Eye Lift Side Effects and Risks

An eyelift is a popular and mostly safe plastic surgery. For majority of people the benefits of such procedure outweigh the disadvantages such as after-surgery discomfort or slight pain. But, like with any surgical procedure it is important to be aware of possible risks and side-effects that are associated with it.

Side-effects are the unwanted but usually mild and temporary effects of a successful eye lift procedure. For example, feeling sick as a result of the general anesthetic or feeling a discomfort because of slight bruising. Most patients who have undergone an eyelift surgery can expect some of the following side-effects:

• The area around the eye may be swollen, bruised and very tender in the few weeks after the surgery.
• If there are any scars (though there usually aren't) they may be a bit pink and somewhat visible in the first few weeks as well. This will fade as the area recovers.
• There may be some problems with vision - blurry vision - and the eye itself may be reddened.

Complications are unexpected problems that can occur during or after the eye lift procedure but these instances are rare. However, you need to be aware of these complications, as they are - even if slight - possibility. For example, one of the unfortunate complications is excessive bleeding during or soon after the procedure, infection, and an allergic reaction to the anesthetic.

This is why the pre-surgery consultation is absolutely essential before the procedure. This is when you let your doctor know about any pre-existing conditions such as possible allergic reaction to an anesthetic. It's also possible but very rare - and usually if there's a heart condition to begin with -- for a blood clot to develop in a vein in the legs. You may be asked to wear special stockings to prevent this.

In addition, complications specific to an eyelift include:

• Sometimes bleeding under the skin may occur; in turn causing a painful swelling that may not go down on its own. A further operation may be needed to stop the bleeding and remove the clot if it occurs. Additionally, antibiotics may be needed to make sure there's no infection in the future.
• Unfortunately, because of proximity of brow and eye nerves, sometimes a nerve damage - that causes numbness and muscle weakness in the face - may occur. Sometimes this is becomes a permanent condition.
• Sometimes the healing process is slower than anticipated. There are a couple of things that the patient can do in order to prevent this such as going on a very healthy diet, giving up smoking and drinking.

Despite the fact that most plastic surgeons are very experienced and can give you a very good idea about what your expectations should be it is hard to be absolutely precise about this. For example, occasionally, the eyelift may be too drastic and the facial features will be slightly affected by this.