You’ve made up your mind about getting the procedure, but you still have so many thoughts and questions about it. That’s okay. It’s normal to want to know every aspect of a life-changing decision. After all, it is your eyes we’re talking about here—the windows to your soul. You don’t want to end up blind or with horrendous keloid scars on top of your eyelids.
Ensure You’re a Good Candidate
There is such a thing as an ideal patient. Most eyelid patients are 35 years or older. However, if you have droopy eyes due to genes, you may want to schedule a consultation sooner. The ideal patient is someone who is in good health and has realistic expectations of the surgery. Realistic expectations are key.
Many people don’t know they have far-fetched ideations of what one surgery procedure alone can do. Before going under the scalpel talk with your doctor and thoroughly discuss your goals to see if they’re something reasonable to expect. It’s important to note that eyelid surgery is a subtle one, that opens your eyes more by removing excess skin, but it will not change the actual structure of your eyes.
How Permanent are the Results?
Upper eye surgery results can last a minimum of 5 years. Lower eyelid surgery on the other hand rarely requires a touch-up. Isn’t that a relief! Be mindful that you are not immortal and that you will continue to age after the procedure.
Post-Op Need-to-Knows
You’re coming out of anesthesia, everything went well, and it’s time to head home. To avoid being stranded at the doctor’s make sure you’ve arranged for another person to drive you home ahead of time. Someone reliable. It’s also recommended to have a friend or family member stay the night with you.
You should expect to stay home from work and other engagements for several days after surgery. As your eyelids heal you may experience dry eyes. Dry eyes however should not last longer than two weeks. Contact your doctor if it persists.
At home make sure you have ice cubes, small gauze pads, and eye drops. Avoid taking certain over-the-counter painkillers as they can increase the risk of bleeding. Talk to your doctor about pain management before leaving his office!
More on After-Care
You will have stitches on both lids for up to a week. Try not to rub the incision sites during sleep after the stitches have been freshly removed. There have been cases where patient accidentally opens the lids and have to undergo eyelid revision. The good news about that is it’s easy to revise with the use of local anesthetics. If you’re interested in eyelid surgery in Glenview, schedule an appointment with Adam J Cohen MD.