In short. Bruising, stitches, light sensitivity and a crease that sits high, with the points at which the lid can be judged and the points at which it cannot.

Key points

  • Ointment as instructed, cold packs early, the head raised for sleep, and dark glasses outdoors are the ordinary measures.
  • Rubbing the lid, tugging at a suture, and testing the crease in a mirror every hour are not.
  • Reading and screen work are tiring for longer than people expect.

The first month has a shape, and knowing it makes the early weeks easier to read. The lid is swollen, then bruised, then uneven, then closer to what it was planned to be. Almost everybody judges the result too early, in both directions, and the first month answers fewer questions than it seems to.

Day one to day two

The lids are heavy and puffy and may not close fully at first, which is expected and is managed with ointment and cold packs. Vision is blurry from the ointment. Cold packs for short periods, sleeping with the head raised, and keeping the hands away from the incisions are most of what the first two days consist of.

Day three to day seven

Bruising appears and then begins to fade, and it often drifts down around the eye rather than staying on the lid. The sutures come out around the end of this period. Light is uncomfortably bright and screens are tiring. Most people stop needing pain relief within the first few days.

What helps, and what does not

Ointment as instructed, cold packs early, the head raised for sleep, and dark glasses outdoors are the ordinary measures. Rubbing the lid, tugging at a suture, and testing the crease in a mirror every hour are not. Reading and screen work are tiring for longer than people expect.

Week two to week six

By the second week most of the swelling has gone, the crease is visible and sitting higher than it will settle, and most people are back at work and in public. Between the third and sixth weeks the crease drops into position and any difference between the two sides narrows. Judging the crease height in this window is unreliable in both directions.

Month three, and the year behind it

At three months the result is close to final, and dryness or a lid that still feels tight is reassessed because most of those symptoms have settled by then. The scar softens and fades towards the crease over six to twelve months, and six months is the earliest point at which revising a crease or a residual fold makes sense. The lid is judged across a year, because the skin keeps settling and the brow above it continues to descend with age.

What to report rather than wait out

  • Increasing pain or swelling after the first few days, or bleeding that does not stop.
  • A change in vision, a spreading redness, or a fever.
  • A lid that does not close at all, or an eye that stays painful and gritty.

What can be judged at each of these points, and what has to wait for the year, is set out in What Upper Lid Surgery Cannot Restore. The stage at which a hollow lid becomes a revision question is described in Too Much Skin Removed: The Hollow Upper Lid.

Related reading

Frequently asked questions

Why is light uncomfortable after eyelid surgery?

Because the lid is swollen and closes less completely than usual, so more light reaches the eye and less of it is blinked away. It settles as the swelling resolves, and dark glasses in the first fortnight are a reasonable measure rather than an admission that something has gone wrong.

When can I wear contact lenses and eye makeup again?

Makeup waits until the incision has closed and the sutures are out, which is usually around a week, and contact lenses wait longer because inserting and removing them pulls on the lid. Your own team gives you the figure for your case, and it is usually measured in weeks rather than days.

Is it normal for one eyelid to heal faster than the other?

Yes, and a difference between the two sides in the first weeks is expected rather than a sign of a mistake. The swelling resolves at different rates, and the creases often look uneven while it does. The difference usually narrows over the first months, which is why a revision is not planned in that window.

Risks & Limitations

  • The amount of skin removed decides how completely the lid closes. Too much and the eye is exposed at night and the surface becomes dry and gritty, and skin that has been taken cannot be stretched back.
  • The dry eye question decides candidacy here more than any question about appearance. The skin being removed is part of what spreads moisture over the eye, so an eye that is already gritty on waking or needs drops through the day has less margin to spend.
  • A brow lift and a repair of the muscle that raises the lid are different operations, not variations of this one. Removing skin does not lift a brow or widen the eye opening, and it can make either finding worse.
  • The crease is set from the anatomy of your own lid. A crease placed higher than the lid can hold reads as hollow and staring, and over-resection produces a sunken upper lid that cannot simply be filled back with skin.
  • The two sides settle at different speeds and the difference narrows over three to six months, so the crease sits higher than its final position in the early weeks. The lid is judged across a year, and the scar matures and fades towards the crease over six to twelve months without disappearing.

When to Seek Care

  • Any change in vision, including blurring or a patch of lost sight — seek emergency care immediately.
  • An eye that is painful and gritty with a discharge, or a lid that does not close at all.
  • Increasing swelling or pain after the first few days rather than settling, spreading redness, warmth or fever.
  • Bleeding from the incision that does not stop with gentle pressure, or a wound that opens.

References & Further Reading

  • American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) — procedure and safety guidance
  • International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) — global procedure and safety guidance
  • National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, UK) — relevant guidance
  • Cochrane Library — systematic reviews
  • Chinese Medical Association Plastic Surgery Branch — clinical guidance

Medically reviewed by Tongchun Mao, MD (毛彤春), Deputy Director & Head of Aesthetic Surgery. Last reviewed: 19 September 2026.

This page is patient education, not medical advice, and it does not cite individual studies. Discuss your own case with a qualified clinician. To arrange an assessment at Chongqing West District Hospital, see Contact & Consultation.