Most patients wear their compression garments for about two weeks after their facelift, neck lift, or neck liposuction procedures.
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.
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.
You will wear the brace after surgery until your spine has healed or fused, a period that can range from 4 weeks to 6 months.
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.
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.
Why? When the facelift is performed, the skin is tightened and it can flatten out the jowls because the skin is tighter. However, over time as the skin relaxes, the full fatty jowls will restretch out the skin and the jowls will reappear. Weight loss prior to face lift surgery is very important for these people.
(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.
Unless told otherwise, wear the collar whenever you are out of bed. You may take it off for sleep and for bathing. When lying down, support your neck with a small pillow or rolled-up towel under the neck. When adjusting your pillows, try to keep your neck in line with your upper back (neutral position).
For moderate neck pain that's not caused by a sudden injury, it's often recommended that you don't wear a cervical collar for more than a week. Extended use of a collar can cause your neck muscles to stiffen and weaken.
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.
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.
Dr. Rochlin strongly recommends patients to continue to wear a wrap or chin strap for about 2 weeks to minimize post-operative swelling and help the skin properly conform to the new neck contour.
Experiment until you achieve a comfortable level of tightness. It should hug gently against your head. Remember, it's ok if you can open your mouth while awake as the strap is designed to keep your jaw securely shut when resting, not to clamp your mouth shut.
The neck brace should be snug enough that you can't move your head, and your chin should not slide inside or stick out over the collar. The lower edge of the neck brace should rest comfortably against your body, with only the padded area touching your skin.
You may shampoo your hair while in the shower, as long as your collar is tightly in place. If you have long hair it should be worn outside of the collar. If you had surgery, you may get the wound wet starting 48 hours afterward.
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.
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.
Ingredients in your normal anti-aging skincare regimen can be very irritating during this time. Our experts recommend pausing on ingredients like retinol, hydroquinone, and vitamin C two weeks before surgery and discontinuing their use for four weeks afterwards.
AVOID EARRINGS AND EAR PIERCING:
Heavy earnings should not be worn after facelifts for 4 to 6 weeks. After facelifts it may be necessary to re-pierce ears.
Avoid alcohol, smoking, nicotine, and caffeine, for these will dramatically slow down the healing process. Take medications as directed by your prescriptions.