A facelift is a popular cosmetic procedure that removes signs of aging and tightens up the face, jaw, and neck. During the surgery, your doctor will remove excess facial skin and reposition the face and neck tissues to achieve the desired results.
If you plan to have a facelift, you may be worried about the recovery period. Fortunately, most people have a fairly easy and comfortable recovery from this surgery. Your experience will depend on what type of facelift you had and how much work was done, but there are some things that everyone can expect during their recovery.
Immediately After Surgery
When you wake up from the procedure, your incisions will be covered with large bandages that put pressure on your face to minimize swelling and bruising. Your doctor will probably have placed a small tube in the skin behind one or both of your ears to drain fluid or blood.
Most people feel very groggy for the first few hours after waking up. It’s also common to feel dizzy or lightheaded, so you should be careful when standing up and moving around. You should always have someone with you when you need to get up. Your doctor may want you to stay overnight in the hospital for observation, but most people go home the day of their surgery.
Your face will probably hurt immediately after your surgery, but your doctor will give you pain medication to manage the discomfort. For most people, pain is only an issue for the first day or two of the surgery. Your doctor may prescribe you pain medication for the first few days or the first week of your recovery, or you can take over-the-counter painkillers.
You’ll need a caretaker to drive you home from your procedure and stay with you for at least 24 hours. This should be a trusted friend or family member who can bring you what you need and take you back to the hospital in case of an emergency.
First Week of Recovery
A day or two after your surgery, you’ll see your doctor again for a follow up visit. Your doctor will remove the drainage tube, apply an antibiotic ointment, and maybe apply new bandages. After a couple days, you should feel well enough to start moving around the house. Moving will help improve your circulation, which will shorten your recovery time. However, you should still take it easy, avoid strenuous activity, and get plenty of rest.
Make sure that you don’t put pressure on the incisions. Don’t sleep on your side, and don’t wear anything that needs to be pulled over your head. The incisions will crust over as they heal, but you shouldn’t touch or pick at them.
Two or three days after your surgery, your bandages will be switched out for a facial sling or compression garment. The swelling will probably reach its peak three or four days after the surgery and then start to decline. You’ll have to keep your head elevated while you sleep to help with the swelling. Bruising is still common at this point, too.
One week into your recovery, your surgeon will remove your stitches and check the incisions for infection or inflammation. At this point, you should be able to sleep flat instead of elevating your head.
Second Week of Recovery
Some bruising and swelling on your face and neck is still normal during the second week of your recovery. You may also see bruising around your eyes or behind your ears. Some people feel a strange tingling or burning sensation around this time. This is normal, but if you’re concerned, you can always call your doctor to make sure nothing’s wrong.
You still won’t be able to do any heavy or strenuous activity, but you shouldn’t be bedridden. You may feel self-conscious about being seen in social situations because of the swelling, but you should take easy walks to help with your circulation. Your doctor will advise you against going out in direct sunlight, though. You can apply makeup around the edges of your incisions or scars to cover them while you wait for them to heal.
Long Term Results
During the third and fourth weeks of your recovery, the incisions should start to look much better. They’ll look puckered or bunched up after the surgery, but they’ll smooth out during weeks three and four. At this point, you should be ready to return to work or to your normal social situations. There may still be some noticeable swelling, but everyone heals at a different pace, and it’s hard to predict how quickly you’ll recover.
It takes a full year for the permanent results of your facelift to be visible. Residual swelling and tightness can last for months. You also may experience changes in skin sensation for a year after your surgery.
If you ever have any questions or concerns about your surgery or your recovery, you should contact your doctor. It never hurts to get an additional checkup to make sure you’re healing properly. Following your doctor’s post-op instructions is the best way to achieve great results and have the most comfortable and successful recovery possible.
Dr. Stephen Weber is a board certified facial plastic surgeon in Denver. He and his team perform facelifts and a variety of other cosmetic procedures and reconstructive surgeries.
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