Mr. Onur Gilleard
Qualifications & Experience
Mr Onur Gilleard is a distinguished consultant plastic surgeon on the GMC specialist register. He previously held an NHS consultant post at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, specialising in skin cancer and microsurgical reconstruction. In 2021, Mr Gilleard transitioned from the NHS to dedicate himself fully to private practice, allowing him to focus exclusively on providing personalised, high-quality care to his patients. He is recognised as an expert in laser treatments, having conducted research and developed advanced treatment protocols using cutting-edge laser technology to optimise both clinical outcomes and cosmetic results.
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Healing after chalazion incision and drainage is quick. There is usually some bruising and swelling of the eyelid that peaks at about 48 hours and then settles over around five days. Most people are back to work and driving after about five days, and can wear contact lenses and eye make-up again after two weeks, once the inner surface of the eyelid has fully healed. Because the incision is usually made on the inside of the eyelid, there is no visible scar and no stitches to remove. Here is the full timeline and how to look after it.
The Healing Timeline
The whole journey on one line: patch off at 24 hours → bruising peaks around 48 hours → back to work and driving at about day five → surface fully healed, lenses and eye make-up back at two weeks — and roughly one in ten chalazia will eventually need a second visit. Everything below unpacks those numbers.
- Day of the procedure: a soft eye patch stays on, which you remove yourself after 24 hours.
- First 48 hours: bruising and swelling build up and reach their peak. The thin eyelid skin can make bruising look more dramatic than it is.
- By about 5 days: the bruising and swelling settle, and most people return to work and driving.
- At 2 weeks: the inner surface of the eyelid has healed, so contact lenses and eye make-up can be used again.
Once the blocked gland is cleared, the lump resolves and the eyelid returns to its normal shape. The full procedure is in our complete guide to chalazion removal.
“I recently visited London Skin Clinic for the removal of a chalazion and I couldn’t be more pleased with the entire experience. The staff were warm, professional and reassuring.”
Erick G., verified Google review
Aftercare on the Day and After
After the procedure, chloramphenicol antibiotic ointment is applied to the wound and a soft eye patch (jelonet and gauze) is placed, which you take off after 24 hours. A useful thing to expect: the ointment can cause temporary blurred vision for a short time after each application. This is normal and always clears once you stop using it, so plan not to drive immediately after applying it. Keep the area clean, and avoid rubbing the eye while it heals.
When to Seek Help
Some bruising, swelling and the temporary blurring from the ointment are all expected. Seek help promptly, however, if you have increasing pain, increasing swelling, or spreading redness of the eyelid. During office hours, call the clinic; out of hours, attend your local A&E, as these signs need to be checked without delay.
Will It Come Back?
Most chalazia do not return once drained, but about one in ten recur and need a further procedure. Good day-to-day lid hygiene, warm compresses if you feel another forming, and managing any underlying blepharitis or rosacea, all help reduce the chance. A lump that keeps coming back in exactly the same spot should be assessed rather than simply drained again.
“Booked online which was super simple. I saw Dr Reza Alamouti — he made me feel at ease from the get go and explained the aftercare to me thoroughly. I’m all healed now and you can barely even notice the scar.”
Post-Drainage Panic Week: Reddit’s Recovery Questions
“Day 2 and my eyelid looks worse than before the procedure. Normal?”
Completely — and worth knowing in advance. Eyelid bruising peaks at about 48 hours, and because the skin there is the thinnest on the body it looks far more dramatic than it is. From day three it fades steadily; by day five most people are back at work and behind the wheel.
“My vision keeps going blurry since they gave me the ointment. Should I panic?”
No — that is the chloramphenicol ointment itself, which films over the eye for a few minutes after each application. It clears completely once the course finishes. Blurring that persists between applications, or comes with increasing pain or spreading redness, is the different, see-someone-today kind.
“When can I honestly wear my contacts again? Two weeks feels excessive.”
Two weeks is the honest number, because the incision is on the conjunctival surface — exactly where the lens sits. Put a lens on an unhealed incision and you trade two patient weeks for a longer setback. Same logic for eye make-up: powder in a healing wound is not a risk worth a deadline.
Common Questions
- Should you moisturise the eyelid while it heals?
- Not with cosmetic moisturisers — the healing surface is inside the eyelid, where creams should never go, and the skin side needs nothing beyond the prescribed chloramphenicol ointment while you are using it. Once the ointment course is finished and the lid has settled, normal skincare can resume; until then, the best moisturiser is leaving it alone.
- How long does a chalazion take to heal after drainage?
- Quickly. Bruising and swelling peak at about 48 hours and settle over around five days, when most people return to work and driving. Contact lenses and eye make-up can be used again after two weeks.
- How long do I keep the eye patch on?
- The soft eye patch stays on for 24 hours, then you remove it yourself. Chloramphenicol ointment is used on the wound and can briefly blur your vision, which clears once you stop it.
- When can I wear make-up and contact lenses again?
- After two weeks, once the inner surface of the eyelid has fully healed.
- Are there stitches to remove?
- Usually not. The incision is normally made on the inside of the eyelid and needs no stitches; dissolvable stitches are only used in the rare case of an external skin incision.
- How often does a chalazion recur after drainage?
- About one in ten. A single recurrence is within the normal range and is generally drained again without further investigation.
- What if it comes back in the same spot a second time?
- That changes the approach. A lesion recurring repeatedly at exactly the same site on the eyelid is examined rather than simply drained again, because a persistent lump at one point needs to be confirmed as what it appears to be.
- How much does chalazion removal cost?
- Removal is £600 after a £100 consultation. Each additional eyelid cyst is also £600 — unlike cysts elsewhere on the body, where additional lesions at the same visit are charged at a reduced rate. Histology, where indicated, is £180.
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