What should I eat after eyelid surgery?

The skin around eyes is the thinnest part of body. The first signs of aging appear in form of fine or large wrinkles in this area. In some people, the natural aging process causes eyelid to droop and accumulate fat mass in this area. Factors such as heredity, smoking, lifestyle and thyroid disease also have a direct effect on aggravating this complication.

Eyelid surgery or blepharoplasty is usually performed with the aim of lifting eyelid and solving these problems. Undoubtedly, doing this procedure will be effective in rejuvenating your face. But the most important factor in achieving an ideal result is using a proper diet after surgery. A diet rich in various salts and vitamins helps to shorten recovery period and heal wounds faster.

Proper diet after blepharoplasty

One of main parts of post-eyelid surgery care is following a proper diet. A nutrient-rich diet is very important in achieving excellent postoperative results. After surgery, the body usually faces a shortage of some substances. The weakening of body prolongs treatment period.

Using correct diet is the only way to prevent postoperative problems. In counseling session, the doctor will give you sufficient information about substances you should consume during this period. In a general category, your food plan should contain following ingredients.

Adequate fluids

After surgery, most people's body faces a lack of water, which is normal. On the other hand, improving oxygenation process has a direct effect on tissue repair after surgery. Increasing fluid intake can help you achieve this goal. The ingredients that are better to include in your diet are: water, thin soup, meat broth, natural juices (diluted orange, grape and apple juice, if you drink watermelon juice there is no need to dilute it), soy milk and Lactose-free low-fat milk.

Experts recommend drinking 6 to 8 glasses of water daily to reduce pain and detoxification after surgery. Of course, drinking fluids after eyelid surgery has special instructions. On day after operation, you can only use clear liquids, i.e. water. After making sure that your body is compatible with clear liquids, include liquids such as broth, thin soup in program. In addition to helping to remove toxins, these items are effective in providing the proteins your body needs.

Avoid sweet drinks in first days after surgery. Sweet liquids will increase heart rate and dizziness. To consume juices, try to divide a glass into two equal parts and drink them at two different hours. Avoid consuming liquids at once. In addition to increasing the possibility of nausea, this will put more pressure on you. Drink liquids slowly and sip by sip.

Consumption of carbonated drinks, energy drinks and alcoholic beverages is prohibited during this period. Never drink concentrated juices. Try to dilute juice using water. For dilution, the volume of juice and water should be same.

Soft foods

Avoid hard and heavy foods during this period. It is better to replace them with soft and pureed foods. First, you need to prepare your body by drinking fluids. After your body is fully prepared, start consuming soft foods and purees. Ingredients such as soup, porridge without sugar, cooked and mixed fruits, low-fat yogurt, boiled eggs, grilled fish and tuna are most important ingredients that you can include in your program.

It is necessary to follow some points in this period to speed up recovery and prevent some problems.

• Using soft purees instead of fruit.
• Avoiding overeating in order to avoid bloating and stomach pains.
• Reducing the amount of food in each meal,
• Chewing food completely to prevent gastric reflux.
• Avoiding liquids at same time as food or an hour before.
• Avoid eating peanut butter, pepper, chocolate, fatty or sweet foods, industrial sauces, all kinds of fast food and pizza.

The mentioned items are main dietary guidelines after blepharoplasty surgery.

Protein

The main ingredient that you should include in your diet after any surgery is protein. The building block of protein is called amino acid. This substance plays a major role in healing and repairing wounds. In eyelid surgery, the digestive system is somewhat weakened.

Consuming light proteins instead of dense proteins is best choice. Ingredients such as turkey, fish, eggs, chicken, soybeans, yogurt, lentils, beans, oats, and milk are rich in essential proteins needed by body.

Essential vitamins

Strengthening body's immune system is very important for treating and healing wounds and reducing recovery period after surgery. Vitamins play a key role in strengthening immune system. Vitamins A, C, D, E and K are most important vitamins after eyelid surgery. There are two ways to balance the level of vitamins in body.

You can use supplements available in drugstores or discover natural ingredients rich in essential vitamins. Since most specialists do not authorize use of supplements during recovery period, it is better to have enough information about natural vitamin-rich substances.

• To provide vitamin A needed by body after eyelid surgery, you can use ingredients such as red bell pepper, sweet potato, carrot, pumpkin, mango, spinach, egg, and beef liver.
• Ingredients such as citrus fruits, cauliflower, berries, saffron, tomatoes, chives, rosemary, thyme, yellow bell pepper, red cabbage, parsley and broccoli are rich sources of vitamin C.
• Use these foods to supply vitamin D your body needs: oats, tuna, grains, soy milk, mushrooms, shrimp, salmon, egg yolks, and all kinds of grains.
• Consuming oregano, granola, olives, green and red bell peppers, papaya, turnips, kiwi, wheat germ oil, and broccoli can provide vitamin E needed to maintain body's health during recovery after eyelid surgery.
• Vitamin K is another essential ingredient to strengthen body's immune system and accelerate healing process after blepharoplasty. All types of fish, red beans, avocado, liver, plums and green beans are rich in vitamin K and play an important role in strengthening body.

What are things to worry about during recovery period after Blepharoplasty?

Before doing any type of surgery, you should get enough information about its recovery period. Blepharoplasty is a minimally invasive surgery and is performed under general anesthesia or local anesthesia. After person is diagnosed as a suitable candidate for this surgery, the doctor will determine duration of recovery based on his physiological conditions.

The length of this period is different for different people. Of course, some complications of blepharoplasty, such as bruising, swelling, and skin inflammations, will completely disappear a few days after surgery. But problems that occur due to inexperience of surgeon or negligence of medical team may remain for a long time (sometimes forever).

It is recommended to contact your doctor if you notice any abnormal condition or prolonged pain. Don't forget that factors such as age, amount of eyelid droop, type of equipment, doctor's skill, physiological conditions of applicant's body, and compliance with care instructions have a direct effect on increasing or decreasing the recovery period and speed of wound healing.

Final recommendations

If you follow the doctor's orders correctly but you are facing following problems, you should treat it as soon as possible:

• Severe and chronic pains that are not treated with painkillers.
• During recovery period, you are facing severe fever and chills. This condition indicates an infection.
• The bruising and swelling of your eye area has not improved after a few days after operation.
• If you are facing bleeding from place of sutures and around eyes.
• People who follow principles of nutrition correctly, but are involved with nausea and dizziness.
• If you have moderate to severe breathing problems after blepharoplasty.

People who are interested in eyelid surgery should be more obsessive in choosing a surgeon and place of operation. If you do not perform well at this stage, you may have difficulty receiving key points and post-operative care. The clinic may not even provide you with the necessary post-operative support. Therefore, be careful in choosing a surgeon and clinic.

FAQ about Nutrition after blepharoplasty?

What is main instruction for fluid intake after eyelid surgery?

It is better to use clear liquids without sugar on first day after operation. Sip liquids slowly. Dilute and natural juices are best option. Try to avoid liquids at same time as main meal or an hour before.

What are most suitable foods after blepharoplasty?

Soft foods and purees, porridge, low-fat yogurt, soup, boiled eggs, tuna and grilled fish are considered the best foods. Try to chew your food well. Forget overeating. If you eat a lot, be sure to divide it into several light meals.

What vitamins does body need to accelerate recovery?

Vitamins needed by body include A, D, E, K and C. It is better to include fruits, fresh vegetables, legumes, seafood and beef liver in your diet to supply these vitamins.