Will I Have Visible Scars from Eyelid Surgery?

Upper and lower eyelid surgery scars are among the best scars a patient can receive, IF the surgeon uses precise technique, fine sutures, proper incision location, and the patient follows post-op directions well.

Upper eyelid incision are hidden by the lid fold (except in Asian patients, who may not have this fold). Care must be taken by the surgeon to not go too high, too low, or too far laterally near the crows-foot area, or the scar may be more visible. Likewise, too much skin removal can cause excessive tension on the closure and affect healing adversely. I mark and measure my patients pre-operatively while upright and alert (no medication or sedation on-board) to determine the accurate true amount of skin excess to remove. Finally, the choice of suture material and closure technique can influence the scar's quality. I use a very fine (6-0) monofilament nonabsorbable suture woven from inside the skin incision edge to the other side of the skin incision edge (subcuticular closure) and left in one piece for both lids. When it is ready to be removed in a week or so, I simply slide the suture from the skin by pulling from the center where the stitch is exposed. Minimal discomfort, no cross-hatch marks, great scar (but somewhat more difficult to do). Many surgeons simply use an easy over-and-over baseball stitch and remove it before it leaves (bad) marks, but it can leave tiny suture hole scars or cross-hatch marks if it is too tight, left in too long, or if the patient has more swelling than "average." Sleeping with your head elevated above heart level for at least two weeks helps keep swelling to a minimum. The same goes for avoidance of lifting, straining, or vomiting after surgery!

Lower eyelids are even more tricky to do well, and even skilled, experienced surgeons can have difficulties with proper tension, lid position, and scarring (not just the visible skin scar, but the ones beneath the surface that can pull or distort the lid during healing). At least the skin scar can be virtually invisible, if the scar is placed just below the eyelashes--not several millimeters below, which I commonly see (to avoid cutting the eyelashes, or just out of habit), but adjacent to the eyelashes. This is hard to do properly and involves utilizing a pointy scalpel blade directed from below the skin upwards, which allows the surgeon to place the incision much closer to the eyelashes, giving a scar which heals better than virtually all others.  When I use this special technique for external lower eyelid incisions, I use very tiny absorbable sutures for closure. These dissolve within a week, do not leave a mark, and do not require trying to decide what is an eyelash and what is a suture (for removal). Of course, if you only have a tiny amount of fat to be removed, the incision can be hidden inside the eyelid, and this is completely invisible. But this incision does not allow any lid tightening or skin/muscle smoothing.

Even with "standard" methods, eyelid scars heal beautifully for the vast majority of patients and surgeons, usually even if you form bad scars elsewhere. But with these tips and techniques, I believe scars can be even better.

In the upper eyelid, surgical scars can often be expertly hidden in the natrual crease.  The same goes for the lower eyelid if the incision is made on the outside of the eyelid. If the incision is behind the lower eyelid, no scar is seen. 

There should be minimal or no eyelid scarring after upper eyelid surgery.  The incisions for the upper eyelids are placed in the natural crease of each eyelid and are closed using special plastic surgery sutures. For the lower lids, the incision is either inside the eyelid or just under the lash line so the incision should also heal nicely.   It is best to make sure your surgeon specializes in eyelid surgery to help ensure that your incisions have the best chance possible of healing nicely.

Blepharoplasties (eyelid surgery) are probably the single most valuable treatment for a patient to experience.

Assuming that you want to look more refreshed (yet still natural), removing excessive tissue from the upper eyelid region is the right choice.  As we communicate by looking at each others eyes, this is often the first thing that we begin to notice as we begin to age.  

We typically see that patients will raise their eyebrows while getting ready in the morning.  This is true for both men and women.  We feel good and look refreshed and then we go about our day.  However, when we catch a glimpse of ourselves in the mirror or when a candid photo is taken (one we aren't posing for), we often look "tired" and less "refreshed."  

Besides being so valuable, the incision should heal without any perceptible scar.  Of course there is always a scar present, but it is placed in the natural eyelid crease and therefore no one will ever see it.

The scars from a blepharoplasty, when properly done, should be very difficult to see.  The upper eyelid scar is typically hidden in the eyelid fold or crease and the lower eyelid scar is immediately below the lash line if skin has been removed.  Shortly after the surgery, the scars may be slightly pink but are very easy to conceal with minimal makeup.  In my experience, it is very uncommon to do a touch-up on a blepharoplasty scar.  

Great question! You should not have significantly visible scars from blepharoplasty. Any incision on the body will leave a scar to some extent. However, the incision for blepharoplasty is planned along a natural skin crease that very effectively hides this scar. Sometimes if there is fullness of the eyelid laterally that requires removal, this incision can be brought further lateral which does increase visibility, though still very subtle.
Hope this helps! Kyle Kimura, MDFacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Although every surgery has risks of scarring, blepharoplasty is one of the most minimal scarrings of any cosmetic procedure. This procedure involves incisions above the upper-eyelid eyelash crease. On the lower lid, your surgeon will make a cut just below the lashes or inside the lower lid. Once the incisions have closed, your scars will begin to fade from red to pink and end up virtually invisible.

One of the best things about blepharoplasty is that an experienced plastic surgeon makes incisions with virtually imperceptible scars. That's true for both upper and lower eyelid surgery. In upper blepharoplasty, the incisions follow the natural crease of the eyelid. Lower eyelid surgery usually involves making a thin incision just below the lash line (a transcutaneous procedure). In some cases, a patient is better served by making the incision inside the lower eyelid (a transconjunctival procedure). In either case, you probably won't notice any visible scarring. 

Fortunately scars are not a big problem with blepharoplasty. Often they are hidden in the eyelid crease or fade with time. Transconjunctival blepharoplasty allows the surgeon  to enter from behind the eyelid aboiding issues of scars. See an eyelid specialist (oculoplastic surgeon) to discuss. 

Hello! Thank you for the question!  You will have scars after any incision is made, but eyelid scars are made to be inconspicuous. Scars from this procedure, when properly placed, should be virtually imperceptible once fully healed.  It is common for scars to fully mature for up to a year. In the meantime, there are a few things that may help to ameliorate your incision/scar. The most proven (as well as cheapest) modality is simple scar massage. Applying pressure and massaging the well-healed scar has been shown to improve the appearance as it breaks up the scar tissue, hopefully producing the finest scar as possible. Other things that have been shown to add some benefit, albeit controversial, are silicone sheets, hydration, and topical steroids. In addition, avoidance of direct sunlight to the incision will significantly help the appearance as they tend to discolor with UV light during the healing process. If unsightly scars are still present after approximately a year's time, other things that your surgeon may consider are intralesional steroid injections, laser, or just surgical revision of the scar itself.Hope that this helps! Best wishes!

                  Anytime
an incision is made, scarring will occur to some degree. The eyelid is an area
where scarring is usually minimal and the scars are well hidden in this
location. It usually takes about twelve months for scars to reach maximum
recovery.

                  Local
wound care can minimize the potential for adverse scarring following surgery.
In the immediate post-operative period, removing sutures in a timely manner can
minimize adverse scarring. Avoiding crusting and scabbing of the eyelids by
keeping them lubricated with ointment can minimize indentations in the scar.
Avoidance of infections can minimize hypertrophic scarring and spread of the
scars.

                  When
these steps are followed, most patients have excellent healing with almost
inperceptable scarring. Occasionally, wound healing complications can occur and
secondary surgery is required, but these situations are fortunately rare.