--- title: "Recovery After Blepharoplasty: A Week-by-Week Guide to Eyelid Surgery Healing" url: https://drturner.com.au/blogs/recovery-after-blepharoplasty/ date: 2021-05-31 modified: 2026-07-28 author: "Dr Scott J Turner" description: "Dr Scott J Turner | Specialist Plastic Surgeon (FRACS) Key Takeaways Swelling peaks around 48 to 72 hours, not on day one. Looking worse on day three than day one..." categories: - "Blepharoplasty" tags: - "Blepharoplasty" - "Dr Scott Turner" - "Dr Scott Turner Sydney" - "Face Surgery" - "lower blepharoplasty recovery photos day by day" - "photos one week after eyelid surgery" - "Recovery after Eyelid Surgery" - "Recovery after Eyelid Surgery Sydney" - "swelling after eyelid surgery photos" - "upper blepharoplasty recovery photos day by day" - "upper eyelid surgery before and after" - "upper eyelid surgery recovery day by day" image: https://drturner.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/blogplaceholder-img.svg word_count: 2127 --- # Recovery After Blepharoplasty: A Week-by-Week Guide to Eyelid Surgery Healing [Dr Scott J Turner](https://drturner.com.au/dr-scott-turner-sydney-plastic-surgeon/) | Specialist Plastic Surgeon (FRACS) ## Key Takeaways - **Swelling peaks around 48 to 72 hours**, not on day one. Looking worse on day three than day one is expected rather than a warning sign. - **Upper and lower eyelid surgery recover differently.** Upper is the shorter course; lower, particularly with an external incision, runs longer. - **Most patients are presentable for desk work between one and two weeks**, with the eyes still looking operated on for a while after that. - **Strenuous exercise waits four to six weeks** — raised blood pressure in healing tissue risks bleeding and can disturb the result. - **Cold compresses and head elevation are the two interventions that genuinely help.** Most of the rest is marketing. - **Final result at three to six months.** Judgements made before three months are made too early. Recovery is the most common pre-operative question, and most patients are pleasantly surprised. Eyelid surgery isn't a comfortable week — there is bruising, there is swelling, and the eyes look operated on for a while — but it is considerably more manageable than people expect. The eyelid skin is thin and the blood supply generous, so healing tends to move along. Planning two weeks away from social commitments is sensible. Planning for a painful ordeal usually isn't. This guide covers the full timeline for both [upper blepharoplasty](https://drturner.com.au/procedures/eyes/upper-blepharoplasty/) and [lower blepharoplasty](https://drturner.com.au/procedures/eyes/lower-blepharoplasty/), how to manage swelling and bruising, when each activity can resume, and the warning signs that warrant a call. Surgery is performed in Sydney, with consultations also held at the [Brisbane clinic](https://drturner.com.au/locations/brisbane/blepharoplasty/). ## Upper and Lower Recover Differently **Upper blepharoplasty** is usually a day procedure, performed in rooms under local anaesthesia or in hospital under sedation or general anaesthesia. Recovery is relatively straightforward and most patients manage the first week at home without much help. **Lower blepharoplasty** is always performed in hospital under general anaesthesia and takes longer. The transconjunctival approach, with the incision inside the lid and no external scar, recovers faster. The transcutaneous approach, with an incision below the lash line, involves more tissue disruption and external sutures, so the timeline extends. **Combined upper and lower** follows the lower eyelid timeline. For granular day-by-day detail on upper eyelid surgery specifically, the [upper blepharoplasty recovery day-by-day timeline](https://drturner.com.au/blogs/upper-blepharoplasty-recovery-day-by-day/) covers the first fortnight in more depth than this guide. ## The Timeline ### Day of surgery Upper blepharoplasty patients go home within a few hours. Lower and combined procedures involve a short observation period. The eyes feel tight and heavy. Vision is often blurry from the ointment applied during surgery, which clears. You will need a driver, and having someone available for the first 24 hours makes the day easier. ### Days 1 to 3: peak swelling This is the worst of it. Swelling and bruising peak somewhere around 48 to 72 hours, and the eyes will look considerably more swollen than they did in the recovery room. This is normal and not a sign that something has gone wrong. Bruising typically extends below the eye and sometimes onto the upper cheek. It is often asymmetric — one side reliably looks worse than the other, and that evens out. ### Days 4 to 7: settling begins From around day four things improve noticeably. Swelling reduces and bruising shifts from purple toward yellow-green as it resolves. Upper eyelid sutures come out at around five to seven days, as do transcutaneous lower lid sutures. It is a quick and comfortable appointment. By the end of week one most patients are managing independently. ### Week 2: back to normal settings Visible bruising is fading and