Planning for the Days Immediately After Your Facelift Surgery

The days immediately after your procedure are some of the most crucial in the recovery process. After the surgery, you will be removed from anesthesia and monitored until you have fully recovered. Once you have been discharged, you will need to have a family member or friend available to drive you home.

During the first few days, you may experience mild to moderate pain, although most patients do not feel that this discomfort is very significant. Your doctor will prescribe a pain relief medication, which you should pick up at the pharmacy immediately after the procedure. Some swelling is common, but you can minimize this side effect by keeping your head elevated.

You must also be on the watch for any potential complications that may occur following your surgery. While facelifts are relatively safe, no surgery is without some risk. Possible side effects and complications include fever, infection, broken stitches, sudden pain, excessive swelling and abnormal discharge from the incision site. If you notice any of these symptoms, contact your doctor immediately in order to receive additional follow up care.

Typical Recover Time After Facelift Surgery

After surgery, patients are instructed to avoid touching or making contact with their face. Proper elevation is important to reduce swelling and allow for proper drainage. Skin irritants such as excessively hot baths, alcohol or saunas should also be avoided.

While everyone heals at different rates, most of the residual swelling will dissipate in about a week. The full recovery process, however, can actually take several months. While you may return to normal activities after a few weeks, the full effects of your surgery may not become fully visible for two to three months.

Type of Facelift Surgery Affects Recovery

The type of surgery can also have a major impact on discomfort and recovery time. More invasive options such as deep plane facelifts and mid facelifts affect more facial tissue, which will cause more discomfort and lead to a longer recover time. Non-invasive techniques such as a thread facelift don’t involve actual surgery, leading to a much shorter recover time. The type of operation you choose will depend largely on your needs, your budget and your lifestyle. Discuss your concerns with your doctor beforehand in order to learn more about the recovery process for each type of surgery.

As with any type of surgery, a face lift is not without some discomfort. While you may experience mild pain and swelling, the majority of patients do not find this to be a major problem. By considering all of these factors along with your own goals and expectations, you will be able to plan for the time following your treatment.

The full recovery process may actually take several months, but you can typically resume normal activities within a few weeks of having your face lift You can minimize your recover time by considering less invasive approaches such as a face lift mini or face lift non surgical