Stay on a full liquid diet for three to four days, then soft foods that minimize chewing for the next week.
Unfortunately, chewy foods can be uncomfortable or even painful to eat. Your body will need nutritious foods to heal properly, but you'll be limited in what you'll be able to eat without increasing swelling or pain in your face.
- Eat a light diet, and avoid foods that are difficult to chew especially for the first few days after surgery. Eat only soft foods during this time. You may drink a nutritional supplement like ensure to avoid chewing. Use mouth rinses after each meal if unable to use a toothbrush.
AVOID BENDING OVER OR LIFTING heavy things for two weeks. Besides aggravating swelling, this may raise the blood pressure and start hemorrhage. In addition, avoid actions such as forceful coughing, straining when passing stool, vomiting, and sneezing with the mouth closed.
General Facelift Recovery
In general, the results from your facelift will look very good after about 1-month and you'll look your best at 6 months.
You will look and feel much better three weeks after your facelift. However, you should still avoid strenuous exercise or risk of injury. As your incisions heal, the incision sites may appear slightly pink, but this will fade with time.
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.
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.
Answer: "The neck tightness in the first weeks following the face/neck lift will loosen. I promise! We often over-tighten during surgery in anticipation of the eventual loosening that always occurs over time. It usually starts to feel looser the second week.
Avoid foods requiring prolonged chewing and avoid excessive facial movements for one week. 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.
Jaw movement – Avoid yawning or excessive opening of your mouth for two weeks after surgery. Athletic activities – Avoid swimming and other strenuous activities for four weeks after surgery.
Avoiding highly processed foods, high-fat fried foods, sugary treats, drinks, as well as a diet high in salt is key to a faster and smoother recovery time. Fluids are still crucial, so drink up, eat well, and sleep often to get the best possible results from surgery.
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.
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.
Upon discharge, we will apply a chin strap with cotton underneath. We will show you how to appropriately wear this. You must wear the chin strap continuously for the first two weeks after surgery except while eating and showering/cleaning incisions.
In other words, while the newly enhanced skin, muscles, and tissues may feel tight or artificial, the patient's face won't look that way. For most patients, this sensation goes away after about 6 – 8 weeks, though it can take up to 3 – 4 months in some cases.
Motor nerve damage affects the movement of the face. Damage to the nerve that moves the lower lip is most common and can lead to a crooked smile, though this only occurs in less than 1% of patients. Full facial movement usually returns within a few 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. It will give you a surge of energy as well.
Massage after a facelift can help to:
Ease pain. Gentle, upward massage can limit your pain receptors sending signals to the brain. The warmth of the masseuse's hands can also improve circulation, decreasing the pain in the affected area. Decrease swelling.
You should feel some gentle pressure, but never so much that it is painful or causes a loss of circulation. The garment should also fit smoothly against your skin; if the fabric bunches or folds, this is a sign that it is too tight.
All of the muscles encountered in facelifting, including the platysma, orbicularis oculi, zygomaticus major and minor, and risorius muscles, belong to the superficial group [24].
Clean and Moisturize
Once the first day is over, you can remove the bandages and clean the incisions. Failure to do so might result in a buildup of bacteria and could cause infections. Moisturize your skin gently using a soft cloth and a mild antibacterial product. This step will help minimize scarring.
Avoid all sorts of caffeinated beverages if you can. If you cannot, limit the caffeine intake to one beverage per day. Excessive caffeine can dehydrate your body which is never a good thing for post-surgical swelling.