You must wear the chin strap continuously for the first two weeks after surgery except while eating and showering/cleaning incisions. The strap helps fight the forces of gravity immediately after surgery and helps improve any swelling.
Wear it constantly until one week has elapsed from the date of your operation; then it should be worn during sleep until 2 weeks has elapsed from the day of your surgery. It is beneficial to wear the sling during the day when you are alone during the first 30 day period.
The chin strap (given at second post-operative visit) should be worn at all times except when showering/bathing for the first week. For the second week, it should be worn only at bedtime. All skin sutures and stainless steel clips in the scalp will be removed during the first week or two.
Compression is just as important to facelift surgery as the surgery itself. Without it, you would face excessive bruising, scarring, and swelling. You would also have larger, more visible scars and a puffier face.
Wear your compression garment 24/7 for the 2 weeks. After the second week we recommend you continue to wear the garment while at home for an additional 2 weeks. You may take it off when you go out.
AVOID BENDING OVER OR LIFTING heavy things for one week. Besides aggravating swelling, this may raise the blood pressure and start hemorrhage. AVOID HITTING OR BUMPING YOUR FACE, HEAD AND NECK. It is wise not to pick up small children and you should sleep alone for one week after your operation.
Your face likely will be bruised and swollen. The swelling may get worse before it gets better, but it will probably go away in 1 to 2 weeks. After a few days you may get some bruises on your neck and chest.
Fat and excess skin may be removed or redistributed from the face. The underlying muscle and connective tissue are redistributed and tightened. If there's minimal skin sagging, a “mini” facelift may be done. This involves shorter incisions.
By not wearing a compression garment, the risk of noticeable scarring and bruising is greatly increased. Even pressure from a compression garment can also ease pain from the surgery. Without wearing a properly fitted garment, discomfort is likely.
Without compression, post-op swelling lasts considerably longer, meaning you won't be able to see final results as quickly. Improve overall results.
You must wear the chin strap continuously for the first two weeks after surgery except while eating and showering/cleaning incisions. The strap helps fight the forces of gravity immediately after surgery and helps improve any swelling.
Why is Wearing a Chinstrap so Important? While you should always wear a helmet, every time you ride your motorcycle, the chinstrap makes it much more effective. Chinstraps better secure your helmet, and as a result, those that had their helmet properly fastened had much lower rates of head trauma.
Generally speaking, most patients will need to sleep on their back with their upper body slightly elevated for about 2 – 3 weeks after facelift surgery. For patients who undergo a less extensive procedure, such as a mini facelift, it may be possible to return to side-sleeping sooner.
Facelift recovery time
You should look and feel normal after 2 – 4 weeks. Keep in mind that facelift surgery cannot stop natural aging, so we encourage patients to continue to take care of their skin and make healthy lifestyle choices.
Once the swelling wanes, that tightness feeling should dissipate in time. Your skin will also start to slightly stretch as it adapts to the new shape. You can expect the face to feel tight for a few months following the facelift surgery. The tightness can last for about 2 – 3 months.
After 48 hours, you can take the chin strap off to wash your hair. In the first week, only use baby shampoo and only apply conditioner to the ends of the hair so that you avoid the incision site. Use lukewarm water when you wash your hair.
A compression garment should only exert gentle, supportive pressure, so it should lay flat and smooth on the skin. As a general rule, the correct tightness for your compression garment leaves space to slide a hand under without difficulty.
Compression, when done right, doesn't slow blood flow; it increases it, enabling oxygen and nutrients to get to the damaged tissues and speed up recovery. Use an elastic bandage to wrap the painful area, but make sure it's not so tight that it interrupts blood flow.
Compression wraps limit the veins' ability to expand and help blood move more efficiently, which assists the healing process. Further, reducing the inflammation near your wound makes it easier for your damaged skin to receive oxygen, which also speeds healing.
Yes, there is less extensive dissection and cutting in mini facelift procedure as compared with a full facelift. Typically, a mini facelift addresses the jowls and upper neck regions, whereas a full facelift may also include the midface and full neck.
With a mini facelift, the skin can be easily adjusted to make your jowls and neck smoother and wrinkle-free. Jowling and general aging of the lower face occurs along the jawline, at the sides of the chin, and below your chin.
The posterior mini facelift
This surgery is the second part of the mini facelift and is done to tighten sagging cheeks and jowls. The doctor will start the incision near the ears and will move the incision downwards towards the jowls. The loose tissues will be resected and the sagging skin tightened.
In general, the results from your facelift will look very good after about 1-month and you'll look your best at 6 months. A facelift can produce long-lasting results for years to come. And while everyone has a unique aging process, many of my patients don't feel they need more work for 12-14 years.
Beginning on day 2 or 3, light walking is recommended to help promote blood flow which speeds healing. Short, easy walks is the only form of exercise that should be undertaken. Many patients start to feel less discomfort over the first few weeks as bruising and swelling subsides.
You can look literally a decade younger than before the mini-facelift, with useful definition restored to your chin, jaw, and lower facial area, and previously sagging skin tightened up. You'll simply see a much better version of you in the mirror each morning.