Stitch removal on day 4. Daily life after 2 to 3 days.
Guide
Eyelid Surgery Recovery, Week by Week
Most of the swelling you are worried about settles over a few weeks. The last of the refinement takes months. Those are two different things, and confusing them is the single most common reason patients panic in the first fortnight.
Start here
The honest headline
Three milestones get mixed together in most recovery articles. Separating them makes the whole timeline easier to read.
1
Fit to travel
This is set by stitch removal, not by how you look. For the procedures that use stitches, they come out between day 3 and day 6. You need to still be in Korea for that appointment.
How long to stay in Korea2
Presentable in daily life
The clinic states a return to daily life after 2 to 3 days for every eyelid procedure it performs. That means functioning normally and going out, not being free of visible swelling.
3
The settled result
The fold keeps refining long after you look fine to other people. This is the milestone that takes the longest and the one you should not try to judge early.
Results vary from person to person. All surgery carries risk. This page is general information and not medical advice.
The timeline
Day by day and week by week
Every timing below is taken from the clinic's own aftercare instructions for its six eyelid procedures. Where the procedures differ, the difference is stated rather than averaged.
1
Day of surgery
The operation itself is short. Non incisional double eyelid takes about 30 minutes. Incisional double eyelid, epicanthoplasty and under eye fat repositioning take about 40 minutes. Upper and lower blepharoplasty take one hour to one hour and 30 minutes. Anesthesia is IV sedation or local. Cold compresses begin, and you take the medication the clinic prescribes.
2
Day 1 to 2
You are inside the cold compress window and swelling and bruising are at their most obvious. Keep applying cold compresses. After lower blepharoplasty the clinic specifically instructs you to sleep with your upper body raised for the first three days. As a general rule after eyelid surgery, swelling peaks around the 48 hour mark, so day 2, before it begins to ease.
3
Day 2 to 3
This is the point at which the clinic says you can return to daily life, and it is the same for all six procedures. You will still be swollen. What changes is that you are no longer confined to your room and can eat out, walk around and handle ordinary errands.
4
Day 4, switch the compress
Cold compresses run for the first four days. After that the clinic tells you to alternate cold and warm compresses to ease the swelling. Note that this is alternating, not a straight switch to warm only.
5
Stitch removal day
This varies most between procedures. Incisional double eyelid is day 4. Upper blepharoplasty is 4 days after surgery. Epicanthoplasty is 4 to 6 days. Lower blepharoplasty is 3 to 5 days. Non incisional double eyelid has none, because nothing is cut there are no stitches to remove. Under eye fat repositioning has none either, because the work is done through the conjunctiva on the inside of the eyelid.
6
Week 2
Eye makeup and contact lenses are allowed from two weeks after surgery. Lower blepharoplasty is the one exception, where the clinic states one to two weeks. Being able to use concealer and mascara again is the point at which most patients stop feeling conspicuous.
7
Week 3 to 4
The three week restrictions lift. Baths, saunas, exercise and swimming pools are all off limits for three weeks after surgery, so week 4 is when normal gym and bathing habits resume. Alcohol and smoking stay off the list for a full month.
8
Month 2 onward and the settled result
By now there are no activity restrictions left and you look entirely ordinary to other people. What continues is the slow refinement of the fold, which softens and usually sits lower than it did early on. As a general guide, most of that softening is done by around three months, with the last subtle changes continuing for up to six.
Aftercare
The rules that actually matter
These are the clinic's own restrictions with the clinic's own timeframes. Nothing here is a general internet guideline.
- Cold compresses for the first four days, then alternate cold and warm compresses to ease the swelling.
- Baths: avoid for three weeks after surgery.
- Saunas: avoid for three weeks after surgery.
- Swimming pools: avoid for three weeks after surgery.
- Exercise: avoid for three weeks after surgery.
- Alcohol: avoid for one month after surgery.
- Smoking: avoid for one month after surgery.
- Eye makeup: from two weeks after surgery. For lower blepharoplasty the clinic states one to two weeks.
- Contact lenses: from two weeks after surgery, on the same schedule as eye makeup. For lower blepharoplasty, one to two weeks.
- Sleeping position: after lower blepharoplasty, sleep with your upper body raised for the first three days. The other procedure pages do not repeat this instruction, though sleeping with your head slightly raised for the first few nights is a common general habit after any eyelid surgery, since it helps swelling drain.
- Medication: be sure to take the medication the clinic prescribes.
- As a general precaution, avoid rubbing or pressing on the eyes for at least the first two to three weeks, until the swelling has substantially settled.
By procedure
How each procedure differs
Return to daily life is the same across the board. Stitch removal is what separates them, and it is what fixes your travel dates.
No stitch removal, because nothing is cut. Daily life after 2 to 3 days.
Stitch removal 4 to 6 days after surgery. Daily life 2 to 3 days after surgery.
Stitch removal 4 days after surgery. Daily life after 2 to 3 days.
Sagging skin is removed. Stitch removal 3 to 5 days after surgery. Daily life after 2 to 3 days.
Done through the conjunctiva on the inside of the eyelid, so there is no external scar and no stitch removal. Daily life after 2 to 3 days.
The last two are frequently confused, so it is worth being precise. Under eye fat repositioning works entirely from inside the lower eyelid, leaving no external scar and nothing to remove afterward. Lower blepharoplasty removes sagging skin and does involve stitch removal, at 3 to 5 days. That difference changes both your scar expectations and your travel plan.
Reassurance and caution
What is normal and what is not
Recovery has a wide normal range. It also has a short list of things that should prompt a message straight away.
Usually normal in the early days
- Swelling of the lids, most obvious in the first days.
- Bruising, which can spread and change colour before it fades.
- One eye looking more swollen than the other early on.
