Is Swelling After Lateral Canthoplasty, Conjunctival Edema, a Side Effect?

When you undergo surgery, no one is unaware that the surgical area will swell for several days to several weeks. If you have double eyelid surgery, the eyelids swell, and if you have jaw and cheekbone surgery, your face swells up like the full moon.

The same is true for lateral canthoplasty. Rather than the skin around the eyes swelling like it does after double eyelid surgery, the white part of the eyeball itself becomes puffy. Because lateral canthoplasty involves incising not only the outer skin but also the conjunctiva of the sclera, which surrounds the eyeball, the conjunctiva of the white part, a looser tissue than the tight cornea of the black pupil, swells. This is what is called swelling after lateral canthoplasty, or conjunctival edema.

There have been cases where severe conjunctival edema after lateral canthoplasty was mistaken for a side effect. This is because it looks more painful and abnormal than the swelling and edema of the eyelid skin after double eyelid surgery. In addition, depending on the individual, some people often complain of significant eye discomfort.

Just as swelling after double eyelid surgery varies from person to person, the degree of conjunctival edema after lateral canthoplasty also varies by individual, and in some cases no conjunctival edema develops at all. The most important factor is each person’s constitution, and if only a very small amount of lateral canthoplasty is performed, conjunctival edema may hardly occur.

Conjunctival edema that appears after lateral canthoplasty or lower canthoplasty is not only manageable with proper care and causes no special discomfort, but also naturally goes away over time. In most cases, it disappears within 2 weeks to a month, but in some cases it disappears and reappears over the course of several months before eventually going away.

If the conjunctival edema becomes too severe, it is sometimes punctured with a needle only when it has turned yellow and matured. If you puncture conjunctival edema that is still mixed with redness using a needle, the swelling may not go down well and only blood may come out, which can make it worse, so caution is needed.

The conjunctival edema that can be called swelling after lateral canthoplasty looks unattractive, but it will eventually disappear completely. In the meantime, complications such as dellen, meaning a corneal indentation, may occur, so it should be managed properly by using artificial tears and ophthalmic ointment.

If you visit the Lari Plastic Surgery website located at Exit 5 of Apgujeong Rodeo Station, you can check out various reviews posted directly by people who have undergone lateral canthoplasty!

Lari Plastic Surgery complies with medical laws. Pre- and post-surgery photos and surgery reviews are available only to registered members.