the eyes are starting to resemble their eventual result. Residual puffiness remains, worse in the mornings. Most upper blepharoplasty patients are comfortable at desk-based work and in light social settings within one to two weeks. Transconjunctival lower lid patients are often resuming normal activity from five to seven days; transcutaneous patients generally ten to fourteen. ### Weeks 3 to 6: continued settling Swelling continues to resolve, slowly enough that day-to-day change isn't obvious. Morning puffiness is normal — fluid accumulates overnight and disperses through the day. Scars pass through a pink, firm phase before softening. Upper eyelid scars sit within the natural crease and are not visible with the eyes open. ### Months 3 to 6: the settled result The result is generally apparent between three and six months, once residual swelling has gone and incision lines have faded. Patients with thicker skin, and lower eyelid patients, may notice refinement continuing beyond six months. Mild asymmetry during healing — one eye more swollen than the other for a period — is normal and resolves. **Individual results vary**, and no final judgement should be made before three months. ## Managing Swelling and Bruising Two things genuinely help. Most of the rest is noise. **Cold compresses.** Ten to fifteen minutes each waking hour for the first 48 to 72 hours. Use a cold pack wrapped in cloth — never ice directly against the skin, which risks a cold injury to thin eyelid tissue. After 72 hours, cold offers little benefit. **Head elevation.** At all times, including sleep, for the first two weeks. Extra pillows or a recliner for the first several nights. Lying flat raises venous pressure in the eyelid and measurably worsens morning swelling. Beyond those: - **Avoid blood-thinning medications and supplements** unless approved — including fish oil, vitamin E, ginkgo and many herbal preparations. This is the single most common avoidable cause of excessive bruising. - **No smoking, and minimal alcohol.** Both slow healing; alcohol also dilates vessels and worsens swelling. - **Keep salt down** in the first fortnight. Sodium drives fluid retention, and the periorbital tissue holds it readily. - **Don't bend, strain or lift** in the early days. Anything that drives blood pressure toward the head increases both swelling and bleeding risk. - **Arnica and bromelain** are commonly recommended. The evidence is weak and inconsistent. Neither is harmful in normal doses, but neither substitutes for cold and elevation. Bruising resolves through a predictable colour sequence — red, purple, green, yellow — over roughly two to three weeks. Bruising that tracks down onto the cheek is gravity, not a complication. ## Returning to Activity Timings are typical rather than guaranteed, and individual advice takes precedence. | Activity | Upper blepharoplasty | Lower blepharoplasty | | -------- | -------------------- | -------------------- | | Showering (avoiding direct spray to eyes) | 48 hours | 48 hours | | Light walking | From day 1–2, gently | From day 2–3, gently | | Reading and screens, in short bursts | Day 3–4 | Day 4–5 | | Driving | Once vision is clear and off sedating analgesia, usually 3–5 days | Usually around 7 days | | Desk-based work | 7–10 days | 10–14 days | | Sutures removed | 5–7 days | 5–7 days (transcutaneous) | | Eye make-up | 2–3 weeks | 2–3 weeks | | Contact lenses | 2 weeks minimum | 2 weeks minimum | | Bending and lifting | Avoid 2–3 weeks | Avoid 3 weeks | | Gym, running, high-impact | 4–6 weeks | 6 weeks | | Swimming | 4 weeks | 4–6 weeks | | Sauna, spa, hot yoga | 4–6 weeks | 6 weeks | | Short domestic flights | ~1–2 weeks, on advice | ~2 weeks, on advice | **Why exercise is restricted.** The concern is not effort but pressure. Raised blood pressure in recently operated tissue increases the risk of bleeding into the eyelid, and in the early weeks can disturb the position of healing tissue. The eyelid has no capacity to accommodate a haematoma, which is why the threshold here is more conservative than for surgery elsewhere on the body. **Staged return.** Light walking early and often, for circulation. From two to three weeks, moderate activity that doesn't raise the heart rate substantially or involve bending. From four weeks, gradual return to cardiovascular exercise. From six weeks, most patients are unrestricted. **Stop and reassess** if any activity produces throbbing, a sensation of pressure behind the eye, fresh swelling or visual disturbance. ## Eye Care, Sun and Scars **Drops and ointment.** Continue as prescribed. Lubricating drops help with the dryness and grittiness that are common in the first weeks, particularly after upper eyelid surgery. **Don't rub the eyes.** Particularly important in the first fortnight. **Screens.** Uncomfortable early on because blink rate drops and the eyes are already dry. Short sessions with deliberate breaks, and lubricating drops as needed. **Sunglasses outdoors** throughout recovery. They protect healing skin from UV and wind, and they make going out considerably easier while bruising is visible. **Sun protection matters for months.