Eyelid Surgery in Little Rock, Arkansas

Here’s the edited version of the text:

“Hey guys, April Gring here, registered nurse at the Cosmetic Surgery Center. Today we’re going to be talking about blepharoplasties. There are different ones that Dr. Branman performs: there’s an upper, a lower, and a complex blepharoplasty. We’ll let you know exactly what you’re getting whenever you consult with him so you’ll know a little bit more about that. But it kind of all has the same information—some of your sutures will dissolve, and some will actually have to be taken out, but that’s really the only difference.

If you haven’t already watched the general surgery information video, go ahead and watch that before we get into this video. This one is kind of long, so just bear with me if I have to read off the page a little bit more. We’ll go ahead and start.

The items you’ll need at home are your lab work and an eye exam. You’ll need to get that before surgery, and we’ll need to look it over and make sure everything checks off before you get surgery. You’ll also need prescription medications, and you’ll get those at your pre-op. But you’ll need to go to Walmart or Walgreens or somewhere to pick up some Genteal Gel and Genteal Drops—that’s G-E-N-T-E-A-L, I’m sorry. You’ll need a bag of frozen peas and some small Ziploc snack-size baggies to put those frozen peas in, and you’ll put those over your eyes after surgery. Also, you’ll need some hydrogen peroxide and Q-tips to clean your incision sites with, and of course, sunscreen, a hat—stuff like that, or something to cover up your incision sites and make sure the sun’s not getting on them.

We already talked about this during the general surgery information video, but I want to reiterate it here: bring a button-up or zip-up top that we can put you in because we don’t want to bring anything over your head and get it in your eyes or anything after surgery. This is a surgery that you have to stop smoking six weeks before and six weeks after.

That’s really it on what you need to know before. Now we’ll talk about after the procedure.

After your procedure, you’re going to restart your antibiotic medication and your Arnica medication with a light meal to avoid any nausea after surgery. You’re not going to sleep with a fan on because this can dry out your eyes more after surgery, so no fans—I know that’s hard. Then, to minimize swelling, oozing, and bruising, try to suppress any forceful coughing or sneezing for at least seven to ten days after your surgery. You’re going to keep that ice pack or the frozen peas over your eyes for about 12 to 24 hours after surgery. If it’s getting too cold, you can put like a little Kleenex on and then put it on there, or some little gauze pads—whatever works for you. You’re also going to sleep for the first week after your surgery with your head elevated. That could be in a recliner or in your bed propped up on two to three pillows. That’s just going to help with swelling also. No lifting anything greater than 10 pounds after surgery, avoid bending forward a lot, and avoid any strenuous or aerobic activity for about four weeks after surgery. If bruising does occur, it should be gone within two to three weeks.

Now, this is very important, y’all—this is talking about a complication that could result in blindness. If you ever notice any severe pain and swelling in one or both eyes or decreased vision, then definitely give us a call immediately. This has never happened, but the usual cause of this would be abrupt bleeding behind the eye, and it normally would happen within that first 12 hours after surgery. So, if you ever notice any of those signs, give us a call. A low-grade fever isn’t too abnormal after surgery—just take some Tylenol, increase your fluid intake, and if it doesn’t go below 101.5°F, then give us a call. If there’s any sudden profuse bleeding, like on your incision area, then definitely give us a call for any of that. You might have a little bit of oozing out of it for the first 24 to 72 hours, and that’s normal, so no worries there.

Like I said, you are going to need a hat, sunscreen, and to avoid the sun for about 6 to 12 months. That is just going to protect your incisions from any darkening colors or pigments. So be sure and do that. Don’t drive and take your pain medication, obviously. No using eye makeup until Dr. Branman gives you the okay, and that’s normally for about two weeks after surgery. Obviously, no stretching, pulling, or tugging on your eyelids for four weeks. You’ll have your next appointment after surgery—we’ll give you your next appointment, and normally it’s within about four to six days after your surgery.

This is talking about the eye drops or the eye gel. At night, you are going to apply the Genteal Gel in both eyes for the first several nights before you go to bed. That is just going to help with that eye dryness. The drops you can use throughout the day if your eyes feel dry, but make sure you’re buying that specific kind. Don’t use any of the eye drops that get rid of redness.

You can start wearing eyeglasses again at any time after surgery, just no contact lenses for about three weeks. Normally, Dr. Branman will let you know whenever you can start using your contacts again, but it’s normally about three weeks.

Now, we’re going to go over what to expect after surgery. Discomfort is normally just minimal and easily controlled with pain medication. Like we said, you’ll have mild to moderate swelling and bruising in the eyelids and tissues surrounding the eyes, maybe even the cheeks. It just varies—if you’re a big bruiser normally, you’re probably going to be a big bruiser in this surgery. Decreasing salt intake and sleeping with your head elevated will help with that swelling.

Part of the surgery involves a small amount of blood-tinged fluid oozing from the incisions for the first 24 to 48 hours—this is normal. Just be sure not to blot too hard on your eyes if you notice that, as it might displace the steri-strip dressing if you have one on there. Your incision area will be a little bit reddened and feel firmer to the touch at first. It takes about a year for the incisions to mature or get lighter and softer. Like I said, avoid sun exposure, and that will help them not hyperpigment. You might have a little numbness of the eyelids for the first several months until the sensory nerves regenerate. Sometimes, you might notice a little bit of burning in the eyes when shampooing, dry eyes upon waking after sleep, and occasional blurriness when reading. That’s all due to swelling and early wound healing and should subside with time, usually in a month or two.

As far as care of your incisions, if you have that little steri-strip on your eyelid, leave it there until your post-op visit, which is normally about five days out. If you don’t have a steri-strip there, then clean the incision area with a Q-tip and peroxide twice daily—morning and afternoon. Most of the time, your sutures will dissolve on their own, but on occasion, non-dissolvable sutures will be used and will be removed in our office.

As we already said, your post-op visits—the first one will be about four to six days out, and Dr. Branman will tell you any other appointments you need to come to for follow-ups after that. He’ll make those for you based on your healing and everything.

Really, that’s about it, y’all. There’s a couple more things in here that just go over the consents, but you’ll get this little packet at your pre-op before surgery. Thanks, guys—we can’t wait to see you!”