Blepharoplasty or eyelid surgery, just like every other (small or big) surgical procedure, has certain risks and possible complications. One of such complications that sometimes occur is that patients are unable to close their eyes fully after the procedure.
Even though this might not seem like a big issue, but it can actually make routine tasks such as showering or sleeping very difficult. Furthermore, the inability to close your eyelid might also increase the risk of corneal damage.
How can lagophthalmos occur after eyelid surgery?
The skin on your eyelid is very delicate and it is the thinnest skin in your entire body. Performing surgical procedures on such delicate skin is very complex and requires a highly skilled and experienced surgeon. If the cosmetic surgeon isn’t skill enough, he could make some of the following mistakes, which can then cause you not to be able to close your eyelid. These surgical errors usually include:
- Damaging the orbicularis oculi muscle, which is responsible for opening and closing your eyelid
- Removing too much fat which results with insufficient soft tissue in order to maintain the position of the eyelid
- Eyelid looseness which is not considered before surgery
- Too much eyelid skin removed
How to avoid complications?
If your eyelid complication was caused by damaging the eyelid muscle, the proper function of this muscle unfortunately can’t be restored. So before you commit to the procedure, make sure that you pick the right surgeon, who is skilled and experienced.
If you’re considering doing eyelid surgery, make sure to first contact Dr. Kotoske and schedule an appointment. During this appointment you will learn if you’re a right candidate for the procedure and Dr. Kotoske will walk you through both the surgery and post-op care so you can know exactly what to expect.
