Bags under eyes after 1 month blepharoplasty. Will they settle down eventually?

Thank you for your question. It takes a few months for the final result to settle; however bare in mind that when you smile, it is normal to see some more fullness on the lower eyelids as the facial muscles lift the cheeks and therefore push the lower eyelids up. To see the difference achieved, in a couple of months go to see your plastic surgeon and ask to see the before photos while smiling and not, and compare them with your current photos.I am sure you will be thrilled with the outcome.All the best.Andrea Marando

Thanks for your question.  You definitely still have some residual swelling only one month after surgery.  It can take 3 to 6 months for all of the swelling to dissipate.  However, when you smile there will always be some "folding up" of the lower lid skin because the facial muscles contract and push the soft tissue upward.  This can be softened by botox treatments to the muscles around the eyes and can be a nice adjunct to lower lid surgery. Finer lines can also be treated with some post op laser resurfacing.  Most surgeons will want to wait until all the swelling is completely resolved before adding any non-surgical treatments.  As always, discuss these issues with your surgeon.

It is definitely normal to still have some swelling 1 month after blepharoplasty.  While most of the swelling subsides within the first few weeks, it make take 3-6 months (or even longer in some cases) to see the final results.  Wish you a speedy recovery!

Dear Ginigirica,

This is a very common question and an excellent one to address
on RealSelf. If in repose you have nice
smooth lids with an excellent aesthetic surgical result then good results have
been achieved. It’s very important prior
to undergoing a blepharoplasty to realize that on animation when you smile your
cheeks must necessarily move upwards which compresses and accordions the skin
under the eyelid. This will not be
improved with excisional or laser based blepharoplasty as your cheeks must move
and in order to move there must be some compression of skin under the lower
lid. Some individuals with full cheeks
and who are very dynamic can never achieve full dynamic smoothness that is
smooth skin when smiling. Short of not
smiling your best option is to talk to your physician about ancillary treatment
such as lower lid Botox and accepting dynamic wrinkles and active smile
wrinkles under the eyes that, as you age, lower lid skin pinch blepharoplasty
may be able to provide some improvement.

I hope this information has been of some assistance and best
of luck.

For more information, please review the link below.

R. Stephen Mulholland, M.D.

Certified Plastic Surgeon

Yorkville, Toronto