Facelift: Q&A
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How Long Until Swelling Is 100% Gone After Face Lift?
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.
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36 Doctor Answers |
Asked by
ZY
in Australia
+7
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...
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+4
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.
+4
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...
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+4
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.
+4
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.
+3
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.
Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon
+3
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.
+3
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...
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+3
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.
+3
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
+3
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,...
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+3
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.
+3
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...
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+3
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.
+3
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
+2
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
+2
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...
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+2
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...
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+2
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!
+2
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...
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+2
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...
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+2
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,
+2
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.
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+2
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.
+2
Facelift swelling
90% of the swelling is gone in 4 weeks and the rest by 4-6 months. Stay patient with the recovery process!
+1
How long before all the swelling is gone after Facelift?
This is a great question, but there is not a right answer. In most cases, 80% of the swelling will be gone in the first 2-3 months. The remaining 20% can go away just as quickly, or, in some cases, take up to 6 months. In most patients, use of gentle massage, diuretics, or directed steroid injections can significantly enhance this recovery phase. Best of luck!
+1
Swelling from facelift surgery
In my experience of over 2500 facelifts I would say.....80-90 % of the swelling is gone at 3 months .....The last 10-20% of the swelling will disappear in the next 12 months depending on the individual.
+1
Swelling Following FaceLIft Depends On Technique & Patient Wound Healing Characteristics; Majority of Swelling Resolves in 2 Wks
Swelling following facelift surgery varies from patient to patient and depends on the surgical technique and wound healing characteristics of the patient. The majority of swelling usually resolves in about two weeks following facelift surgery. At this point, most patients can return to work and resume normal activities. In most cases, total resolution takes about three months. In rare cases, swelling may persist for up to a year following surgery.
It's important to remember that more...
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+1
Swelling after surgery
The amount of swelling that you get after surgery depends on how much disruption of lymphatic channels have occurred. In operations where a "flap" of skin is elevated (such as a face lift, rhinoplasty, or abdominoplasty), the flap will remain swollen for some length of time after surgery. Some operations actually created multiple flap layers (SMAS flap face lift), and each layer will have swelling issues. While the swelling may last over a year, for most regions of the body...
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+1
Swelling following facelift resolution
Symptoms of swelling and numbness are not only normal but expected after the first several weeks following a facelift of any sort. At lease half resolves in 2-3 weeks but several weeks are necessary for the rest to go away. It makes sense that structures lower on the face (jowls, upper neck) may have longer swelling than areas higher such as the upper cheek. 100% is a tough question to answer, but safe to say in the vast majority by a year you are pretty close.
+1
Facelift swelling
It takes a year to see the absolute final result. Generally, most of the swelling is usually gone by 3 months. If you still have swelling after this, ensure that you are sleeping with your head elevated, and using compresses. If you find that your swelling is prolonged ,I suggest seeing your surgeon. It would be important to ensure you don't have a cardiac etiology for prolonged swelling.
+1
Six to Twelve Months For Total Resolution of Facelift Swelling
Congratulations on choosing an excellent plastic surgeon who has made you happy and given you the facelift you wanted. Your question is an excellent one and you have an outstanding group of world famous plastic surgeons answering the question you asked. The consensus of opinion is that most of your swelling has already subsided but it normally takes 6 - 12 months to get 100% resolution. I echo that consensus.
Honolulu Plastic Surgeon
+1
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
+1
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.
+1
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
Scottsdale Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1
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...
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