Possible complications of blepharoplasty and related management

1, Any cosmetic and plastic surgery is only to improve the appearance on the basis of the existing shape, it is difficult to achieve perfection, and eyelid cosmetic and plastic surgery is no exception. 2. Postoperative bleeding and subcutaneous petechiae. Pre-operative checkup to exclude or adequately control hypertensive diseases and avoid taking anticoagulant drugs or drugs that cause prolonged clotting time. Apply ice after surgery and avoid activities and events that cause a rise in blood pressure. Liu Tao, Department of Plastic Surgery, Hebei Provincial People’s Hospital 3. Infection. Pre-operatively rule out any infection of the skin in the surgical area and exclude or adequately control diabetic conditions. Timely detection of abnormal inflammatory manifestations. Pre-operative and post-operative prophylactic application of anti-infective drugs. 4, corneal injury. Carefully protect and operate carefully during surgery, and use moisturizing eye drops to keep the eye moist after surgery. 5, postbulbar hematoma. Prevent postoperative bleeding as above. Early detection and early treatment minimizes the impact. An early symptom of retrobulbar hemorrhage is increased pain in the orbital area. Other possible manifestations include decreased visual acuity, protrusion of the eyeball, decreased pupillary reflex function, and decreased extraocular muscle movement. Treatment includes intravenous application of mannitol to reduce intraorbital pressure and consultation with an ophthalmologist to assist in treatment. Surgical exploration to stop bleeding and drainage to reduce pressure, and external canthopexy if necessary. 6. Cornea and epidermoid cysts. Some may resolve on their own in 4-8 weeks. If they persist they can be considered and drained by needling. Larger ones are considered for excision or incision and drainage. 7. Bilateral asymmetry. First of all, emphasize that absolute bilateral symmetry does not exist, because even without surgery, everyone’s face does not look symmetrical from left to right, but most people look very natural. It is difficult to achieve symmetry after surgery with a critical eye that emphasizes one-by-one testing. The early postoperative asymmetry may be caused by the degree of swelling, intraoperative bleeding, the degree of anesthetic use, the sequence of eye surgery, etc. We call it healing asymmetry, and it needs to be restored to symmetry and naturalness after the surgical site has completely recovered and the swelling has subsided. If the asymmetry is still apparent after the swelling has completely subsided (usually 3 months to a year after surgery) or if it is clearly anatomical asymmetry, we can consider another surgical repair. 8. Ptosis of the upper eyelid. Excluding preoperative brow ptosis and ptosis, the upper eyelid is droopy in the early postoperative period, so there is no need to worry and wait for recovery. If the ptosis is still present three months after surgery and the swelling has largely subsided, especially unilaterally, consider true ptosis, which may require surgical exploration and correction to repair the levator aponeurosis. 9. Abnormal position of the blepharoplasty line. There should be no design abnormality in the position of the eyelid line through adequate preoperative communication. The eyelid line is not smooth due to early edema and bleeding and is left to recover. If the swelling subsides after 3 months, the eyelid line may not be smooth, the curve may not be rounded, there may be bilateral asymmetry, the eyelid line may fall off and become shallow, etc. The surgery can be readjusted after 6 months to a year of recovery. 10. Upper lid ectropion and incomplete closure. Mild incomplete closure of the upper eyelid due to early edema and bleeding is not a concern and will gradually recover in the week following surgery. Eye drops and erythromycin or gentamycin eye ointment should be applied at bedtime during this period. In addition to the above treatment, the upper eyelid margin should be corrected with massage and tape to close the eyelid during sleep. If the symptoms are too severe, a second surgical implant or flap will be needed to correct the problem. 11. Strabismus. Strabismus due to upper eyelid surgery is usually caused by anesthesia, compression or injury to the superior oblique muscle or muscle entrapment. Most strabismus due to local anesthesia and edema pressure recovers on its own in the early postoperative period. If it does not recover on its own, a combined ophthalmologic consultation and surgical exploration is required to release the adhesions and repair the muscle. Strabismus due to lower lid surgery is most often due to damage to the inferior oblique muscle and is treated as above. 12. Upper or lower lid depression. Removal of orbital fat is a very delicate operation, and preoperative asymmetry as well as marking, intraoperative contrast, the dose of anesthetic used and interference with electrocoagulation hemostasis can affect the outcome of the procedure. Excessive fat removal may cause the eyes to look old and skeletal in appearance. So a more conservative removal of fat would be a good choice, or as doctors often say, it is better to have less than more. Once the sunken appearance of the eyelid is present, hyaluronic acid or autologous fat grafting may be considered, often requiring multiple small injections in anticipation of correction to a more natural state. 13. Dry eye and tear overflow. Patients with autoimmune disorders and associated dry eye syndrome are at higher risk of dry eye syndrome when undergoing eyelid surgery. Many patients experience dry eyes or occasional tearing after blepharoplasty, which is usually temporary and will disappear once the edema disappears. If the symptoms persist for a long period of time, the lower eyelid ectropion should be ruled out as a cause of the tear dots displacement, and further canthopexy should be performed if the lower eyelid is lax. If necessary, an ophthalmologic consultation should be requested to examine and evaluate the tear film for normal production and composition. 14. Eyelid deformities, including lower lid recession, rounding of the outer corner of the eye, and lower lid ectropion. Most often seen in elderly patients with lower lid laxity, combined or further lower lid tightening should be performed to avoid complications caused by lower lid laxity. Delayed scar contracture can lead to lower lid ectropion, most often seen during skin-entry eyebag removal. In cases of prolonged lower lid ectropion due to excessive skin removal, full posterior skin grafting or flap repair surgery may be considered for treatment.