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How Long Until Swelling Is 100% Gone After Face Lift?

asked 1 year ago by ZY in Australia
Latest answer by Sam Naficy, MD
Question viewed 3,450 times
Tags: age 45-54, female, swelling, timing

I am 54 yo lady. I have done my face lift, eyes & neck in October last year and already 3 months now. All going good. I am satisfied and happy with the results. Just I still have a bit swollen/puffy on my cheeks (bottom). My question is: For how long does swollen will be gone and normal again?... Thanks for answer. Mrs HO Australia.

29 answers to How Long Until Swelling Is 100% Gone After Face Lift?

End Date For Facelit Swelling. How long does it take to be 100% there?

I tell my patients the following. Most look ok and can get back to work and play at 2 weeks but they will need to accept the fact that confidentiality is not possible at 2 weeks. Dont plan for the annual photo for at least 3 or 4 months but then most look fine. Swelling is quick to dissipate 60 % in the first 2 weeks but then the long wait begins. Avoiding salt and sleeping with head elevated helps. Occasionally I recommend diuretics for a... more

George Commons, MD
Palo Alto Plastic Surgeon

www.pacfps.com

How Long Until Swelling Is 100% Gone After Face Lift?

The answer will be different for everyone, but it would not be uncommon for you to still have some swelling at 3 months after a Facelift. Swelling disappears gradually over time, and for many patients will not be totally resolved for 6 to 12 months. This is true for all surgeries, not just face lifts.

Mark Preston, MD
Columbus Plastic Surgeon

Swelling after a Facelift-Depends on What was done !

With most Facelift techniques including those which alter the SMAS, most of the swelling is gone after 3 months , however, if you had a deeper layer or had a Mid-Facelift via the lower eyelid and cheek area, it may be prolonged for several more months. In general, you will see more prolonged swelling if you manipulate the central face or cheek area . The swelling will go away with over the next 3 months . In my patients, I need to have them back to work in... more

Rod J. Rohrich, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Swelling after facelift

Swelling, to a minor degree, is resolving for up to one year, in my experience, perhaps longer. Delayed re-establishment of lymphatic drainage, in my opinion, is responsible for this.

Steve Laverson, MD
San Diego Plastic Surgeon

feelbeautiful.com

Swelling after a facelift

At three months after a facelift, msot of the swelling should be resolving, but like you said there is still some residual swelling wh\ich may take 6 months to a year to improve.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Be careful what you wish for

6 months for complete resolution in most cases. but don't worry you can use fillers to get that puffy look back. I'm only half kidding. good luck.

Rafael C. Cabrera, MD
Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon

Swelling Dissipates at Different Rates But...

Swelling after a facelift is different for every patient; it's a bell shaped curve but typically, it lasts up to 6 months. Don't be suprosed for 100% of the swelling to last up to one year.

Mitchell F. Grasseschi, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Swelling after a Facelift

Great question and I think no one really knows the answer. In our practice for all intents and purposes we think in terms of three months before swelling is gone and we are able to either re-operate or call it a day and take postop photos. That does not mean however that if you looked under the microscope there would not be some swelling present in the tissues – there would be. This particularly true for areas like the nose or even secondary procedures where swelling takes longer... more

Robert Sigal, MD
Reston Plastic Surgeon

Sweling after a Facelift

It generally takes are least 6 months for all the swelling to go away after a facelift. However, everyone heals differently and it could take a longer or a shorter amount of time. I generally wait to take post op photos for 6 months for this reason, so that we see the true results of the lift in the before and after photos. The link below will lead you to a patient video journey after facelift surgery. This highlights the recovery process.

Jacob D. Steiger, MD
Boca Raton Facial Plastic Surgeon

Facelift swelling usually subsides within 3 months

In my extensive experience, the far majority of any visible swelling from a facelift resolves within 3-4 months. If you still feel you have fullness in areas of your face after that time period, I would discuss this with your surgeon. Andrew C. Campbell, M.D. Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon

Andrew Campbell, MD
Milwaukee Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.campbellplastics.com

How long for swelling to disappear after facelift

There is no exact time frame to give you but what you are describing is not unusual: You look good but you know that not every is fully healed. In the average patient, a small amount of swelling still remains - even after 3 months. BUT this is usually not noticable. The patient (and surgeon) often can tell because the facial tissues still feel firm. But there are outliers from this generic rule. Some people just retain a little more fluid for a longer period of time. Also,... more

Frank P. Fechner, MD
Worcester Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.drfechner.com

How long does swelling persist after facelift surgery

I concur with my colleagues. Generally most, if not all, of your swelling should be gone by 3 months. If you have some focal swelling in your cheeks - this is normal. It will likely go away with some more time.

C. Bob Basu, MD
Houston Plastic Surgeon

Facelift Recovery

At three months your facial appearance should be about 80-90% normal. What this means is that when you see others, they should not perceive any swelling or abnormalities. Yourself, who scrutinizes your face each day in the mirror, will still see subtle swelling or contour irregularities. I would suggest you be patient for the final swelling to subside, this can take up to 6 months. You can also consult with your surgeon, a physical exam to assess your healing is never... more

Anthony Corrado, DO
Philadelphia Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.dranthonycorrado.com

Length of time for facelift swelling to resolve

There are two issues when it comes to swelling: one is edema (fluid in tissues) and the other is fibrosis (scar tissue deposition). Overall healing may take up to two years to resolve and/or stabilize but generally speaking we evaluate results at 6 months.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Swelling after Facelift

At 3 months, you are almost there!! I would say 95% of the swelling is gone. The rest will respond to conservative measures and time. Gentle massage can help soften the swollen areas and by 6 months postop, this should be resolved. Its time to enjoy your new facial contours!! All the best. Paul S. Gill, M.D. Houston Double Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

Paul S. Gill, MD
Houston Plastic Surgeon

By 6 months 95% of swelling should be gone.

