Surgery · Eyelid Recovery

Double Eyelid Surgery Recovery Time

Healing by method, and what it means for a trip to Seoul

Gangnam, Seoul | Board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Jonghwan Choi
KHIDI-registered for international patients · Apgujeong Rewind

Double Eyelid Recovery Time Double Eyelid Recovery Time Double Eyelid Recovery Time Double Eyelid Recovery Time
Recovery

Double eyelid surgery recovery time

How long is recovery after double eyelid surgery in Seoul?

The short answer

Recovery after double eyelid surgery at Rewind runs on the method used. After the buried (non-incisional) method, the clinic records swelling and bruising through roughly the first 48 hours, with wide variation between individuals. After a partial or full incision, its post-operative sheet allows one to two weeks for swelling and bruising to ease, and an incisional line is recorded as losing much of its redness by about two months. Face washing resumes the day after the sutures come out, and eye makeup waits a further one to two weeks. Rewind does not publish a fixed length of stay for visitors: the one date every trip must contain is the suture-removal visit, which the surgeon sets at your follow-up.

Recovery figures on this page come from Rewind's Korean pages for its three crease methods and from its printed post-operative sheets. The anaesthetic used, the length of the operation and a standard day for removing sutures are not published by the clinic, so this page gives no number for any of them.

The second question usually arrives in the same message: how many days should the trip be? The answer is built backwards from three fixed points. First the operation, then the suture-removal visit on a day the clinic is open, and finally enough distance from both that the swelling you fly home with is swelling you are comfortable being seen with. The first two are set with the surgeon. The third is yours to judge, and the method decides how long it takes to arrive.

Recovery room at Rewind Plastic Surgery, Apgujeong
Fig. 01 · The first hours after an eyelid operation are spent on the clinic's own floor
Cases

Before and After

Rewind double eyelid cases, sorted by how many sites each session left to heal

Each case below is a Rewind patient, with every operation in that session named. For recovery planning the list of operations matters more than the photograph. One crease heals on one timetable; a crease made together with inner-corner or under-eye surgery adds the timetable of each extra site to the same fortnight. The photographs show outcomes, and the days in between are described in the sections further down.

Rewind patients · operations performed in the session

Before, full-incision double eyelid surgery performed on its own After, full-incision double eyelid surgery performed on its own BEFOREAFTER
one site
Full-incision double eyelid alone, with a single suture line to heal
Individual results may vary.
Before, non-incisional double eyelid surgery with medial epicanthoplasty in one session After, non-incisional double eyelid surgery with medial epicanthoplasty in one session BEFOREAFTER
two sites
Non-incisional double eyelid with medial epicanthoplasty in the same session
Individual results may vary.
Before, non-incisional double eyelid surgery with epicanthoplasty and under-eye fat repositioning After, non-incisional double eyelid surgery with epicanthoplasty and under-eye fat repositioning BEFOREAFTER
three sites
Non-incisional double eyelid, epicanthoplasty and under-eye fat repositioning together
Individual results may vary.

Rewind's own patients, photographed in the clinic under one lighting and framing standard and shown unretouched. Individual results may vary, and the pace at which these lids healed says nothing about the pace of yours. Lingering swelling, bruising, asymmetry between the two lids, a fold that settles higher or lower than planned, infection and a visible line after an incisional method are all recognised outcomes of eyelid surgery.

Healing

What recovers

Four parts of the lid that recover on separate clocks after double eyelid surgery

Recovery is easier to plan once it is split into its parts. They overlap, yet each one finishes at its own time, and only some of them are visible to the people around you.

part 01
Bruising
The most visible part, and usually the shortest. Rewind's buried-method page places swelling and bruising within about the first 48 hours; after an incisional crease, the post-operative sheet allows one to two weeks for both to ease. How dark the bruising becomes differs from one person to the next.
part 02
Swelling of the lid
Swelling is what makes a new fold look taller and heavier than its design in the early days. It recedes gradually, and it is the reason nobody judges the shape of a lid while it is still puffy.
part 03
The suture line
Only partial and full incision leave an opened line. Rewind records the redness of an incisional line as recovering to a degree by roughly two months, when light makeup covers it. Skin that forms raised scars shows a raised line at first, which softens as the months pass.
part 04
The fold itself
A buried crease is held by adhesion between skin and muscle at seven fixation points. The clinic states that a hard rub or a knock to the eye can bring on swelling or a haematoma that loosens it. Protecting the fold is the part of recovery with no visible timetable.

