After the dressings are removed, shower and wash your hair. Use warm not hot water (much as you would wash an infant.) Use only baby shampoo. Let the water run through your hair to remove all dried blood and surgical soap.
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.
Most patients will be able to take showers again a week after their surgery. This will vary from patient to patient, however, so be sure to follow the instructions provided by your plastic surgeon. If you have drainage tubes in place, you may be asked to avoid showering until the drainage tubes have been removed.
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.
Walking is hands down the best form of exercise to do post any kind of surgery including a facelift. Walking in the initial phases of recovery will promote blood circulation, prevent blood clots and promote healing.
(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.
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.
Most people recover in 4 to 6 weeks. But it probably will take 6 months or more to see the final result from the surgery.
Because the incisions are placed entirely within the hairline—and not around the ears as they are in a traditional facelift—you can easily wear a ponytail after surgery without worrying about the appearance of visible scars, adds Levine.
You'll likely feel the most discomfort your first day, so you should take pain medications to stay on top of it.
Brush teeth gently with a soft toothbrush only. Avoid manipulation of upper lip and cheeks. You may have difficulty opening your mouth wide or turning your head. As healing takes place and swelling subsides this will improve.
At weeks 3 and 4, you may still have some residual swelling (this is normal and will dissipate), but for the most part it is at this point patients often begin to see real improvement in their face. You will look and feel much better three weeks after your facelift.
Use only baby shampoo. Let the water run through your hair to remove all dried blood and surgical soap. Do not let the shower beat directly on your face. Be careful not to pull on the sutures or staples while washing or combing your hair.
Wash your hair with mild shampoo as soon as possible after treatment and then not again until after the stitches have been removed.
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.
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.
Avoid alcohol, smoking, nicotine, and caffeine, for these will dramatically slow down the healing process.
In general, you can expect to make a full recovery from your procedure in about two to three weeks. A traditional face and neck lift addresses a larger area and a greater degree of skin laxity than other procedures, so recovery will take longer than more minimally invasive procedures.
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.
Patients do complain of a feeling of fullness in the ears or pain in the ears for the first few days after surgery. This is caused by swelling, and improves fairly quickly. Most of my patients take prescription pain medication for the first couple of days before transitioning to Motrin or Tylenol.
Patients are encouraged to take it easy by eating soft foods and avoiding anything that is too chewy or hard. This is because swelling can make some foods difficult to eat. Here are some examples of meals that are easy to eat after a facelift in Denver, CO: Soups: Pureed or cream-based soups are ideal after surgery.
Don't expose the area to water for two days. Starting the day after surgery, use a moisturizing barrier like Aquaphor three times a day for two weeks. Use a silicone-based cream that contains sun-protection, like Elta MD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46, twice per day for three months.
One Week
You are swollen still, some are very swollen, others look like they are ready to be back out socially with their hair down – but again there is no normal. At this stage the swelling is descending with gravity and there can be a bit of a new double chin – which will go.