A facelift can transform your appearance, but it is an invasive procedure that has a significant recovery period and requires patients to take particular care while they are healing.
Knowing what to expect from your recovery after a facelift and how to prepare can reduce any anxiety you feel about the procedure and help to make the entire recovery process much smoother, reduce your risk of complications and ensure that you get the best possible result from your surgery.
With that in mind, here are our top recovery tips for facelift surgery.
The First 24 Hours After Your Facelift
You may have to stay in hospital overnight and should be prepared for this by bringing a bag with all of the essentials that you might need should you have to stay in.
You will be given pain medication by your surgeon which you should ensure that you take as directed.
Relax in bed, avoid any strenuous movements, drink plenty of fluid and sleep with your head and back propped up to help control your swelling.
The First Week After Your Facelift
Once you have been given the all-clear to start moving around, start doing so slowly and carefully. This will help prevent blood clots from forming and will encourage oxygenated blood around your body which will help with healing.
Don’t touch and scratch. It is normal to feel some itching and tingling in your face in the first week after your procedure. However, it is important that you don’t scratch your face and avoid touching it as much as possible. This will reduce the risk of you causing damage to it or transferring bacteria which could cause infection.
You will be discharged with pain relief. It is important that you take your medications as directed. Some people dislike taking painkillers, but it is better to take them before suffering unnecessarily, particularly as being in pain can slow the healing process.
You will still need to avoid certain activities mentioned to you by your surgeon. Make sure you follow their advice to prevent suffering from complications. Light housework and basic cooking are usually fine, so you can start getting back to normal. However, some people prefer to get some help in or to prepare meals in advance of their procedure so that they can continue to take it easy.
Be sure to change any dressings as advised by your surgeon, and continue to sleep with your head and shoulders propped up
The Second Week After Your Facelift
Most of the swelling and bruising should have cleared up by now, and you will probably feel happy about returning to work.
Any physical activity should remain light – don’t overdo it!
You can start to wear light cosmetics if you want to.
A Month After Your Facelift
You can usually recommence all of your usual activities by around 4 weeks after your facelift surgery, except for any heavy exercise which should be delayed until you are around 6 weeks post-op.
Remember to continue to follow the advice of your surgeon until you are completely discharged.
If you would like more tips on the facelift recovery process, our knowledgeable and experienced cosmetic surgery team would be pleased to assist you. Please call our offices to speak to us.
