How to decrease bruising after eyelid surgery

Dr. Vrcek recently published his technique for minimizing bruising after eyelid surgery in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery, a top publication in the field.

Dr. Vrcek uses special techniques to minimize the chances and amount of bruising during eyelid surgery so that patients can recover more quickly from surgery. The technique involves using one of the smallest commercially available needles, a 30 gauge needle, to administer a specialized mixture of local anesthetic. This tiny needle decreases the chances that the eyelid muscles will bleed, resulting in less bruising. In addition, the anesthetic mixture itself contains epinephrine which constricts the tiny blood vessels in the eyelid, resulting in less bleeding and therefore less bruising. Finally, Dr. Vrcek uses a special enzyme in his local anesthetic called hyaluronidase, which is a naturally occurring protein in the human body.

Adding this enzyme to the local anesthetic allows the epinephrine to spread through the tissues so that only one needle entry point is required, and so that the blood vessel-constricting anesthetic can move throughout the eyelid—significantly decreasing the chances of bruising in surgery

Dr. Vrcek developed his technique over thousands of eyelid surgeries to help his patients bruise less and return to the lives sooner. He has also published research on the use of Arnica and Bromelain for eyelid surgery and is happy to discuss the use of these supplements with patients.