Surgery · Recovery

Lower Blepharoplasty Recovery Time

Three days, one week, two weeks, one month: what each marks

Gangnam, Seoul | Board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Jonghwan Choi
One written aftercare sheet for both lower-lid operations · KHIDI-registered for international patients

Recovery Time Dressing · Sutures · Swelling Recovery Time Dressing · Sutures · Swelling Recovery Time Dressing · Sutures · Swelling Recovery Time Dressing · Sutures · Swelling 
Heal

Lower-lid recovery

How long does recovery take after lower blepharoplasty or under-eye fat repositioning?

The short answer

Rewind's written instructions give four markers. The dressing beneath the eye stays on for three days. Stitches from lower blepharoplasty come out at roughly five to seven days. Early bruising and swelling decrease over one to two weeks, and the clinic notes that this varies from person to person; saunas, steam rooms and strenuous exercise wait for at least a week. Strong pulling on the operated area is avoided for about a month. The clinic issues the same under-eye sheet for fat repositioning and for lower blepharoplasty, so the timetable applies to both. It does not publish a day on which the result counts as final.

Figures on this page come only from Rewind's post-operative instruction sheet and its lower blepharoplasty page. Anything those sources leave out, such as a date for returning to work or for flying home, is settled at your consultation and not guessed here.

Downtime after lower-lid surgery is several clocks running at once. The dressing clock is the shortest and the most exact. The stitch clock only runs if there are stitches in the skin. The bruising clock is the one that differs most between people, and the clock that ends with a settled lower lid is one no published figure covers. Most of the work in planning a trip to Seoul is knowing which of these clocks your dates actually depend on.

A bed in the recovery room at Rewind Plastic Surgery, Apgujeong
Fig. 01 — The recovery room on the clinic floor
Healed

Case photographs

Two healed lower-lid cases from Rewind, and where recovery led

These pairs show lower lids once healing was over. The bruised and swollen weeks in between are not photographed here, and the interval between each operation and its after photograph is not part of the published record, so neither pair tells you how quickly that person recovered.

Rewind patients, lower lid after healing

Before: under-eye fat repositioning for a deep groove, front view After: under-eye fat repositioning for a deep groove, front view BEFOREAFTER
case 01 · single operation
Under-eye fat repositioning where the tear-trough groove was deep, performed alone
Individual results may vary.
Before: under-eye fat repositioning combined with upper blepharoplasty After: under-eye fat repositioning combined with upper blepharoplasty BEFOREAFTER
case 02 · two operations
Under-eye fat repositioning combined with upper blepharoplasty in one session
Individual results may vary.

Photographs of Rewind's own patients, published unretouched, with every operation in the session named in its caption. Individual results may vary. A combined session adds the upper lid's healing to the lower lid's, and bruising, prolonged swelling, asymmetry, scarring and a change in lower-lid position are possible after either.

Clocks

What heals when

Which parts of the lower lid recover on which schedule

Each of the four markers Rewind publishes belongs to something different. Treating them as one number is how people end up booking a flight around the wrong one.

clock 01
The dressing
Taped beneath the eye at the end of the operation and, under Rewind's sheet, left in place for three days. It is not lifted early to look at the lid.
clock 02
Skin stitches
Rewind's lower blepharoplasty page gives about five to seven days until removal. Whether your own operation leaves stitches on the skin depends on the approach, which is confirmed at consultation.
clock 03
Bruising and swelling
One to two weeks for the early phase in Rewind's record, with the clinic stating that it differs by individual.
clock 04
Protecting the repair
For about a month nothing should pull or stretch the operated area hard. Alcohol, smoking and sauna also stay off the list for a period your surgeon confirms.

Rewind's lower blepharoplasty page also records that the result can be expected to hold for five years or more, with individual variation. That is a durability figure, and it starts once healing is over. It says nothing about how many days of downtime to plan for.

Days

The timetable

Under-eye fat repositioning recovery, from the operating table to the fourth week

The rungs below follow the order in which the instructions start to matter. The clinic hours are included because a stitch-removal day has to fall on a day the clinic is open.

01Day 0

The lower lids are dressed before you leave

At the end of lower-lid surgery the under-eye dressing goes on. The rules that apply from then on are the ones Rewind publishes on its own site, so they can be read and planned for well ahead of the operation.

02Days 1–3

Dressing on, hands away from the eyes

The dressing stays untouched for three days. Rewind's sheet also rules out rubbing the eye area or putting strong pressure on it, and sunscreen is required whenever you are outdoors.

03Days 5–7

Stitch removal, where stitches were placed

The lower blepharoplasty page gives roughly five to seven days. Rewind sees patients on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:00 to 19:00 and on Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00, and is closed on Thursday and Sunday, so the visit is booked on an open day inside that window.