Where an inner-corner or under-eye operation shares the session, its healing runs alongside the crease. Inner-corner surgery is covered on the epicanthoplasty page, under-eye work on lower blepharoplasty and fat repositioning, and a lid that also needed its opening muscle corrected on ptosis correction.

Days

Day by day

The double eyelid surgery recovery timeline at Rewind, from the operating day onward

Six stages, in order. Each duration below is the clinic's own published figure where one exists; where the clinic publishes none, the stage is described without a number.

01Same day

Leaving the building after the operation

You go home with written aftercare for the method performed. The sheet for the buried method asks that the operated area be handled gently, without stimulation, and that a low-irritation cleanser be used with no scrubbing. Arrange to be accompanied back to your accommodation, because the lids keep swelling as the day goes on.

0248 hours

The first two days hold most of the buried-method swelling

For a non-incisional crease, Rewind records swelling and bruising up to roughly the 48-hour mark, and the amount varies widely between people. After a partial or full incision the same two days only open a longer curve that continues into the second week.

03Week one

Heat, sweat and friction come off the schedule

Saunas, steam rooms and strenuous exercise are avoided for about a week after a buried crease. After a partial incision the restricted list is longer: alcohol, smoking, repeated eye-closing and eye-opening exercises, rubbing, contact lenses and makeup are all held back for a period that the surgeon confirms at follow-up.

04Sutures

The suture-removal visit, booked on an open clinic day

Rewind does not publish a standard day for taking the sutures out; it is set at your follow-up according to how the lid is healing. The clinic sees patients on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:00 to 19:00 and on Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00, and it is closed on Thursday and Sunday, so the visit has to land inside those hours. Face washing resumes the day after removal.

05Weeks 1–2

Incisional swelling eases and eye makeup returns

The incisional post-operative sheet gives one to two weeks for swelling and bruising to settle. Eye makeup waits one to two weeks beyond suture removal, which on a short trip may mean your first eye makeup happens after you are home.

06Two months

An incisional line loses its redness

Rewind records the redness of an incisional line as recovering to a degree by about two months, at which point light makeup covers it outdoors. Sunscreen until then protects the healing skin from pigmentation. A buried crease has no line to fade, though the fold keeps softening as the last of the swelling leaves.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi explaining a recovery plan to a patient at Rewind
Fig. 02 · The follow-up schedule is agreed with the operating surgeon at consultation
Rewind

Planned in advance

Why Rewind plans double eyelid recovery around the trip, ahead of the operation

A visitor's recovery is bounded by a flight home. Setting the recovery plan at the consultation, alongside the method, means the dates are checked against how the lid is likely to heal before anything is booked, and the method is discussed knowing how many days are actually available.

01Method

Days available are part of the method discussion

When a lid could accept either a buried or an incisional crease, the shorter recovery of the buried method is a fair consideration. When the lid is thick or carries substantial fat, recovery length cannot choose the method, and you are told so at the chair.

02Calendar

The suture visit is placed against the clinic calendar

Because Thursday and Sunday are closed days, the suture-removal visit is pencilled in when the plan is written. A trip that cannot include that visit is worth moving; skipping the visit to keep a flight is the wrong trade.

03Continuity

A changing fold is checked by the surgeon who made it

Rewind is a single-surgeon practice, so any change noticed during recovery, such as a fold loosening or altering shape, is examined by Dr. Jonghwan Choi himself. Patients from abroad are supported in their own language, at an institution registered with KHIDI for foreign patients.

Private lounge at Rewind Plastic Surgery, Richro Building, Apgujeong
Fig. 03 · The lounge on the clinic floor, where follow-up visits begin
Floor

Operating day

Where double eyelid recovery begins on the day of surgery

Operating room at Rewind Plastic Surgery, Apgujeong

Fig. 04 · The operating room on the clinic's own floors

Private room on the treatment floor at Rewind Plastic Surgery

Fig. 05 · A private room for resting once the operation is over

Rewind occupies the fourth and fifth floors of the Richro Building in Apgujeong, and its operating room and resting rooms are on those floors. The recovery you begin in the building is overseen by the surgeon who operated, and the list below is what an eyelid patient leaves with.

