Infection after blepharoplasty with and without carbon dioxide laser resurfacing

Abstract Purpose To determine the rate of infection in patients who underwent blepharoplasty with and without carbon dioxide laser resurfacing. Design A retrospective, nonrandomized, consecutive case series. Participants Eighteen hundred sixty-one patients who underwent upper or lower blepharoplasty, with or without carbon dioxide laser resurfacing. Methods Charts of patients who underwent blepharoplasty, with or without laser resurfacing, were analyzed for the presence of postoperative infection, method of treatment, and possible sequelae. Main outcome measures The rate of infection (%) was determined for each group of patients. Results Infection occurred in 0.2% of patients who underwent blepharoplasty without laser resurfacing and 0.4% of patients who had adjunctive laser resurfacing. No permanent functional or cosmetic sequelae resulted from the episodes of infection. Conclusions Infection after blepharoplasty without laser resurfacing is uncommon, indicating that topical antibiotic ointment prophylaxis is a sufficient postoperative regimen. The use of adjunctive laser resurfacing may increase the infection rate slightly.