04Week 1

No sauna, steam room or hard training

The heat of a sauna or steam room and strenuous exercise are avoided for at least the first week. Your surgeon tells you at follow-up when each can come back.

05Weeks 1–2

Bruising and early swelling decrease

This is the stretch in which the under-eye goes from obviously operated to presentable, and it is the part that varies most. Rewind states one to two weeks, differing by individual, and gives no shorter promise.

06Month 1

Nothing that pulls on the lid

For about a month the operated area is not pulled or stretched hard. Alcohol, smoking and sauna are also postponed for a period, and the lid is reviewed before those limits are lifted.

Lower-lid surgery under way in the operating room at Rewind
Fig. 02 — Recovery starts with the dressing applied in the operating room
Rewind

Why here

Why Rewind keeps lower blepharoplasty recovery with the surgeon who operated

The weeks after lower-lid surgery are when small problems are cheapest to catch. That argues for a short chain between the operation and the person looking at the healing lid.

01One sheet

Written instructions specific to the under-eye

Rewind publishes its aftercare operation by operation, and the under-eye sheet is the same for fat repositioning and lower blepharoplasty: the three-day dressing, no rubbing, sunscreen, and a week away from heat and exertion. You leave with rules written for this part of the face.

02Lid position

The complication worth watching for is known

Surgical reviews of lower blepharoplasty single out a change in lower-lid position, retraction or ectropion, as the complication to prevent and to correct, and two of them are listed at the foot of this page. Early swelling makes a lid hard to read in a mirror; position is judged at review by the surgeon.

03Registered

Set up for patients travelling to Seoul

Rewind holds KHIDI registration as an institution for international patients, number M-2025-01-08-09288, and answers inquiries in the patient's own language, so questions during recovery do not wait on a translator.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi examining a patient's face at Rewind Plastic Surgery
Fig. 03 — Healing is judged face to face by the operating surgeon
Visit

On the day

Surgery day and the follow-up visits for lower blepharoplasty in Gangnam

Procedure room prepared for lower-lid surgery at Rewind Plastic Surgery

Fig. 04 — The procedure room, set before lower-lid surgery

Patient lounge at Rewind Plastic Surgery, Apgujeong

Fig. 05 — The lounge where follow-up visits begin

The clinic occupies floors four and five of the Richro Building in Apgujeong, Gangnam, and the medical director operates on every lower lid himself. You go home with the dressing in place and return for the checks your operation calls for, including stitch removal where stitches were used.

Dressing under the eye: three days
Stitches, where placed: about 5–7 days
Bruising and swelling: 1–2 weeks
No sauna or hard exercise: one week minimum
No strong pulling: about one month
Sunscreen whenever you go out
Clinic closed Thursday and Sunday
Follow-ups with Dr. Jonghwan Choi
Dr. Jonghwan Choi, board-certified plastic surgeon

Board-certified plastic surgeon

Dr. Jonghwan Choi operates on and reviews each lower lid at Rewind, and his name is on ten peer-reviewed papers. The clinic's KHIDI registration for international patients is M-2025-01-08-09288.

Cost

Pricing

Lower blepharoplasty cost at Rewind, and the recovery around it

Rewind's list prices the operation. Dressing checks, stitch removal and follow-up visits are not published as separate lines, so ask for them to be spelled out when you receive a quote. For travellers the larger cost of recovery is time in Seoul, which depends on the operation below that applies to you.

Under-eye fat repositioningFat moved into the groove after the tear-trough adhesion is released
₩1,600,000
Septal-reinforced fat repositioningThe same, with the septum fixed to the orbital bone
₩2,000,000
Lower blepharoplastyFat removed or relocated, muscle dissected and fixed to the periosteum
₩3,900,000
Upper blepharoplasty, when combinedA separate line, healing alongside the lower lid in one session
₩3,900,000

Figures exclude VAT, and the anaesthetic fee sits inside each one. Which line applies is decided at examination, and anything tied to your follow-up schedule is confirmed at the same time.

Plan

Planning

Whose lower-lid recovery needs extra planning, and when surgery should wait

A simple recovery plan fits if you can

  • Leave the under-eye dressing untouched for three full days
  • Return for stitch removal around days five to seven, if stitches are placed
  • Go a week without saunas, steam rooms or hard training
  • Keep your hands off your eyes, including first thing in the morning
  • Wear sunscreen every time you go outdoors
  • Keep a month clear of anything that pulls on the lower lid

Allow more time, or wait, if you

  • Bruise easily or take medication that affects bleeding, which the surgeon must know about
  • Have had surgery on the lower lids before, since earlier work changes the risk to lid position
  • Have dry or irritated eyes, or inflammation around the eye, at the time of consultation
  • Have a public or on-camera commitment inside the first two weeks
  • Smoke and cannot stop for the period your surgeon sets
  • Are pregnant or breastfeeding
Care

Aftercare

The aftercare rules that decide lower blepharoplasty recovery

Most of the timetable happens by itself. What you control is a short list of habits, and Rewind's sheet names them one by one.

