The eyes are the windows to the soul, but sometimes those windows need a little repair. As you age, skin laxity can affect your eyelids and cause not only an aged appearance but can affect your vision as well. If you suffer from age-related skin issues around your eyes, we can help. At SkinMD Chicago, we have experts who are skilled in performing blepharoplasty Chicago, an eyelid surgery that will not only change the way you view yourself but the world around you.
How Long Does It Take to Recover From Blepharoplasty?
Every surgery involves a recovery time, and while blepharoplasty is no different, the recovery is completely manageable and by the end of it, you will be able to fully enjoy your beautiful, youthful-looking eyes. Any swelling and bruising will fade within two weeks of your procedure, and most patients can return to work within 10 to 14 days. Gradual healing will continue in the weeks following your surgery, even after you resume your normal daily life.
How to Have the Best Recovery Possible
When it comes to your recovery, you play a significant role. There are some things that you can do to make sure that you have the best and quickest recovery possible.
When you take care of your body, get adequate rest, hydrate, get the proper nutrition, and follow the aftercare protocol, you will have the very best recovery possible. Remember, this time is a very short period. As soon as your eyes are healed, you will enjoy your results for years and years to come.
Eat Nutritious Foods
Eating nutritious foods is just as important for your recovery as they are for maintaining your health. Your body needs adequate vitamins and minerals so that it can quickly heal and rebuild. During your recovery, focus on eating plenty of healthy fats, lean proteins, and nutritious fruits and vegetables.
Avoid foods that will hinder your body’s ability to recover, such as foods that are high in salts or sugars, foods that contain processed ingredients and chemicals, and excessive alcohol. If you already live a healthy lifestyle, you’ll be one step ahead and can continue eating the way you normally do to promote faster healing after your surgery.
Rest
If you’re not naturally a slower-paced personality, it can be difficult to rest, even after surgery. If your mind is racing with all the things on your to-do list, know that those things can wait. Your recovery is the most important thing right now and rest is a big part of that.
Make sure that you are getting adequate rest during the day and at night. During the sleep cycles, the body regenerates and rebuilds. Make sure that you are getting enough sleep each night and enough rest during the day.
Ice
One of the most affordable and easiest ways to help promote healing following your surgery is by using ice. Applying ice to your eyes will help reduce any post-surgical effects and will help the area look as normal as possible, as quickly as possible. Regular applications of ice throughout the day at different intervals will help your eyes feel comfortable and will benefit the surrounding skin as well.
Plan Ahead
Enlist Help
Now is the time to enlist help. Have a family member or friend help you at home during the first few days after your procedure. When you don’t have to worry about basic household chores, you’ll be free to rest, relax, and recover that much quicker. Make a list of the things that need to get done and enlist help so that those items can get crossed off your list and you won’t have to overexert yourself to get them done.
Follow the Recovery Directives
After your procedure, your doctor will provide you with specific directives that you must follow during your recovery. You will need to clean your eyes each day, sleep in a position that elevates your head above your chest, and drink enough water to hydrate your skin and promote faster healing.
Be sure to take any and all medications prescribed during your recovery period as directed by your doctor, and if you do spend any time outdoors, be sure to wear sunglasses at all times to protect your skin from sun exposure. Avoid any strenuous activities for two to three weeks until you are fully recovered.
Go Homeopathic
Have Realistic Expectations
Another way to have the best recovery possible is to have realistic expectations. Know that there will be a recovery time, but it won’t last forever. When you invest in yourself during your recovery and follow all of the directives, you will be able to enjoy your beautiful eyes as soon as possible.
Know that you can’t do this on your own and even if you don’t like to ask for help, it will be necessary during this time. There are people who love you and will be more than willing to step up and help you heal as quickly as possible.
What Is Blepharoplasty?
The eyes don’t escape the aging process. Facial muscles begin to weaken over time, and gravity wins. The fat in your face that was once evenly proportioned begins to move and experience displacement. This can lead to hooded, aged-looking eyes that make you look and feel older than you are.