Written aftercare for the method performed
Low-irritation cleanser, no scrubbing of the lid
No sauna, steam room or hard exercise for about a week
Contact lenses and makeup paused after an incision
Suture-removal visit on an open clinic day
Face washing from the day after removal
Eye makeup one to two weeks after removal
Sunscreen on an incisional line while it fades
Dr. Jonghwan Choi, board-certified plastic surgeon at Rewind

Board-certified plastic surgeon

Dr. Jonghwan Choi holds Korean specialist certification in plastic surgery and belongs to the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons and the Korean Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Rewind receives patients from abroad under KHIDI registration M-2025-01-08-09288.

Rates

Rates and recovery

Double eyelid surgery rates in Seoul, set against the recovery each method asks for

A method's rate and its recovery move together: the further the lid is opened, the higher the listed figure and the longer the swelling. These are Rewind's standard published rates, and your own quotation lists the method your examination selects plus any additional operation it justifies.

Non-incisional (buried) double eyelidSwelling and bruising recorded to about 48 hours; no line to fade
₩1,200,000
Partial-incision double eyelidA 5–7 mm opening; lenses and makeup paused for a period
₩1,800,000
Full-incision double eyelidOne to two weeks of swelling; line redness eases by about two months
₩2,900,000
Eyelid muscle correction, added to a creaseQuoted when the lid margin sits low; its recovery is reviewed at consultation
₩1,200,000

Each figure is a listed rate with VAT still to be added, and the anaesthetic fee for that operation is already counted inside it. Rewind's published list has no separate line for aftercare visits, so ask for suture removal and follow-up appointments to be written into your plan when the quotation is prepared.

Fit

Timing

When a short stay in Seoul suits double eyelid surgery, and when it does not

A shorter recovery window is realistic when

  • The lid qualifies for the buried method: an eye that reads sleepy, lid skin in the line of sight, less than about 80% of the iris showing, or a brow that lifts to open the eye, without thick skin or heavy fat
  • There is no earlier eyelid surgery to revise
  • You can avoid rubbing your eyes and wearing contact lenses while the fold settles
  • The trip includes a suture-removal visit on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday
  • No event needs eye makeup within one to two weeks after the sutures come out

Situations where the plan changes or the date moves

  • Thick lid skin or substantial fat above the eye, which calls for an incision and the longer recovery that comes with it
  • A travel window too short to include the suture-removal visit; moving the operation is safer than missing the visit
  • Skin that forms raised scars, where an incisional line stays noticeable for longer in the early months
  • A requested crease height the lid cannot carry; the design is declined, since an over-corrected fold produces a heavy, sausage-like look
  • Habitual hard eye-rubbing, which can loosen a buried crease while it heals
  • A bleeding tendency or medication affecting clotting, which has to be disclosed before a date is set because the lid bruises readily
Sheets

Post-operative sheets

Double eyelid aftercare rules from Rewind's post-operative sheets, operation by operation

Rewind prints a separate aftercare sheet for each operation. Four of them concern someone having a crease made, depending on what else is done in the session. Where two apply at once, follow the stricter instruction.

Buried crease
Gentle handling for a week
No stimulation of the operated area, and a low-irritation cleanser used without rubbing. Sauna, steam room and heavy exercise are avoided for one week. If the fold loosens or changes shape, the sheet asks you to come back to the clinic.
Incisional upper lid
Clean, still and shaded
Keep the wound clean to prevent infection, avoid straining or rubbing the eyes, expect swelling and bruising to ease within one to two weeks, and apply sunscreen so the line does not pigment.
Partial incision
A longer list of pauses
For a period after surgery the clinic asks you to avoid alcohol and smoking, repeated eye-closing and eye-opening exercises, rubbing, contact lenses and makeup. The surgeon tells you at follow-up when each of them can return.
Under-eye work added
A dressing that stays on
When under-eye fat repositioning shares the session, the dressing beneath the eye stays in place for three days, early swelling and bruising recede over one to two weeks, and sauna and vigorous exercise wait at least a week.

