Does after facelift swelling cause skin to stretch out?

Thank you for your question for sharing your concerns and experience with us.  At one year, I would expect your results to be very stable.  The swelling from a facelift should not affect your skin's elasticity and it's ability to recoil once all the swelling is down.  However, if you had poor tissue elasticity before the surgery, then this will persist afterwards.  You may want to consider adding a laser procedure such as a CO2 procedure or Profound, a micro needling radio frequency procedure that restores some elasticity to the facial tissues.  You can also consider a minor revision to the procedure to remove some additional laxity.  I would visit with your surgeon to discuss your options in more detail.

Some types of facelift have been associated with more prolonged swelling but their proponents have usually demonstrated good results. That suggests that prolonged swelling is not automatically a cause for failure of a facelift. If you feel that your results do not meet your expectations, it is worth discussing with your surgeon, as a small revision or non-surgical treatments can improve the outcome. 

Thank you for your question.  Swelling after a facelift should be gone by at most 6 weeks.  By 6 months you should see the final result of your facelift.If your loose skin has returned see your plastic surgeon, a minor revision may be all that is needed to tighten the skin.