Blepharoplasty is an eyelid surgery that removes excess skin and gently reconstructs the area to give you a more youthful-looking appearance.
What Does It Treat?
Blepharoplasty treats the eyes that have exhibited symptoms of the aging process. It is performed on patients who have both cosmetic and medical symptoms. Cosmetically, it can improve the appearance of your eyes and make you look younger. The entire area that was once defined by eye bags or sagging, drooping eyelids will be tighter post-surgery.
Medically, this procedure can improve eyesight in those whose eyelids have drooped to the point that it has begun to affect their vision. Excess eyelid skin and fat can affect vision, and this surgery can open up your eyes so that you can see more clearly. Even if your reason for choosing this procedure is strictly medical, you’ll experience the bonus of youthful-looking eyes as a result.
Eyelid Problems
The primary goal of a Blepharoplasty is to eliminate eyelid problems. This procedure can:
- Remove fat pockets that cause puffy eyelids
- Improve the appearance of sagging upper eyelids
- Correct drooping eyelids
- Remove excess skin on the upper eyelids
- Remove extra skin on the lower eyelids
- Improve the appearance of undereye bags
- Improve the appearance of fine wrinkles that develop on the lower eyelids
How Does It Work?
Blepharoplasty surgery is a three-step process that includes a consultation, the procedure, and your recovery. Each step is critical and is part of helping you get the best results possible.
The Consultation
The first step in this process involves an initial consultation. During this consultation, your SkinMD doctors will evaluate the condition of your eyes and eyelids. They will review your health history, listen to your concerns, and help determine if this treatment is right for you. You will be able to ask any questions you may have and can get all of the information you need about how the procedure works and what is involved.
Then, they will develop a treatment plan for you. This treatment plan will be customized for your individual needs. We will discuss the areas of your eyes that you want to be treated and will recommend the best procedure to help you get the results you’re looking for.
The Procedure
During your consultation, your SkinMD doctors will determine if this procedure will be performed on both of your eyelids, or just one. During the procedure, if your upper eyelid is going to be treated, an incision will be made in the crease of your eyelid. If your lower eyelid is going to be treated, an incision will be made just below your eyelashes. Incisions are made in strategic positions on the eye so that any scarring will not be noticeable.
After the incision is made in the appropriate location, the excess fat and skin in the areas will be removed. Depending on your needs and your ultimate aesthetic goals, your doctor may reposition the fat inside the incision and tighten the surrounding muscles. The incision will then carefully be closed with precision and accuracy and your procedure will be complete.
The Aftercare
Once your procedure is complete, your recovery period will begin. There are some steps that you must follow to ensure that you get the best results possible. This is only a short period of time and will be over before you know it, and you will be fully healed and able to completely enjoy your results. You will need to follow some specific instructions to help your recovery process.
You will need to make sure that you clean your eyelids each day following your surgery. You must also change the way you sleep for a few days. Your head needs to be propped higher than your chest. This doesn’t mean that you have to sleep sitting up, but you shouldn’t be lying flat down either. Find a comfortable position where your head is elevated above your chest. Also, it is very important that you protect your eyes by wearing sunglasses.
Am I a Candidate?
If you are not happy with the appearance of your eyes that have begun to exhibit the signs of aging, or if you those same signs of aging have affected your eyesight, you may be a candidate for a blepharoplasty. Whatever your reason, whether it’s cosmetic-related or eyesight-related, we can help open up your eyes to improve your vision and make you feel more youthful. During your initial consultation, we will determine if you are a candidate for this procedure.
Schedule Your Initial Consultation Today
We want to help make you feel more confident in your appearance, especially in an area as significant as your eyes. If you’re ready to take the step that will not only improve your vision but improve your appearance, we can help. Contact us today at our SkinMD location in Chicago, IL and schedule your consultation with one of our experts to see if blepharoplasty in Chicago is right for you.
