[LARI Plastic Surgery] Don’t Worry If You’re Still in the Recovery Period After Lateral Canthoplasty (Revision or Second Revision Surgery)

Many people who undergo lateral canthoplasty come to the clinic hoping to make their eyes look significantly larger.

So during consultations, they say, “Please open them as much as possible so my eyes look much bigger,”

but when we explain the possible scars and recovery involved in opening them more extensively,

they hesitate and begin to worry.

And then they say, “As much as possible, as long as that doesn’t happen!”

.... ㅠㅠ

When patients put it this way, the surgeon inevitably feels pressured to make sure those issues do not occur,

which means the surgery has to be performed defensively,

and patients often do not achieve the results they wanted to the extent they hoped for.

Of course, this is understandable.

During the recovery period after lateral canthoplasty at our clinic, severe chemosis or redness may develop,

and even as the wounds heal, they may sometimes look concerning enough

to make patients worry.

Swelling is one thing, and redness is another, but the most concerning part is the wound at the incision site.

After the stitches are removed two weeks after surgery, the wound that is visible

can easily make patients feel as though the stitches were removed before it had healed sufficiently.

Since the stitches have been removed, they need to wash their face and return to their daily activities,

but it is understandable that they may worry if the wound still appears to be open like this.

It is somewhat reassuring to know that redness and swelling improve over time,

but they may still wonder whether a wound that looks this severe will really heal properly,

or whether the eye will heal in this state and continue to look as though it is torn open in this shape.

Naturally, they can be extremely worried.

I have seen countless patients who underwent lateral canthoplasty,

but regardless of the swelling, the wound healing, the degree of opening, or how much the outer corner had been lowered,

there has never been a patient whose condition at two weeks after surgery remained unchanged.

The wound in the two-week photo, which looked serious,

healed well without remaining open, as you can see in the final photo,

and the outer corner, which had been lowered somewhat excessively, rose to an appropriate position and settled naturally.

Just as the redness in the eyes improves and wounds that seemed as though they would never heal eventually do heal,

we were able to see how naturally the eyes recovered over time

by comparing the two-week and two-year photos.

The fact that the outer corner rises during recovery, or that the opened area comes together as it heals,

does not mean that the surgery had no effect.

There is an effect, but achieving it means there are things to endure during the recovery period.

The more extensively the eyes are opened,

the longer the recovery period becomes,

and the greater the possibility of entropion and scarring.

Therefore, rather than telling the surgeon, “Please do as much as possible as long as those things don’t happen!!,”

patients should clearly prioritize what they want most before surgery and try to let go of what they are willing to give up with a lighter heart.

If you are in the recovery period after lateral canthoplasty, whether it is your first surgery, a revision surgery, or a second revision surgery,

you should wait without worrying.^^