How to Prepare for Eyelid Surgery
An eyelid lift, professionally known as blepharoplasty, can be useful in several ways; from reducing wrinkles around a patient’s eyes, to improving their vision in instances where sagging upper eyelids affect their sight. Since this cosmetic and surgical procedure can often be beneficial for so many people, it’s not hard to see why it has become so popular in Australia. However, those who plan to get eyelid surgery should first know how to prepare for the procedure.
Preparing for blepharoplasty
For most kinds of surgery, it’s often a good idea to learn more about what’s involved in the procedure and how to best prepare for it. A few things that some may find useful to keep in mind are:
Arranging transportation before the surgery
Often, blepharoplasty is performed under general anaesthetic – and in most cases, its effects will take a little while to wear off. Because of this, driving (or even walking) home may not be the ideal solution. Instead, it can often be a good idea to arrange transportation before-hand, ready for when the operation is finished.
Quitting smoking
Smoking interferes with the blood flow around the body and because of this, it’s often best to quit smoking in the months leading up to a surgery of any kind (at least one month before an eyelid lift). Mainly, this is because normal blood flow can be vital to the healing process. While quitting can often be good for the health of any smoker, taking a temporary break at the least can often be ideal for those going under the knife.
Avoid anti-inflammatory medication
Those who plan to go through this procedure should aim to avoid using pain relief substances, such as aspirin, for a week (or if possible two). Predominantly, this is to reduce the chances of any possible effects the anti-inflammatory medications may have on the drugs used in the surgery.
Preparing for recovery time
In most cases, an individual will need a little time to heal from their surgery. While there’s usually nothing to worry about, it’s often a good idea for patients to prepare their home before their eyelid lift, ready for when they return.
This can include taking care of any important house cleaning tasks, getting the help of friends and family (for taking care of children and pets), and anything else that can help to make life more patient-friendly for a few days/a week.
Recovery shouldn’t last any longer than 10 days and it may be worthwhile to remember that activities such as reading or watching TV are advised against during this time. Instead, listening to music and relaxing can often be a good idea during the initial stages of healing.