What is the downtime after a facelift?

Thank you for submitting your question.  The downtime is 2 weeks for a facelift.  You may choose to return to work with makeup but ypur colworkers will notice the swelling.  Plan ahead and schedule your face lift and allow for sufficient time to heal.  Best Wishes. 

Hello and thank you for your question. While the downtime varies somewhat after a facelift depending on the technique used, going back to work three days later seems highly unlikely to me. The bruising and swelling at this point will still be very noticeable, no matter how much you try to camouflage the area with makeup. At the same time, I would be surprised if you felt physically up to full work days this quickly, as there is some fatigue associated with any type of surgery. I would be concerned about that fact that shortening your recovery period could increase your risk for complications like poor wound healing as well. The standard recovery time for a full facelift is two weeks. Make sure your procedure is performed by an experienced facial plastic surgeon to ensure the best possible results and a safe surgery over all. Good luck!

Facelift recovery is dependent on many variables. Patient health, age, anatomy, and lifestyle all play a role. Also the operative techniques, extent of Work being done, and surgeons experience can effect recovery time. 
It does not make sense to me that a comprehensive facelift surgery on a Monday would have you recovered by Thursday.  You will need to anticipate bruising and swelling that would be noticeable for several weeks. It is true that long hair can hide this, but potential for being noticed is very real. 
A quicker recovery can be expected with a mini lift. Perhaps that is what is being planned for you. However you must understand that even with this procedure the potential for noticeable bruising is still there. 
Best Regards, Dr. Weiss