When can I swim after blepharoplasty?

General information about typical recovery, not medical advice. Every eye and every surgery is different, and your surgeon's instructions override anything on this page. Read our full disclaimer.

Short answer

Not until the incisions are fully closed and your surgeon approves, which is usually after sutures are out at 7 to 14 days and often longer for pools, hot tubs, and lakes.

An open or freshly closed incision plus water that carries bacteria is the concern. Infection is listed among the possible complications of eyelid surgery by AAO and among the complications of transconjunctival blepharoplasty by StatPearls, and it is far easier to avoid than to treat.

The first gate is sutures. AAO states nonabsorbable sutures are removed 7 to 14 days after surgery. Most surgeons want the line sealed and the crusting finished before you submerge your face, and hot tubs and lakes usually wait longer than a chlorinated pool.

Note that showering is treated differently. StatPearls says patients may shower and wet the sutures the day after surgery. Brief clean running water is not the same as sitting in shared water.

There is a second reason to wait: lap swimming and diving involve straining and head-down positions, and EyeWiki advises avoiding lifting, bending, straining, and exercise for the first 10 days. Goggles pressing on healing lower lid tissue is its own problem. Get a specific answer from your surgeon rather than assuming a date.

When	Typical guidance
First week	No swimming. Showering is usually fine from day 1 per StatPearls.
Days 7 to 14	Sutures typically come out in this window per AAO. Ask at that visit.
After clearance	Pools usually first, then hot tubs, lakes, and ocean. Avoid goggles pressing on the lids until cleared.

Call your surgeon now if you notice any of these

Sudden severe pain in or behind the eye, especially with swelling that keeps getting worse. AAO states that severe pain, decreased vision, and progressive swelling may represent retrobulbar hemorrhage and should be brought to immediate medical attention. Go to an emergency room now.
The eye pushing forward or bulging, or lids so tight and swollen you cannot open them. Proptosis is a documented sign of retrobulbar hemorrhage, which EyeWiki describes as a rapidly progressive, sight-threatening emergency.
Any decrease or loss of vision, or vision getting worse over hours instead of better. Loss of vision is listed by AAO among the possible complications of eyelid surgery, and EyeWiki notes intervention for retrobulbar hemorrhage needs to happen within about 2 hours of onset.
Nausea and vomiting together with eye pain and pressure. StatPearls lists pain, proptosis, nausea, vomiting, and reduced vision as the presentation of retrobulbar hemorrhage, which it calls a surgical emergency.
New double vision. Double vision is listed among the complications of lower eyelid and transconjunctival blepharoplasty by StatPearls. Call your surgeon the same day.
Signs of infection: spreading redness, warmth, increasing swelling after the first few days, yellow or green discharge, or fever. Infection is listed by AAO among the possible complications of eyelid surgery.
Bleeding from an incision that does not stop with gentle steady pressure, or a firm lump under the skin that is growing quickly.
Not being able to close the eye fully once the early swelling has gone down, or an eye that feels raw, painful, and very light sensitive. Early incomplete closure is common and usually resolves within days per StatPearls, so closure that is not improving needs to be checked.
Any wound that opens or separates, or a suture that has come loose and is scratching the eye.

These warning signs after blepharoplasty can point to problems that need same-day care. Do not wait for your next scheduled visit. If you cannot reach your surgeon's office, use their on-call line, or go to an emergency room.

Sources: American Academy of Ophthalmology; American Academy of Ophthalmology (EyeWiki); StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf

Sources

Upper Eyelid Blepharoplasty American Academy of Ophthalmology. Accessed 2026-08-25.
What Are the Possible Complications of Eyelid Surgery? American Academy of Ophthalmology. Accessed 2026-08-25.
Transconjunctival Blepharoplasty StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf. Accessed 2026-08-25.
Upper Eyelid Blepharoplasty StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf. Accessed 2026-08-25.
Upper Eyelid Blepharoplasty (EyeWiki) American Academy of Ophthalmology (EyeWiki). Accessed 2026-08-25.

When can I swim after blepharoplasty?

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