Are you considering a facelift? Costhetics would like to be among the first to say congratulations.
If you’ve done your homework and are confident, you’re making a good decision for you, we couldn’t be happier. As curators of news and information on facial plastic surgery and aesthetic enhancement, Team Costhetics is very familiar with facelifts…and facelift recovery.
Here’s what to expect from Day 1 Post-Op to happily ever after.
The First Stage of Facelift Recovery
Facelift recovery begins in hospital. Your head will be wrapped to minimise swelling and bruising. For some patients, small drains may be needed briefly to remove any excess fluid. Your surgeon will look in on you and, after evaluating your incisions and swelling, will determine if you can go home. When that happens, any drains will be removed, and your bandage will be changed.
Most patients return home within 48 hours. Once there, you will need to sleep on extra pillows for a week or more to keep swelling to a minimum. It’s important to keep your head elevated to facilitate blood flow. By the seventh day, swelling should recede noticeably, and pain medication may no longer be required.
The Second Stage of Facelift Recovery
You will begin to feel significantly better during the 2nd week of your recovery, though bruising and swelling in the affected area are common. You may experience sensory disruption such as tingling, numbness, or tightness. This is common and no cause for alarm. They are the result of nerve activity stimulated by the healing process.
Signs of swelling and bruising may linger for most of the week. By the time week is over, however, you should be ready to return to work and play but must avoid heavy or strenuous physical activity.
Third Stage of Facelift Recovery
During the third and fourth weeks after surgery, the incision site may look lumpy, bunched, or puckered. Again, it is no cause for alarm and will resolve when your sutures are removed. You will pay your surgeon a visit during this time for exactly that reason. The precise time will be dictated by your body’s unique healing as well as the facelifting technique your surgeon performed on you.
Incision sites may appear a bit pink, but they will continue to fade. During this stage, some patients will begin to see real improvement in facial appearance and feel significantly better than before. It’s important not to let these good feelings translate into bad (for your recovery) behaviours. For example, be sure to avoid direct sunlight, and wear a hat and sunscreen when you go out.
Final Stage: Your Forever Face
A month into your facelift recovery, visible signs of your surgery should be gone. Unless you opted for dramatic changes in your appearance, it’s unlikely people will know about your facial rejuvenation. You can tell them, or not. What they may tell you is that you look refreshed…more awake…a better version of yourself.
“The results of a facelift usually last between five and twelve years,” reports the Australasian Society of Plastic Surgeons. This is especially true with a deep plane facelift “Most people can have two to three facelifts in a lifetime, depending on the extent of each procedure and the amount of scarring that occurs with each facelift,” the ASPS concludes. That being said, people with facelifts often opt for non-invasive skin treatments rather than additional surgery to help keep their youthful appearance looking its best.
Do you need help finding an expert facial plastic surgeon to help you achieve your facial rejuvenation goals? Contact us for help.