What do scars after eyelift (blepharoplasty) look like?

Actual patient of Dr. Devgan, before and after upper eyelid blepharoplasty. Result is 3 months postop. New York City.

Actual patient of Dr. Devgan, before and after upper eyelid blepharoplasty. Result is 3 months postop. New York City.

Actual patient of Dr. Devgan, before and after upper eyelid blepharoplasty. Result is 5 weeks postop. New York City.

Eyelift (blepharoplasty) is one of my favorite, signature operations. It can brighten your eyes, restore a youthful appearance to your face, and make you look more alert and rested.

Many patients are concerned with scarring after eyelift surgery. For this reason, I plan all of my operations to keep the scars as hidden as possible, in the most cosmetic locations.

For upper eyelid surgery, scars are hidden in the lid crease that is formed when you blink. For lower eyelid surgery, scars are hidden either inside the wet, pink part of the eye (the conjunctiva), or hidden under the eyelash margin.

The images above reveal typical scar outcomes for my actual patients, without any makeup or retouching.

Lip augmentation review from an actual patient

I love performing lip injections (lip augmentation or injectable lip filler), so it's always nice to get nice compliments from my patients. This is a message and photo that I recently received from a Juvederm lip augmentation patient in my NYC office: 

Perfection!! Your talent is unmatched. Thank you so much for everything, I will certainly be back! (Already referring everyone to you.) Xoxo

Early Facelift Results

Actual patient of Dr. Devgan, before and 5 weeks after facelift. Note the improvement in her jawline, neck, and under-the-chin contour.

Actual patient of Dr. Devgan, before and 5 weeks after facelift. Note that her scar is pink and immature, though already flat and inconspicuous. It will improve over time.

How long will it take to recover from a facelift?

Final results from a facelift or necklift operation take up to a year to fully materialize. This is because the face and neck are highly vascular, contain a great deal of blood vessels, and hold onto fluid for some time. Scar tissue also takes about a year to evolve from a raw, pink incision to a thin, pale line.

That does not mean that you need to wait a year to look beautiful, refined, and youthful, after a facelift or necklift operation, though. 

A typical timeline for facelift recovery

1 day after surgery: bandages come off

1 week after surgery: stitches are removed

1-2 weeks after surgery: patients feel comfortable going out in public, possibly with concealer or a modified hairstyle

2 weeks after surgery: most patients have returned to work at this point

3-4 weeks after surgery: patients feel confident about all types of work and social events

1 month after surgery: bruising is likely completely gone

3 months after surgery: swelling has come down significantly

6-12 months after surgery: swelling resolves and scars slowly mature and fade

Recovery from facelift and necklift is very tolerable overall, and most patients are fine taking 1-2 weeks off of work and social engagements to recover. If you have specific questions about recovery from these plastic surgery operations, or if you would like to be a patient in my New York City practice, please call 212-452-2400 or email office@LaraDevganMD.com.

Early Results After Labiaplasty Surgery

Actual patient of Dr. Devgan, before and 6 days after labiaplasty, New York City. All scars are hidden. 

Many labiaplasty patients are concerned with how long it will take them to look great after surgery. The truest answer to that question is that it will take months, because some degree of swelling is present for 6 (and sometimes more) months. Bruising takes time to resolve. Incisions need to heal. Fluid needs to be reabsorbed slowly by your body.

However, that does not mean that you will not look very good, even very soon after your surgery. If you are compliant with your icing and pelvic elevation, having a beautiful result is possible even a few days after surgery, as pictured above. This patient of mine underwent labiaplasty with labia minora and clitoral hood reduction under local anesthesia only. She is pictured just 6 days after surgery, with all scars hidden, and with her swelling present but controlled.

When you are recovering from labiaplasty, it is important for you to strictly follow your surgeon's instructions for what to do at home. For my New York City patients, I recommend a high degree of icing and pelvic elevation for the first 72 hours after surgery, no exercise for at least one month, and no sex for 6 weeks.

If you are thinking about labiaplasty and would like to see me as a patient, please call 212-452-2400 or email info@LaraDevganMD.com.

Correcting lip filler with precise technique

This actual patient had a small contour deficiency of her left upper lip (right side of the photo), where her mouth is open (top photo). Her lips were corrected by Dr. Devgan with near perfect symmetry (bottom photo).

In my New York City plastic surgery practice, patients are very discerning and attuned to the small details of their faces. For lip augmentation with Juvederm or Restylane, precise technique and an individualized approach to each patient allow me to achieve excellent, reproducible results.

However, sometimes lip augmentation is not perfect, even in the best hands. Swelling and bruising can take two weeks or more to come down. Lumps and bumps are possible. Asymmetry and contour deficits can occur.

When patients come to see me because they are unhappy with their existing lip filler (often performed by other doctors, nurses, PAs, or injectors), there are a few things I offer them:

Options to Fix Lip Augmentation If You Are Not Happy with Your Lip Filler

1. Dissolve the filler

If you are unhappy with lumps, bumps, or irregularities in lip filler, dissolving it with Hyaluronidase is the fastest option. Hyaluronidase (also called Vitrase or Hylenex) is an enzyme that is injected into the tissue to dissolve any hyaluronic acid based filler, including Juvederm, Restylane, and Voluma. It begins to work within 5 minutes, and with gentle massage and some patience, all of the injected filler can be completely dissolved within 1-3 days.

2. Add more filler

If there is an area with a volume deficit in the lips, or an area that is relatively small compared to the contralateral side, adding additional filler is always an option. This is a relatively quick and easy process that can smooth out any irregularities and even out an uneven area.

3. Wait

Hyaluronic acid based fillers like Juvederm and Restylane are not permanent, and they are absorbed by the body slowly over time. The exact duration depends on your body's metabolic rate, as well as how much you move your lips. Typically lip filler will last between 9 and 12 months. If you are not interested in pursuing an invasive approach like dissolving the filler or adding more filler, you can always wait for it to go away on its own.

For questions about lip filler or to see me as a patient, please call 212-452-2400 or email office@LaraDevganMD.com.

This actual patient of Dr. Devgan had previously experimented with lip filler that left her lips looking too large and unnatural. Dr. Devgan added volume to her upper lip to give her a more voluptuous, full appearance, while maintaining a natural look (bottom photo).