During your facelift recovery, and once cleared to wear makeup, remove it with a cleansing balm or oil versus makeup wipes to avoid pulling at your sensitive skin. Patients should stick to their daily makeup and skin care products they were using before surgery.
1. You may shower and wash your hair with a mild shampoo 48 hours after surgery. Your hair may be dried with a blow dryer on a cool setting since you may not have full sensation in the operative areas.
When can I color my hair after a facelift? The incisions from a facelift need to heal before you color your hair. This process of healing for the incisions takes approximately 2-4 weeks, so the timing of coloring of your hair is somewhere between 2-4 weeks.
Pat your face dry, then mix equal parts hydrogen peroxide and water and apply with a Q-tip. Your surgeon may have also provided you with an antibiotic ointment to use. Afterward, moisturize to reduce scarring. Your skin and the incisions should not feel dry.
Put ice or a cold pack on your face for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. Try to do this every 1 to 2 hours for the first 2 or 3 days after surgery (when you are awake) or until the swelling goes down.
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.
It is generally advised to wait at least ten days, or once cleared by Dr. Hakimi, before applying makeup. Applying a lightweight sunscreen underneath your makeup will help hydrate and protect skin while preventing scarring.
Massage after a facelift helps with:
The gentle upward massage strokes of a lymphatic facial soothe the pain receptors that signal the brain to interpret discomfort. Massage also increases circulation through healing tissues, which reduces pain.
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.
It is important to give your face enough time to heal and recover after a facelift before undergoing any additional treatments. You should obtain clearance from your doctor before resuming BOTOX injections after a facelift, which can usually be done around 4 –6 weeks following surgery.
After a neck lift, you're likely to have swelling and bruising. You might need to wear a special garment that compresses your neck and helps reduce swelling. You'll also need to keep your head elevated above your heart and to keep it straight. Don't twist or bend your neck.
Swelling and inflammation are normal during facelift recovery. Swelling may occur around the mouth, chin, or jawline, depending on the extent of your facelift procedure and where it was performed. Most patients can expect the majority of their swelling to dissipate after 3 – 4 weeks.
There is usually very little actual pain following a facelift, but you may experience a deep bruised sensation as a result of the swelling, and your face may seem heavy. The bandage you will wear the first night may seem quite snug under your chin. Rather than make you feel restricted, we hope it makes you feel secure.
You'll be wearing post-op bandages for 24-48 hours, and while you likely won't be seeing anyone (rest up!), you can still serve this timeless look. Cover your wraps by channeling your inner Jackie O: tie a scarf under your chin– making sure it doesn't compress the bandages– and top it off with oversized sunglasses.
Avoid alcohol, smoking, nicotine, and caffeine, for these will dramatically slow down the healing process.
Numbness and Tingling Will Fade
These symptoms can persist for quite some time; a common time frame before you can expect them to fade is usually between 2 and 6 months, but it is also considered normal for them to last up to a year.
Patients do complain of a feeling of fullness in the ears or pain in the ears for the first few days after surgery. This is caused by swelling, and improves fairly quickly. Most of my patients take prescription pain medication for the first couple of days before transitioning to Motrin or Tylenol.
We advise allowing your incisions to heal fully before you resume applying makeup, which can take up to two to three weeks. Though you will likely return to work and other routine activities only a few days after your procedure, you can expect it to take a bit longer for the incisions to fully close.
PLEASE DO NOT: Wear make-up including eye brow pencil, eye liner or mascara. Wear perfume or cologne. Bring valuables.
Eyelid or Brow Lift
Avoid wearing eye makeup for at least two weeks after brow lift and eyelid surgery. You may apply makeup to other areas of your face, but be careful to avoid your eyelids or brows.
While facelift results can be different for every patient, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons found that, on average, patients felt they looked about 12 years younger after their facelift surgeries.
Because the procedure lifts and pulls back loose facial and neck skin, as well as connective tissue, it causes bruising and swelling, which subsides significantly by the end of week two. It will take more than two weeks for incisions to fully heal and all post-operative swelling to completely resolve.
A facelift often will enhance the appearance of your cheek, jaw line and neck region but is considered major surgery. You should think carefully about your specific expectations and communicate your goals to your plastic surgeon.