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How Long After Facelift Surgery Should Bruising Be Expected to Appear or Spread?

I had surgery Thursday and today I noticed the bruising that was on my chest had leeched all the way to the bottom of both of my breasts and now this evening I am seeing bruising on the inside of my lower lip and on my chin. Is this acceptable?

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20 Doctor Answers | Asked by Saint Cloud in Saint Cloud,FL

Doctor Answers (20)
Community Comments (1)

Bruising after facelift surgery

Hi, Everyone bruises a little differently depending on age, medical conditions and genetics. As long as you don't have a hematoma, the bruising will resolve in a 2 to 3 week period. So its not unusual. You can take some Arnica tabs, there is some evidence that it helps with bruising. Best, Dr.S.

Facelift bruising

Bruising is completely normal following a face lift . Bruising will be most obvious in the first two weeks of recovery after a face lift. It will be pronounced around the eyes. Bruising may also appear in the lower neck or upper chest area (if a neck lift was performed) as blood will settle lower down due to gravity. So don't be surprised if you have bruising in areas that were not direclty operated on. While most bruising will disappear in a couple of weeks, full... more

Bruising after Facelift

Bruising is normal following face lift surgery. It will be most obvious in the first 2 wks. This however will vary by client. "Dr.D"

Bruising after face lift

It is very common for bruising to appear in patches after a face lift and it can track under skin for long distances - follow up with your surgeon to make sure you don't have a hematoma

Sam Naficy, MD

80 reviews

Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.seattleface.com

How much bruising after a face lift is ok?

Bruising after any surgery, including face lift, is highly variable from patient to patient. What you describe sounds typical as long as the skin remains supple...and not taught with increasing pressure which would indicate bleeding under the skin. As always, it's best to ask your face lift surgeon about your particular case and surgery.

Bruising after facelifting.

All patients get some degree of bruising after facelift and eyelid surgery, some to a greater and some to a lesser degree. It may be evident soon after surgery or may show up several days later. As long as there is not increased swelling of the tissues at the same time of the bruising ( indicating ongoing bleeding) this should be self limiting and your body will eventually resorb it. Gravity causes the blood to settle downward and this explains the bruising settling... more

Jeffrey M. Darrow, MD

18 reviews

Boston Plastic Surgeon

Bruising on chest after facelift

It sounds unusual that you have bruising spreading down to the bottom your chest after a facelift. I'd advise you see your plastic surgeon so he/she can examine you in person. If you recently had surgery, I'm sure he/she would want to see you if you have any concerns and make sure your post-op course is going smoothly. Dr. Cat Begovic M.D.

Evolution and Resolution of face lift bruising

The extent and color of bruises vary from one individual and range from minimal to extensive with week 1: dark red and purple, week 2: blue and green, week 3: yellow and week 4: normal. Initially swelling is present for 3-4 days in the immediate area followed by gravity directed drainage of the bruise away from the surgical site for the next two days. Therefore if you are sitting up the gravity pulls the buise towards the chest but if you are predominantly lying in bed with your head to... more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

32 reviews

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Spreading bruises are common after Facelift.Takes 2-3 weeks to resolve

Your experience is not uncommon following a Facelift. That your bruising is more prominent on the chin and chest area probably indicates that a more extensive neck dissection for a neck lift or Platysmaplasty was done. The reason Plastic Surgeons have you keep your head elevated is so that swelling and bruising will migrate downward which is a less visible area than your mid and upper face. Bruising after Facelift usually resolves in 2-3 weeks. Until then wearing a Turtleneck... more

Brusing and Facelift

What you are describing is completely normal after a facelift. The amount of bruising varies from patient to patient and generally takes 2-3 weeks to resolve. During this period it is very normal for gravity to have a affect pulling the bruising down to the chest.

Bruises after surgery are normal and have a process

It can take a week or so for the bruising to come to the surface. Bruises go through a phase as the blood Is digested in your body. They generally go from brightish blue to green and then they disappear. The bruising tends to drift downward with gravity. As long as it is just bruising and you don't have any big lumps that are collections of blood or fluid, you should be fine. Quite often the use of drains minimizes the bruising but some people are just bruisers. Once the bruises... more

Bruising and Swelling after Facelift

What you are experiencing is normal, with each patient displaying varying degrees of bruising and swelling after surgery. This can take up to two weeks to resolve. I am sure your surgeon gave you a list of medications to avoid prior to and after surgery which may thin the blood. Also, certain medications such as Arnica Montana can be given before and after surgery to lessen swelling and bruising. You can also try topical Arnica Montana gel which can be applied to... more

Bruising after facelift is quite variable

It usually takes several days for bruising after a facelift to reach it's maximum level and the degree of bruising varies considerably from one person to another. One person may have very little bruising after just a few days while another person may still have significant bruises after two weeks or even longer. The bruising you are describing on your chest is very normal, since bruises progress downward with gravity.

Facelift bruising

Bruising after a facelift is pretty common and as gracvity goes, so does the bruising so it is not uncommon for it to go onto the upper chest region. Most bruising resolves in 2-3 weeks.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Bruising after Facelift

The average duration of bruising in most patients is about 2 weeks. Typically, I allow patients to wear cover-up makeup at 9-10 days to help ease the transition. Your Surgeon has probably advised you to avoid NSAIDS (aspirin, etc.), vitamin E, fish oil, exotic supplements (ginkgo, st. John's's wort, etc) in order to help minimize bruising and speed recovery. There is also an association between prolonged bruising and many herbal teas, so these are to be avoided. There is... more

Facelift bruising or hematoma

Good technique will limit bruising after a facelift and if you have some it should usually be gone by 2-3 weeks at most. As long as this is not associated with dramatic swelling or asymmetric swelling, you are probably just bruised but see your surgeon for sure to be checked for a hematoma. Bruises below the breasts are quite unusual I think. Arnica my be helpful but the horse may be already out of the barn here on the extent of bruising.

What to expect regarding bruising after a facelift...

After being checked by your surgeon to rule out any possible hematoma(bleeding under the skin), you can expect your bruising to last from 2 to 3 weeks. It is normal for the bruising to travel south due to gravity.Many patients claim Arnica Montana (a homeopathic treatment) helps speed up the healing time, you will still get bruises but they will heal faster, it is best if you can start it prior to surgery. Most patients find they can cover their bruises with good makeup. Many offices have an... more

Normal brusing or hematoma

I hope your recovery is going well. It seems that you had small amount of blood collection under the skin which resulted in bruising. It is normal for byproducts of blood clots to travel down ward under the skin. As long as there is no hematoma, application of warm compresses and Arnica gel can help to reduce bruising time.

Bruising after Facelift

Bruising in the lower neck and chest may normlly occur as blood breaks down and moves inferiorly below the surgical area secondary to gravity. My only concern would be the presence of a hematoma under the facial skin.

Richard W. Fleming, MD

9 reviews

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.bevhills.com

Resolving bruising

As normal collections of blood are broken down by the body, the products of this breakdown can move easily under the skin. The sign that this is the normal process is that the color will change from blue to light purple to blue green to yellow. The only time to be concerned about this process is if you have increased pain, a swollen pocket of fluid, dark red skin or fevers. In that case, contact your surgeon immediately. Odds are, your bruising will resolve in a couple of weeks and you will... more