Blepharoplasty Days 2 and 3: Peak Swelling and Bruising

This is the stretch most people find hardest to look at. Swelling is usually at its worst and bruises deepen from red into purple and blue as blood spreads under thin eyelid skin. If you had lower lid work, gravity often pulls the discoloration down onto the cheekbone, which looks dramatic and is a normal path for a bruise to take.

Trouble getting the eyes fully closed is common right now. StatPearls describes early lagophthalmos, meaning incomplete lid closure, as nearly universal early after upper blepharoplasty and notes it typically resolves within days as the swelling decreases. If your eye feels exposed or scratchy overnight, tell your surgeon, since a lubricating ointment at night is a standard fix.

Keep the cold going. EyeWiki advises using ice compresses frequently for the first 3 days after surgery and switching to warm compresses afterward, along with ophthalmic antibiotic ointment on the incisions 3 to 4 times a day and artificial tears as needed. StatPearls notes patients may shower and wet the sutures the day after surgery, so normal washing is usually fine by now.

One practical note from StatPearls on lower lid surgery: puffiness is normally worse in the first hour or so after waking, when you are tired, and after salty meals. If you look far worse in the mirror at 7 a.m. than at 7 p.m., that pattern by itself is not a red flag.