You should rest with your head elevated in a recliner or with at least 2 pillows for at least the first week after surgery. Try not to sleep on the side of your face but rather sleep with the back of your head on the pillow for about two weeks.
While the recovery timeline can vary from patient to patient, most people are generally able to resume front or side-sleeping after 2 – 4 weeks.
Following facelift surgery, patients should sleep on their back with their head slightly elevated using pillows. Not only does this sleeping position help to reduce swelling and promote proper healing, but it also reduces the risk of postoperative complication, such as inadvertently pulling out stitches.
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.
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.
You will feel some pain for 2 to 4 days after surgery. You may have some trouble opening your mouth for several days.
(b) Don't TURN THE HEAD without turning the neck and shoulders as one unit, when you must turn, do so as if you had a “crick” in the neck, for 4-6 weeks.
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.
Bruising and swelling usually reach their height around day 3 and 4, but both will likely be present for several additional weeks. Continue to take medication if you experience discomfort. Days 4-6.
The first seven days after a facelift is rest time. Swelling and pain will be most acute during this period. Take any prescribed medications on schedule and keep the head elevated. During this period, bandages are applied to the face to ensure equal pressure to bring about reductions in bruising and swelling.
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.
Use ice for up to 45 minutes out of each waking hour for the first 24 hours. An easy schedule to follow is 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. Heat You may begin heat packs 12 hours after ice packs are stopped.
Full recovery from neck lift procedures is around 4-6 weeks.
However, some patients may experience residual tightness for several months following their surgery.
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.
It is normal to have swelling after facelift for 3-6 weeks. I'm not a big fan of ice over the skin because ice can decrease blood flow to the skin--which is not good. Ice can help somewhat with swelling and pain, but you need to be very careful with using too much ice.
1 Week Post-Op
During the first week after your facelift, you can expect swelling and bruising around your lower face, ears and neck. Swelling may be uneven, so don't be alarmed if your results don't look perfectly symmetrical at this stage.
Though most patients can usually smile as usual after one or two weeks, it takes others as many as six weeks. The full facelift impact will take a bit longer, from six months to a year. However, your natural smile should return in short order. Lip and mouth asymmetries after a facelift should resolve with time.
How long do ears hurt after facelift? Some patients may experience pain or numbness in the ears after their facelift, which can persist for 1-3 months.
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.
Because the facelift requires anesthesia, you'll be sleepy and groggy after your surgery. This means you'll need to have a close friend or family member bring you home. You'll likely feel the most discomfort your first day, so you should take pain medications to stay on top of it.
Usually, after a traditional SMAS lift, 40-50 stitches are used to cover the residual scars located close to the incision site at the hairline, in front and behind the ears. These stitches are removed at the fourth day after the surgery to avoid railroad track scars along the incision line.
Modern facelifts tighten and smooth the jaw-line and neck by lifting the SMAS; then the skin can be lifted and smoothed, removing excess skin without tension, so no distortion is produced and scars can be hidden.
In general, you may shower and wash your hair 48 hours after facelift surgery. Use a mild shampoo and be particularly careful around the surgical area. You can also blow dry your hair on a cool setting. Be gentle when brushing or combing your hair so that you do not catch your comb in the suture lines.
Most patients wear their compression garments for about two weeks after their facelift, neck lift, or neck liposuction procedures.
A neck lift, or platysmaplasty, is a surgical procedure designed to improve the signs of aging around the neck and jawline. This procedure could be a great option to eliminate the appearance of jowls because it removes the excess skin and fat from around the neck and jawline areas.