  This help prevent any infection- Soak sterile eye pads in witchazel and rest on eyes as often as possible, for first few days.- Use Chloramphenicol ointment.  Drop ointment on inside lower lid and rotate eyeballs, to disperse over the eye.  This help minimise infection and moisten eyes. 

There is some variability in the recovery process after eyelid surgery, and especially with regard to bruising.  It's important to stay off aspirin for two weeks prior to surgery.  After surgery, follow your surgeon's instructions.  I usually have my patients apply cold compresses and sleep on their backs with head elevated slightly.