Following local anesthesia, it may take 4-5 hours for the numbing effects to wear off – similar to something you would have done at the dentist. You can even eat and drink like normal before your procedure. We ask that you not consume alcohol 24 hours prior to surgery. You must be accompanied by a responsible adult on your way home, who may either drive you home or take a taxi with you. You may feel pain slowly increase as the numbing wears off. Please ensure you have some acetaminophen or ibuprofen at home to use, for any discomfort.

Following general anesthesia or intravenous sedation, it will take 24 to 36 hours for the full effects of the drugs to wear off.  You must be accompanied by a responsible adult, who may either drive you home or take a taxi with you. You may feel a little sleepy or nauseous when you get home, you should quietly rest at home for the remainder of the day.

A thin blue or black stitch will be present along your new upper and lower eyelid crease. You may also see the outer and inner ends of the blue stitch taped to your face. Please do not remove this tape if it is present. Leaving the suture ends free and exposed is to assist with suture removal in 5-7 days.

As your sutures will be exposed to air, please try your best to limit contact with the incisions to only icing and cleaning. If you are experiencing discharge around your eyes, you can use a clean Q-tip with warm water to gently clean this. You can shower normally, please clean the eyelid area by washing with just warm water during your shower and pat dry with a clean paper towel. Please apply a little bit of polysporin 3-4 times a day over the incision/sutures with a clean Q-tip until your suture removal appointment. Please ensure you wipe away the old polysporin with a warm wet Q-tip before reapplying new polysporin.

Please use regular saline eye drops to keep your eyes from being dry, irritated, and/or itchy. It is normal to notice dryness and irritation when keeping your eyes open for prolonged periods. Please check with your surgeon if the problem persists or worsens.

Please do not bathe or soak your incisions until all incisions have completely healed. Swelling and bruising is common following surgery and is to be expected. The swelling and bruising should subside within 2-4 weeks after surgery. You will be provided with a silicone ointment after your surgical incision has healed to improve the appearance of the scar.

Patients are able to get up and walk around right after surgery. Most patients are back to normal daily activities the next day. However, there should be no heavy lifting for 3 months following surgery to ensure there is no separation of the surgical incisions. Most patients who have sedentary jobs do not take time off work. If your job involves a lot of physical activity be sure to speak with your surgeon during your consultation with regards to how much time off you will need for your specific daily tasks. Most patients are comfortable driving the next day. 

It is not uncommon for a spot along your surgical incision to open up during the postoperative stages due to increased tension on the incisions with movement or poor healing. This is not a serious complication, and can be remedied with wound care , and can  mean a delay in your expected recovery time.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to give us a call at (403) 800-9157 and leave a message as necessary. If you are unable to reach us, and need medical advice please call 811 to speak to a nurse, the line is free of charge and available 24 hours a day. If it is a medical emergency please call 911 or go to your nearest hospital, or call the Peter Lougheed Centre Switchboard at (403) 943-4555 and ask to speak to the plastic surgeon on-call.