If you’ve made the decision to have cosmetic eyelid surgery to correct lower lid bags, you already know that the desired outcome from the surgery is to reduce the tired or sad appearance that aging often produces below the eyes. You expect a degree of youthfulness and freshness to return to your overall facial expression. Talk with your surgeon prior to your cosmetic lower lid surgery to understand what will happen on surgery day, what the recovery process will entail, and ultimately what results you can expect from this cosmetic procedure. Your cosmetic eyelid surgery may be combined with another cosmetic procedure if desired.
On the day of your cosmetic eyelid surgery, you will receive a local anesthetic that will numb your eye area. You will also receive an oral or intravenous sedative to keep you calm and relaxed during the procedure. If this causes you concern, you should discuss the option of a general anesthesia with your doctor prior to surgery day; you cannot opt for general anesthesia on the day of the cosmetic procedure if you have not prepared for it.
Your cosmetic procedure for correcting lower lid bags will usually take one hour or less. A process called transconjunctival blepharoplasty will be used whereby your surgeon will make an incision on the inside of the eyelid and excess fat and skin will be removed; your surgeon may opt to make the incision just below the lashes on the exterior part of the eye instead. The anesthesia will make the cosmetic procedure virtually pain free, although there may be some soreness or tightness that causes discomfort after the surgery. You doctor will apply an ointment to the incision area and may bandage your eyes.
This is an outpatient cosmetic procedure, so you will recover from your cosmetic lower lid surgery at home. You will need to keep your head elevated for a few days and apply ice or cold compresses to the eye area to reduce the bruising and swelling that naturally occurs with cosmetic eyelid surgery. You will be given a procedure for washing your eyes and applying the recommended ointment yourself. The stitches will be removed in the doctor’s office in five to seven days. The permanent results of your cosmetic lower lid surgery will be evident within two weeks, and scarring will be nearly invisible within six months.