By 6 months 95% of your swelling should be gone. Any remaining swelling is variable depending on the type of facelift, fat grafting, bleph, etc. see video

Babak Azizzadeh, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Swelling vs. Normal Tissue

This depends on both the patient’s ability to heal and the surgical technique utilized. Our technique and approach is what most people commonly refer to as a SMAS facelift, in which the muscle layer under the skin is also tightened. This approach gives very long-lasting results, however when we manipulate and tighten this tissue, there is bound to be some minimal but noticeable swelling. Sutures are removed one week after surgery, and at that point the swelling starts to diminish, and... more

Manu Gujrati, MD
San Jose Facial Plastic Surgeon

Puffy cheeks 3 months after Facelift may be loose skin

Most swelling after Facelift surgery is gone by 3 months. It is common for the skin in the lower cheek around the mouth to relax and loosen after a Facelift. The upper cheek, jaw line and neck hold a Facelift improvement much better than the lower cheek near the mouth. This is because the skin around the mouth moves a lot and is not backed by firm bony structure as is the upper cheek and jaw line. If this has happened to you, filler injections with Perlane or Radiesse may help... more

Brooke R. Seckel, MD
Boston Plastic Surgeon

www.drseckel.com

Postoperative Facelift swelling

At three months into the post operative phase the majority of your swelling should be gone. You will have a small amount residual swelling that should dissipate in the next few months. Continue sleeping elevated and watching your sodium content and this may help with the puffiness especially upon wakening. Best regards and enjoy your new rejuvenation!

Michael Elam, MD
Orange County Facial Plastic Surgeon

Face Lift, Beverly Hills Face Lift, Local Face Lift, Radiesse, perlane, Cheek Implants

How long the residual swelling will last in your face is variable and depends on the following factors: extent of tissue dissection during the Face Lift..more dissection will take longer for swelling to resolve. the length of time it took to perform the Face Lift. If the Face Lift was done in say 4 hours, you could typically expect X amount of swelling and if the time required increased to 6 hours, there would be an increased amount of swelling due to the added time the... more

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Facelift swelling will resolve!

Waiting for the "final" results of any cosmetic procedure to be appreciated can be one of the most stressful parts of the process of undergoing an elective procedure. While it may be frustrating, it is part of the process and being patient will payoff when the patient is able to recognize the results they had anticipated. In the case of a full acelift, I tell my patients to expect about 90% of the swelling to have resolved by the end of the first month after... more

Leo Lapuerta, MD
Houston Plastic Surgeon

Facelift Results

It is not unusual for Facelift patients to have swelling for several months following a procedure. However, it is unusual for the earlobes to be pulled down following a Facelift. You should discuss these results with your surgeon,

Michael Sullivan, MD
Columbus Facial Plastic Surgeon

Swelling length

Swelling duration clearly varies from patient to patient. In my experience, thinner patients tend to see a shorter duration of swelling than heavier patients. I typically tell patients that on average they will see their swelling gone by about 2 months however, if they were to take careful photos at 6 months and compare them to their 2 month photo's, slight improvements can still be seen. It sounds like you are doing great and I hope you are enjoying the results. more

Marc Schneider, MD
Fort Myers Plastic Surgeon

How long does facial swelling take after facelift

Swelling usually resolves by 3-4 months. If you have any areas of fullness that are concerning you - I'd recommend you talk to your plastic surgeon. I'm sure that he/she would be happy to see how you are healing and answer and questions you may have. Dr. Cat Begovic M.D.

Catherine Huang-Begovic, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Facelift swelling

90% of the swelling is gone in 4 weeks and the rest by 4-6 months. Stay patient with the recovery process!

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Swelling after lift

3 months still relatively early in healing process after your surgery. There is still some swelling up to about 6 months after surgery - longer if a midface lift was done

Sam Naficy, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

Swelling after a face lift 3 months post procedure

This is not uncommon after 3 months. At this point you likely have around 70% of your healing. We usually tell people that they will have 60% of their healing / recovery complete by 6 weeks, 80-90% by 6 months. 100% can take as long as 2 years. This is based on wound healing studies and tensile breaking strength of a heal wound.

Philip Young, MD
Bellevue Facial Plastic Surgeon

How Long Until Swelling Is 100% Gone After Face Lift?

Typically once you hit the 3-4 month range most of the immediate postoperative swelling should subside completely. But you are truly not finished healing from your facelift until 1 year. It does depend slighly on technique but most SMAS type procedures fall into this category. If you underwent a deep plane or subperiosteal facelift then expect at least 6 months for completion of the immediate swelling. Dr. Shep

Shepherd G. Pryor, MD
Scottsdale Facial Plastic Surgeon

Swelling after a facelift

The usual amount of time for post operative swelling after facelifting surgery is about 3-6 months. However, this can vary greatly from patient to patient and can last even up to a year depending on the type of facelift technique used. Deep plane lifts and midface lifting can result in prolonged facial swelling, particularly in the upper cheek area. Fortunately, all swelling eventually subsides and your puffiness should become less and less noticeable with the passage... more