- A tight or stiff feeling when you blink or look up.
- Dryness, or eyes that feel gritty.
- Mild sensitivity to bright light.
Contact the clinic promptly
- Sudden severe pain, rather than the dull soreness you were expecting.
- Any change in your vision.
- Bleeding that does not stop.
- Spreading redness together with a fever.
- One eye rapidly swelling much more than the other.
This is general guidance, not a diagnosis, and it does not replace being seen. Clinic staff do not handle enquiries in English, so if anything at all worries you during recovery, message KORA on WhatsApp and they will relay it to the clinic. Do not sit on a symptom because you are unsure whether it counts.
Results vary from person to person. All surgery carries risk. This page is general information and not medical advice.
Travelling patients
Recovering as an international patient
Recovering in a hotel room in a foreign city is manageable, but it rewards a bit of preparation.
The one fixed rule
If your procedure uses stitches, they must be removed before you fly home. That single appointment, somewhere between day 3 and day 6 depending on the procedure, is what determines the length of your trip. Non incisional double eyelid and under eye fat repositioning are the two exceptions with nothing to remove.
Book your return flight around that date rather than around how you expect to look, and read the full guide to how long to stay in Korea for eyelid surgery before you commit to dates.
Practical notes for the hotel
Choose accommodation near Seomyeon so you are not crossing the city for a short appointment. A room with a fridge makes the four days of cold compresses considerably easier to keep up.
Sunglasses are worth packing regardless. They cost nothing and make walking to a convenience store far less self conscious in the first week. Remember that baths and saunas are out for three weeks, so a Korean bathhouse cannot be part of this trip.
Our guide for international patients covers arrival, interpretation and how bookings work through KORA.
Showering is usually fine from the day after surgery. Keep soap and shampoo out of the eyes, and be gentle around the surgical area until stitches are out. Beyond the stitch removal visit, any additional check in is arranged case by case, so ask what your own schedule looks like at the consultation. Sunglasses are a practical addition during recovery. They shield healing eyes from sun and wind and are the easiest way to feel comfortable out in public while swelling and bruising fade.
Perspective
Why swelling is not the result
The most common mistake in the first fortnight is treating an early photograph as the outcome.
The fold starts high
A freshly operated eyelid is thicker than it will end up. That extra thickness pushes the crease upward, so the fold typically looks higher, deeper and more dramatic than the one you will eventually have.
As the tissue settles, the fold descends and softens toward its intended shape. This is why a result that looks alarmingly bold at one week frequently looks entirely natural later, and why surgeons are unbothered by early photographs that distress the patient sending them.
It also explains uneven swelling, since the two eyelids rarely drain at the same rate. Asymmetry that comes from swelling resolves as the swelling does, so judging symmetry before then is not a fair test.
The practical advice is unglamorous. Follow the compress schedule, respect the three week and one month restrictions, and postpone judgement. If the wait itself is what bothers you, message the clinic through KORA rather than searching for reassurance online. as a general rule, most of the obvious swelling from eyelid surgery fades within two to three weeks, though everyone heals at a different pace
Read next
Related guides and procedures
Choosing your procedure
Recovery differs mainly by whether tissue is cut. Compare incisional double eyelid surgery against non incisional double eyelid surgery, and read about epicanthoplasty if you are widening the inner corner.
Rejuvenation options
Upper blepharoplasty addresses a hooded upper lid. For the lower lid, compare lower blepharoplasty with under eye fat repositioning, which leaves no external scar.
Planning the trip
Work out your dates with the stay length guide, budget with the eyelid surgery cost guide, and see why patients choose Busan over Seoul.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How long until I look normal in public?
The clinic states a return to daily life after 2 to 3 days for every eyelid procedure it performs, whether that is non incisional double eyelid surgery or lower blepharoplasty. It means you can function and go out, not that swelling has gone. Most patients feel genuinely unremarkable once eye makeup is allowed at two weeks.
When can I wear makeup?
Eye makeup is fine from two weeks after surgery for incisional double eyelid, non incisional double eyelid, epicanthoplasty, upper blepharoplasty and under eye fat repositioning. For lower blepharoplasty the clinic states one to two weeks. Do not bring the date forward on your own.
When can I wear contact lenses?
Contact lenses follow exactly the same schedule as eye makeup. Two weeks after surgery for five of the six procedures, and one to two weeks after lower blepharoplasty. Bring glasses for the trip, since you will be without lenses for the whole time you are in Korea.
How long does swelling last?
The clinic does not publish a single figure, and honestly no clinic can, because it varies a great deal between people and procedures. What the clinic does specify is the management: cold compresses for the first four days, then alternating cold and warm compresses to ease the swelling, with a return to daily life after 2 to 3 days. Most of it settles within two to three weeks.
Can I exercise?
Not for three weeks. The clinic instructs patients to avoid baths, saunas, exercise and swimming pools for three weeks after surgery, and this applies to all six eyelid procedures. Raised blood pressure and heat both work against settling swelling, so this is one of the restrictions worth keeping to the day.
Why is one eye more swollen than the other?
Because the two sides almost never drain at the same speed. Uneven swelling in the early days is common and is not a sign that the surgery was uneven, and it resolves as the swelling does. The exception worth acting on is one eye rapidly swelling much more than the other, particularly with severe pain or any change in vision. Contact the clinic promptly if that happens.
When is the final result?
Later than you would like, and later than the point at which you look fine to everyone else. The fold sits higher and thicker at first and continues to soften and settle after the visible swelling has gone, which is why the first weeks are a poor guide to the outcome. As a general guide, most patients see their result settle by around three months, with the last small refinements continuing for up to six.
Results vary from person to person. All surgery carries risk. This page is general information and not medical advice.