Recovery is also where complications show themselves: bleeding and haematoma, infection, swelling that lasts longer than expected, asymmetry between the lids, a fold settling higher, lower or heavier than planned, a buried crease loosening after a knock, altered sensation and a visible incisional line. Tell the surgeon about every earlier eye operation and every medication before a date is agreed, and report a sudden change in one lid without waiting for the scheduled visit.

Doctor

Professional

At Rewind, one board-certified plastic surgeon carries every case — from the first consultation to the final follow-up. Because a face is a story, and a story deserves a single author.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi, board-certified plastic surgeonRewind,
Dr. Jonghwan Choi presenting at an academic session
Fig. 06 — Academic presentation, thread-lifting session

Rewind's Doctor

Dr. Jonghwan Choi Medical Director

One surgeon, from the first
consultation to the last follow-up.

A board-certified plastic surgeon devoted to anti-aging lifting — with the precision and restraint built through years of craniofacial practice.

Board-certified plastic surgeon (Plastic Surgery)
10 peer-reviewed publications
Medical Director, Rewind Plastic Surgery
Korean Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons
Former chief director, Apgujeong Y&T Plastic Surgery
Korean Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
J Craniofac Surg · JKMS · Arch Craniofac Surg
Korean Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association
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Ask

Questions

Double eyelid recovery time: what travellers ask

How long is recovery after double eyelid surgery in Seoul?
It depends on the method. Rewind records swelling and bruising for about 48 hours after a buried crease and for one to two weeks after an incisional one. Eye makeup waits one to two weeks past suture removal, and an incisional line loses much of its redness by roughly two months.
How many days should I stay in Korea for double eyelid surgery?
Rewind publishes no fixed stay. Plan a trip that contains the operation, the suture-removal visit on an open clinic day, and the swelling window for your method: short for a buried crease, one to two weeks for an incision. The exact dates are agreed with the surgeon at consultation.
Is there a set day for removing the sutures?
No standard day is published. The surgeon sets it at your follow-up according to how the lid is healing. The visit must fall on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday, because the clinic is closed on Thursday and Sunday. Washing the face resumes the day after removal.
When can I wear contact lenses again?
After a partial incision Rewind asks patients to avoid contact lenses for a period, along with makeup and eye rubbing. The clinic does not publish a fixed number of days, so the point at which lenses can return is confirmed at your follow-up visit. Pack glasses for the whole trip.
How soon will the bruising stop being obvious to other people?
After the buried method, Rewind records visible swelling and bruising within about 48 hours, though the amount varies between people. After a partial or full incision the clinic allows one to two weeks, and on an incisional lid a thin line stays noticeable for longer than the bruise.
What should I avoid during the first week?
Saunas, steam rooms and heavy exercise for about a week, any rubbing or pressing of the lids, and scrubbing with harsh cleansers. After an incision the list also covers alcohol, smoking, contact lenses, makeup and repeated eye-opening exercises until the surgeon clears each one.
Does adding inner-corner or under-eye surgery lengthen recovery?
Each added operation brings its own recovery. Under-eye fat repositioning adds a dressing that stays on for three days and one to two weeks of swelling. Rewind describes the inner-corner result as needing six months to a year to stabilise. The swelling window for the whole session follows its slowest site.
What should make me contact the clinic before my scheduled visit?
A fold that loosens or changes shape, marked swelling in one lid after a knock, or pain that grows over time. Rewind's buried-method sheet asks patients to come back in when the fold changes. Patients from abroad can reach the clinic in their own language throughout recovery.
Booking

Reservation

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Scientific evidence

Studies on healing and complications after double eyelid surgery

These papers describe other surgeons' patients and forecast nothing about how a particular eyelid will heal. They are listed for the parts of recovery they touch: the complications that can surface while a lid heals and how they are managed, the small-incision techniques gathered in a 2022 systematic review, a five-year follow-up of a non-incisional technique, and the way outcomes after upper-lid surgery are assessed once healing is complete.