Every day
No rubbing, no pressing
The eye area is kept free of rubbing and strong stimulation from the first day. It is the habit most likely to undo careful work, and it happens without noticing.
Outdoors
Sunscreen, without exception
Rewind lists sun protection as required after under-eye surgery, and its sheets for other eyelid operations tie it to preventing pigmentation over healing skin.
First week
Heat and exertion wait
Saunas, steam rooms and strenuous exercise are set aside for at least one week, longer if the surgeon says so at review.
First month
No pulling, no stretching
The operated area is not pulled hard for about a month, and alcohol and smoking stay off the list for a period.

Call the clinic promptly if swelling, pain or bleeding increases where it should be easing, if your vision changes, or if a lower lid seems to be pulling down or away from the eye. Those are reasons to be seen, whatever day of the timetable you are on.

Risks after lower-lid surgery include bleeding and haematoma, infection, swelling that lasts beyond two weeks, asymmetry, altered sensation, dryness, a visible line where a skin approach was used, and lower-lid retraction or ectropion. Recovery speed and results vary between individuals and cannot be promised.

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
Voices

Google Reviews

What our patients say.

G 5.0 ★★★★★ 12 Google reviews · Rewind Plastic Surgery, Apgujeong — live-synced from Google Business Profile

"Sample review card — at launch this section pulls the clinic's real Google reviews automatically, shown verbatim with the reviewer's initial and posting date."

AReviewer namePOSTED ON GOOGLE

"Sample review card — reviews are never written or edited by the clinic; only what patients posted on Google appears here."

BReviewer namePOSTED ON GOOGLE

"Sample review card — a 'See all reviews on Google' link takes visitors to the clinic's Business Profile."

CReviewer namePOSTED ON GOOGLE
Ask

Questions

Lower blepharoplasty recovery: questions about downtime and healing

How much downtime should I plan for after under-eye fat repositioning?
Plan around two weeks for the visible part. Rewind's sheet keeps the dressing on for three days, gives one to two weeks for bruising and swelling to decrease, and rules out saunas and hard exercise for at least a week. Care continues for about a month, when strong pulling on the area is still avoided.
When can I judge the final look of my lower lids?
Rewind publishes no date for a final result, so none is given here. The one-to-two-week figure covers bruising and early swelling only. When the lids count as settled is decided at follow-up by the operating surgeon, who compares them with the records taken before surgery.
Do I need to come back to the clinic for stitch removal?
If stitches are placed in the skin, yes. Rewind's lower blepharoplasty page gives about five to seven days until removal, and whether your approach leaves skin stitches is confirmed at consultation. The clinic is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:00 to 19:00 and Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00.
Is a one-week trip to Seoul long enough for lower-lid surgery?
A week covers the three-day dressing and, where stitches are used, the five-to-seven-day removal, but it ends before the one-to-two-week bruising window has run its course. Rewind does not publish a minimum stay. Your surgeon sets the schedule once the operation and approach are known.
When can I go back to the gym or a sauna?
Not during the first week. Rewind's instructions list saunas, steam rooms and strenuous exercise among the things to avoid for a minimum of one week after under-eye surgery, and add alcohol and smoking for a period. The surgeon confirms at follow-up when each can resume.
Does recovery take longer if the upper lids are operated on in the same session?
Rewind publishes no separate timetable for combined sessions. Its instructions after incisional upper-eyelid surgery also give one to two weeks for bruising and swelling to ease, so the two usually run side by side, and a combined plan is reviewed as one at each visit.
What should I report to the clinic while I am healing?
Swelling, pain or bleeding that is increasing, any change in vision, or a lower lid that seems to pull down or away from the eye. Surgical reviews of lower blepharoplasty treat lid malposition, meaning retraction or ectropion, as the complication to prevent and correct.
Why does Rewind insist on sunscreen after under-eye surgery?
Sun protection is listed as required on the clinic's under-eye sheet. Its instructions for other eyelid operations explain the reason: sunscreen helps prevent scarring and pigmentation over skin that is still healing, which matters most where a skin approach has left a line.
Booking

Reservation

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Scientific evidence

Research on healing and complications after lower-lid surgery

Four papers relevant to what recovery is protecting: a systematic review of safety and complications in lower eyelid blepharoplasty, a review of preventing and correcting lower-lid malposition, reported outcomes and complications of transconjunctival fat repositioning, and a technique paper on tear-trough ligament release with fat redistribution.

Each describes its own authors' patients and follow-up. None was conducted at Rewind, and none sets the recovery timetable for a particular lid; that timetable comes from the clinic's own written instructions.