** Fresh scars pigment readily with UV exposure. Sunscreen over healed incisions, plus sunglasses and a hat, for at least six months. **Scar care.** Once incisions have fully healed, usually from around two weeks, gentle massage with silicone gel can begin and is worth continuing for two to three months. ## Sleep Sleep is where most of the avoidable swelling is won or lost. **Sleep elevated** — head above heart — for at least the first two weeks. A wedge pillow or recliner works better than stacked pillows, which tend to collapse and slide during the night. **Sleep on your back.** Side sleeping presses the operated eyelid into the pillow and reliably produces a more swollen eye on that side by morning. Patients who habitually side-sleep often find a pillow wedged against each side helps them stay put. **Expect worse mornings.** Fluid accumulates overnight regardless of what you do. The eyes will look puffier on waking and settle over the first hour or two upright. This continues, gradually diminishing, for several weeks. Dryness and grittiness overnight are common, particularly after upper eyelid surgery, and lubricating ointment before bed helps. ## What's Normal at Each Stage Knowing what to expect prevents a great deal of unnecessary worry. **First week.** Swelling that worsens before it improves. Bruising spreading downward onto the cheek. Tightness on closing the eyes. Blurred vision from ointment. Watering, grittiness or dryness. Mild tenderness at the incision. One side looking worse than the other. **Second to fourth week.** Residual puffiness, worse in the mornings. Pink, slightly firm incision lines. Occasional shooting or tingling sensations as nerves recover. Numbness near the incision. Lumpiness along the scar line. A slightly tight sensation on wide eye opening. **Second and third month.** Scars still visible but fading. Intermittent dryness. Subtle asymmetry that continues to even out. Fluctuation in appearance depending on sleep, salt and alcohol. **Not normal at any stage:** worsening pain after 48 hours, sudden one-sided tense swelling, any change to vision, severe pain behind the eye, spreading redness with heat, or fever. Those are in the next section. ## When to Make Contact Most recoveries are uneventful. Contact the practice promptly for: - **Increasing rather than decreasing pain** after the first 48 hours - **Sudden swelling on one side**, particularly if firm or tense - **Any change in vision** — blurring, double vision, or loss of visual field - **Severe pain behind the eye**, especially with swelling - **Discharge from the incisions** beyond the first few days, or spreading redness and heat - **Fever** - **Marked asymmetry developing** after the first week Pain behind the eye combined with sudden swelling and visual change is the combination that warrants immediate contact rather than waiting for the next appointment. Post-operative appointments are scheduled at intervals through recovery, and concerns can be raised at any point. The broader complication profile is set out in [risks and complications of blepharoplasty surgery](https://drturner.com.au/blogs/risks-and-complications-of-blepharoplasty-surgery-what-patients-should-know/). ## Frequently Asked Questions **How long does blepharoplasty recovery take?** Upper: sutures at five to seven days, desk work at one to two weeks, settled result at three to six months. Lower transconjunctival: normal activity from five to seven days. Lower transcutaneous: ten to fourteen days. Combined follows the longer timeline. **Why do I look worse on day three than day one?** Because swelling peaks at 48 to 72 hours. It is the expected course, not a complication. **When can I exercise after eyelid surgery?** Light walking from the first days. Moderate activity from two to three weeks. Gym, running and high-impact exercise from four to six weeks, longer after lower lid surgery. **When can I wear eye make-up again?** Generally two to three weeks, once incisions have fully healed. Avoid applying directly over incision lines early on, and be gentle removing it. **When can I wear contact lenses?** Two weeks at minimum, and later if the eyes remain dry or irritated. Insertion involves handling the lid, which is best avoided while healing. **Is it normal for one eye to look different?** Yes. Asymmetric swelling is very common in the early weeks and resolves as healing completes. **When will I look normal?** Presentable at one to two weeks. Genuinely unremarkable to a stranger at around four to six weeks. Fully settled at three to six months. If you're planning eyelid surgery and want a clear picture of what recovery would mean for your work, travel and commitments, that's a conversation better had against your own circumstances than a general timeline. Dr Scott Turner consults in Sydney and Brisbane. For clinic information and the consultation pathway, visit the [Sydney clinic](https://drturner.com.au/locations/sydney-clinic/) or [Brisbane clinic](https://drturner.com.au/locations/brisbane/), or [contact the practice](https://drturner.com.au/contact-us/) to arrange a consultation.