When undergoing eyelid surgery, it is important to remember that it is surgery and that healing will take time. Often, patients’ experience bruising and swelling that they may want to cover up during the healing process.
Generally, it is possible to resume cosmetic use in roughly a week to ten days after surgery. This gives time for initial healing of incisions, removal of sutures if necessary, and for most of the initial swelling to subside. This is also around the time that it is recommended you resume regular activity. It is, of course, important that you follow your physician’s instructions regarding post-operative care, and you should ask specifically about when it is ok for you to use make-up. It is also very important to avoid using any make-up on any open wounds as this can cause infection.
Severe bruises can be covered up with a thick camouflage product. Examples of these include Dermablend and Cover FX. These types of products are very powerful, and you should be careful to avoid using too much as it will be very noticeable.
Bruising that is less intense can be covered up with a simple concealer product. To achieve optimal coverage, choose a concealer color opposite the color of your bruising, i.e. for redness use a green concealer and for purple bruising use a yellow concealer. Over this you can use normal makeup.
It can be helpful to stick to water-based cosmetics initially when you resume using make-up. Water-based products have the advantage of being easier to remove, which is beneficial because you can remove them quickly if you find they are beginning to cause irritation, and you will also be less likely to cause further bruising and irritation by scrubbing too hard to remove them.
If you are interested in discussing eyelid surgery, contact Dr. Kulak of the Naderi Center for a consultation today at (703) 481-0002 in Virginia or (301) 222-2020 in Maryland.
