What are the general guidelines for using sunscreen after a facelift/eyes?

Sunscreen is critical for your health as well as your appearance.  Following surgery, your skin may temporarily lose its normal ability to respond to sun exposure and sun damage.  Until the wounds are all closed completely, about 3 weeks, I encourage my patients to avoid the sun completely as I don't want the particles in the sunscreen to get into and irritate the wounds.  During this period of time, I encourage a lot of indoor activity rather than outdoor activity, and when outdoors I insist on a wide brimmed hat and preferably a scarf.

After 3 weeks, sunscreen is fine, but I recommend a zinc based product for sun blockage rather than a chemical based product- the zinc is completely topical and therefore chemical absorption is lessened.  We use SkinWithin products but there are many good zinc based sunscreens available- ask your surgeon what he or she recommends.

Hello! Thank you for your question! After any surgical procedure, you should be careful with incisions as well as avoidance of direct UVA and UVB rays in order to lessen the chance for hyperpigmentation of the skin and scars, which can take several months to resolve, if it ever does. As the tissue was elevated off of your face along with any other adjunct procedures, minimizing trauma to the area is critical for such a delicate procedure as the facelift. The ability of the affected area to heal has been slowed and you should try to avoid additional swelling to the area. The area will likely be numb for several weeks to months and will be difficult to feel when sunburn is coming on. Typical recommendations include wearing a hat and/or sunblock to the affected area for at least 6-12 weeks following the procedure. Certainly discuss the postoperative instructions with your surgeon, as thoughts differ among surgeons. Hope that this helps! Best wishes!

It is very important to use sunscreen over fresh surgical scars.  The healing tissue can preferentially absorb sunlight and quickly darken, often permanently.  Reapplication of sunscreen with UV-A,B,C protection is important.  Check with your surgeon about timing after surgery.