Feb
Dr. John Burroughs practices cosmetic and reconstructive eyelid and facial plastic surgery in Colorado. One of his most popular procedures is the blepharoplasty surgery (eyelid lift). This patient is about 6 weeks out from her surgery. She is pleased with her result, but the redness of her incisions is still prominent at this point. There is considerable variability to how long the incisions remain red, raised, and/or firm. Skin type (e.g., fair; low Fitzpatrick score), what procedure was done, how much bleeding occurred and cautery required, sutures type used etc. Some patients even at a month have very little redness and elevation of the incisions while others the improvement only really begins at about 90 days postop and beyond. Most often the incisions have really “blended” in and mostly not visible between 3-6 months and rarely out to a year. Once the sutures are removed, coverup makeup can be applied.
Some redness can be improved by avoiding the sun and utilizing sunscreen protection and sunglasses when outdoors. Topical steroids may be used for a short period of time to improve the redness and even vaseline and other scar creams can be helpful. Additionally, massage of the incision lines can improve their appearance over time. Some patients that pull upward with their forehead tissues following surgery out of habit from before their eyelid lift will have wider and more redness to their incisions. Fortunately, the eyelid skin is very forgiving and when taken care of properly the incisions eventually flatten quite a bit and often turn a subtle paler color to the surrounding skin. Many patients eventually have virtually imperceptible incision lines, and most of the incision for the upper eyelids in not seen when the eyes are open. The incisions do need to extend out far enough or too much tissue will remain in the lateral (outside) portion of the upper eyelids, which is a common problem Dr. Burroughs encounters with patients that are unhappy with their surgical results performed elsewhere. This patient also pulls upward with her right brow a bit more than the left making her left upper eyelid incision appear lower. With time this will even out or Botox can be used to help relax the eyebrows to a more symmetric appearance. Before an eyelid lift, many patients unconsciously pull upward with their eyebrow tissues to clear the skin off their eyelashes. After surgery, this “habit” can be hard to break but with time most patients begin to realize they don’t need to pull upward on the eyebrows like they did before surgery. Asymmetric eyelid incisions may be improved surgically, but Dr. Burroughs has taught other surgeons it is best to make them right to begin with. This patient will continue to improve and she has been delighted with her surgical result and continued improvement. Dr. Burroughs is one of the busiest eyelid surgeons in all of Colorado, and improving patient appearances and visual function through eyelid surgery is his passion. If you found this interesting then share with others, and call if any further questions or to schedule a consultation.
Dr. John Burroughs specializes in eyelids, orbits, and faces and has performed over 20,000 related procedures. His role in oculofacial plastic surgeries has been highly appreciated.
He is an alumnus of the Air Academy High School, University of Texas, and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine), Maryland. He later followed a transitional internship and ophthalmology residency in San Antonio, TX, and has decades of aesthetic treatment experience.
Dr. Burroughs is American Board of Ophthalmology-certified and is a Fellow of the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic Reconstructive Surgeons and the American Academy of Ophthalmology and a member of many other associations. He is a lifelong learner and teacher.