Facelift Q&A
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How Much Bruising is Acceptable After a Facelift?
asked 6 months ago by anon
Latest answer by Sam Naficy, MD
Question viewed 228 times
Tags: bruising, expectation, outcome, problem, quantity, results
How long will it take for the initial bruising to fade?
12 answers to How Much Bruising is Acceptable After a Facelift?
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Bruising after a lift
This of course depends on the patient but the typical patient has minimal bruising by 2 weeks. Many patients look great at 1 week and others may need 3 weeks.
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Normal Bruising Expected
Great question. You should expect to experience bruising for approximately 7 days after surgery. Taking supplements like Arnica Montana and Bromelain 5 days before and after surgery may significantly help reduce your bruising and swelling symptoms.
Mark A. Codner, MD
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon
+1
Common
Bruising is common and part of the natural healing process. I have seen patients bruised 1-3 weeks depending on the health of each patient. We commonly see only 12-14 days of bruising and swelling. This healing needs to be followed by the surgeon.
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Bruising after a Facelift
Bruising is obviously normal after facelift surgery. The severity and duration will vary among patients depending on the general health of each patient and what was done during the operation. In general, I tell patients it will last about 2 weeks. Our aesthetician will provide makeup and instruct the patient how to camouflage the bruising during the healing process after the stitches are removed.
+1
Facelift bruising
Bruising after a facelift is common and expected. The bruiding can last as long as 2-3 weeks. In my patients, I typically expect bruising to be resolved within 10 days after the surgery.
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Facelift Recovery
Everybody is different. It is amazing how different people recover after similar surgeries. This morning I saw someone completely bruise free one week after her facelift while later I saw someone at 3 weeks with a little residual bruising. In general, I tell my patients between 1-3 weeks. If they tend to bruise easily with injections or minor trauma then count on longer. If they don't bruise easily, count on less time. Good luck!
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+1
Good preparation can minimize brusing in facelifts
Essentially all patients will experience some degree of bruising after a facelift (less so with less invasive procedures and more so with deeper procedures).
Certainly some people bruise easier than others because of their inherent healing and anatomy but there are ways to minimize the bruising by preparing for your surgery beforehand. Two commonly used products are arnica montana (for bruising) and bromelain (for swelling). Both have beeen shown to be effective for healing but not all...
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Kamran Jafri, MD
New York Facial Plastic Surgeon
New York Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1
How Much Bruising is Acceptable After a Facelift?
In a perfect world, there would be no bruising after a Face Lift however, any tissue dissection can and does cause bruising and swelling. This is the main reason, after performing Face Lifts for over 20 years, that we offer a minimally invasive Face Lift that has limited tissue dissection resulting in a recovery that's measured in days, not weeks or months as in traditional Face Lifts. The amount of bruising as well as how quickly the bruise dissolves is variable...
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How long for bruising after facelift?
There is no set rule on this. It will vary with each patient and be dependent on a combination of factors. This will include extent of procedure, history of bruising and whether or not there are any complications. In general the majority of patients including those with extensive deep lifts will have their brusing gone at 2 weeks. Swelling may continus for some time after that though.
+1
Facelift and bruising
The amount of bruising depends on a few different factors. The more extensive the procedure the greater the chance of brusing and the longer it will take to resolve. Patients who have a history of taking blood thinning medications or supplements like aspirin or fish oil can be at risk for increased bruising. While brusing can look alarming it rarely results in long term complications. I usually tell my patients that every patient has their own unique healing profile. The average time for...
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+1
Bruising after a Face Lift
The amount of bruising depends on each person and the extent of surgery. A simple facelift in a younger patient with thicker skin may have less bruising than an extensive facelift in an older person with thin and fragile tissue. One to two weeks is common but may last longer as the bruising follows gravity down to the neck.
Karol A. Gutowski, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon
Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+1
Bruising after a facelift may take 2-3 weeks to resolve
Bruising after a facelift may take 2-3 weeks to resolve. However, this depends on the extent of the surgery. The more procedures done will cause more bruising that may take longer to go away.

