Swelling and Bruising After Facelift

Swelling and bruising is normal after a facelift and, on average, lasts about 14 days.  Of course, that is an average and there are people on either side of that number.  There are younger patients who only bruise for 5-7 days and there are older individuals who bruise and swell for 6 weeks but on average, 14 days is what most people get.The amount and duration of the swelling and bruising depends on several factors such as diet before the procedure, medications, herbal supplements, activity after the procedure, age (vessels are more fragile as one ages), the extent of the procedure, other concomitant procedures adding to the bruising, habits such as smoking, and envirnomental factors such as heat, excessive sneezing or coughing, etc.  You can help bruising by increasing your intake of pineapple, arnica montana, and papaya extract; all of these have been shown to minimize bruising formation.  To improve an existing bruise, consider lympatic massage by your surgeon's office, topical arnica montana, and topical vit K in addition to increasing intake of green leafy vegetables.  Hematomas, a collection of blood under the skin, even when cleared still leaves behind a residual amount of blood under the skin and can prolong the bruising period.  In the end, bruising always goes away, but can be a nuisiance when it doesn't resolve as expected.  Good Luck!

Facelifts are an incredible procedure as it can turn back the hands of time.  One of the most common questions I get is how long the recovery is for a facelift. 



The easiest way to answer this question is to go through the process, as there are different levels of recovery and what a person can do after the surgery.  First, I typically do my facelifts under general anesthesia so patients will need to go home with someone that can care for them the first night.  All of the patients come back to the office the day after their surgery so that I can remove the face wrap that they left the surgery center with after their facelift. 





After the first day patient will have a simple band placed that will help support the neck and minimize the swelling.  This band can be removed for showering.  All patients can shower the day after their surgery after I have seen them in the office. 





The first week after surgery patients will need to relax and avoid any strenuous activity.  I want patients to walk several times per day, but they need to avoid heaving lifting and strenuous activity, as these activities will increase their risk of issue after their surgery.  The first week patients tend to be swollen and bruised through out the face and neck area. 





After the first week patients can use cover-up makeup if they still have some residual bruising.  They will also still have some sutures hidden the hair and behind the ear.  The sutures on the face itself are typically removed prior to the one-week mark. 





Typically by two weeks all of the bruising has resolved and the majority of the swelling has subsided.  Patients are still healing but are doing very well at this point. 





Patients need to be about six weeks out from surgery before they return to their normal work out routines or any strenuous activity.  However they still need to be careful with sun exposure.





I hope this give you a little outline about the typical recovery course for face and neck lift with fat transfer.  Please consult your board certified plastic surgeon to help guide you through the process.  

As others here have said, without the hematoma you experienced, you might be further along in the healing process. However, every individual heals differently, so I wouldn’t get too discouraged. As long as you’re continuing to see improvement and don’t feel that you’ve reached a plateau in the healing process, it sounds like things are progressing normally. Some degree of bruising following a facelift is normal. Patients from my practice often take a few weeks to heal completely. However, definitely double check with your surgeon if you have further concerns. In the meantime, you should be okay to cover the area with concealer when you’re out and about.

It depends on how early your hematoma was noticed, and why it occurred. In my practice, I always insist that my facelift patients have a nurse with them for the first 38 or so hours to carefully monitor their healing to prevent any such complications from arising. The longer the hematoma went unnoticed, the longer it will take you to heal. Bruising always looks its worst after 2-3 days. It goes from dark purple to red to green to yellow. Bruising is simply blood under the skin, and (only under the direction of your surgeon) there are some things that help it fade, like gentle massage with warm water while in the shower. Again, this should only be done if directed by your surgeon. Hematoma bruising (which is much more extreme than the gentle bruising that typically is gone in one week for my facelift patients), should fade after a month or so, but everyone is different, and it depends on how large the hematoma was. Over the years I’ve developed a certain protocol with my postoperative nurses to help prevent any such complications from arising, which ensures that patients appropriately in those critical first few days. I also make housecalls and have my patients stay nearby at the hotel directly across the street from my office. Generally, my facelift patients are feeling better and looking good enough to go out in public after a week or so, but the body continues to heal and the results continue to improve. Be patient, and continue to follow up with your surgeon in person to ensure everything is healing appropriately.

Thank you for your question and I certainly appreciate your concern. However, bruising after surgery is highly individual and can last for three weeks or longer in some patients. If you are concerned, I would schedule a follow-up with your surgeon for an in-person assessment and to discuss your recovery in greater detail. Your surgeon may recommend avoiding certain medications or supplements, or using a topical product to support the healing process. My guess is that you will likely see the discoloration improve very soon.

That’s a great question! Swelling and bruising follow a general pattern but the timeline varies a lot between patients. Usually bruises ‘blossom’ over the first 2-3 days and swelling increase, too. By 6-7 days, when you are getting stitches out, you are already looking better and many patients start wearing cover-up makeup. Glasses, even non-prescription versions like blue-light glasses, can help to hide bruises and swelling around your eyes, especially if you also had a blepharoplasty. Most facelift patients are ‘restaurant ready’ by 2-3 weeks, which means with make-up on and under not-too-bright lighting. Milder swelling can go up and down, depending on the day, for a couple of months but doesn’t usually interfere with daily activities after the first 2-3 weeks.As always, I advise patients to choose a board-certified plastic surgeon experienced in facial surgery and find someone you connect with and trust. Good Luck!

Although dark bruises can be entirely normal after surgery or trauma, they do warrant an early review with your surgeon. This is to make sure that there is no significant collection of blood under the skin which can become problematic either through infection or the tension that it creates in the skin flaps.Reducing them happens naturally although some people feel  arnica may help either as cream or tablets.

There will be some bruising and swelling which varies between individual patients. When meticulous surgical technique is used this is usually mild and short lasting. Medications can be provided before and after surgery to reduce both swelling and bruising. Most patients report that, contrary to what they expected, discomfort or pain are less than they expected. There can be a feeling of tightness in the neck or face which resolves after a few weeks

Swelling and bruising resolve at different speeds in each individual patient. In some cases, bruising can linger for many weeks. Any post-operative concerns should definitely be discussed with your surgeon, but in most cases, it simply takes time to resolve. Depending on the location and type of bruising, topical products that increase skin cell turnover may be helpful to speed the process, but not in the immediate post-operative period.
All the best,

First of all post op swelling can take time. This is not out of the realm of normal to still have some swelling and bruising especially if you had a hematoma. That can set back the healing process a bit.I recommend seeing your surgeon as soon as possible to just get a check.In the mean time something I have found helpful is a low sodium, low salt diet, less than 1500mg/day. It will reduce the edema and swelling.Hope this helps.Best of luck,DrC

It may take months to resolve but the pain should gradually and progressively improve.  If you are still uncomfortable after six months see your surgeon or get another opinion.