When can I go out in public without looking like I just had facelift surgery?

Recovery from a facelift takes many forms. Physical recovery. Social Recovery. Recovery of sensation. Because it is your face, the interruption in social activities is often the hardest part of the recovery.

Pain:

Most patients have only mild pain after a facelift and it is usually gone in one or two days. I give only Tylenol #3 since stronger medications are not needed.

Driving:

I allow patients to drive after 4 days if they are off pain meds. Before this, some mild neck stiffness may make driving safely more difficult since you may not turn your head as far to look for cars.

Swelling and Bruising:

Recovery from a facelift involves bruising (usually down low along the neck) and swelling which increases some each day for the first 4 days after surgery. On the 5th day after surgery this begins to improve rapidly and usually by the 7th or 8th day after surgery makeup can be applied. Patients often tell me with a scarf and some sun glasses they can run quick errands. At this stage they would not necessarily want to run into a close friend if they are trying to be discrete.

Dinner With Friends:

For a patient to sit down to dinner with friends and not be asked any questions, I believe it takes about two weeks. Occasionally a very dark bruise may not be completely gone but can be effectively covered with makeup. About 80 % of the swelling is gone so the remainder is hard to detect. Sometimes a slight change is hairstyle can be used to help explain away any differences a close friend might notice.

Exercise:

I ask patients to wait on exercise and heavy lifting until 3 weeks after surgery. Otherwise I don't limit their activities

Numbness:

Mild facial numbness seems to always go away completely but takes about 9 months. Fortunately this does not bother most patients especially once they realize its temporary.

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.  

Thank you for your question and this is such a common question for patients prior to a lift. Typically we tell patients they can be social after two weeks of having the procedure. Social does not mean perfect- it means you can head the to store and go about your daily activities without feeling like people are constantly looking at you. If you are around people who will study you- you may want to wait longer. The bruising is usually something that is variable for each person so it also depends on the type of healer that you are. Again- in my over 20+ years I have seen people who have healed dramatically faster and/or slower so its never good to promise healing times. Hope this helps. 

Depending on your surgical procedure (facelift, eye, forehead, etc) the recovery can vary dramatically. Recovery from a standard facelift/neck can be 7-10 days, depending on the bruising.
There are many options postop to decrease recovery time:
1. No ASA/Vitamin E
3. Postop lymphatic drainage (MLD)
4. Postop aesthetician care
5. Postop garments
Depending on the procedures, you can probably go back to owrk 7-14 days postop.
Talk to your surgeon regarding postop care which is imperative to decrease your down time! 

The recovery process after a facelift is not as bad as many people expect. It typically isn't a terribly painful procedure and most patients are off of narcotic pain medications after a day or so. Depending on the the type of facelift a drain maybe placed that is removed on the first day after the procedure. The head wrap placed after the procedure is also removed and a smaller dressing is used for the next several days. 
Sutures are removed by day 7 and most of the bruising and swelling is gone 10 days. Most patients are sociable by 10-14 days with make up. Some are out and about a day or so later. There is subtle swelling the requires 3-6 months to fully go away
The most common complaint is that things feel tight. This is normal and will go away with time. 

The amount of recovery time after a facelift depends on the type of facelift/necklift being performed.. there are several techniques, and thus, variations in recovery time..ask your board certified plastic surgeon.. best of luck

Individual patients may have different outcomes, however, most patients would be ready for public appearance by 2 weeks post surgery, often with a little more makeup than usual. Some patients could very well be ready sooner, at 10 days and occasionally even at 1 week. A lot of this depends on the patients comfort level with possible inquiries from others regarding surgery.

Recovery from a facelift depends to some degree on what type of procedure you have had. I most commonly perform a Monarch Mini Lift which is an in office procedure done under local anesthesia. This particular procedure is great for rejuvenating the lower face, jawline and neck region. My patients are back in the public in less than a week, even though the small sutures are not removed for one week. I do have my patients wear a compression garment initially and have them apply arnica gel if any bruising occurs. This helps with a speedy recovery.

When it comes to healing everyone recovers at there own pace. Generally after a full face lift I tell my patients that they will be ready to be seen in public in approx. 14 days. That being said many people are comfortable being seen in 5 days. Things that may help in your recovery are : 1. good pre-op condition 2. healthy diet 3. arnica, bromelain and steroids for swelling and bruising and inflammation. Hope this helps.

Dr C

A facelift is an excellent procedure that can help patients look younger by improving facial wrinkles and tightening loose skin and muscles.  The healing process can vary, because there are different techniques and every patient heals differently.  After a minifacelift you will have some swelling and bruising, which should only last around 7 days or so.  After a full facelift, the swelling and bruising may last 10-14 days.  Most patients can return to work in about 10 -14 days, and if you still have some bruising you may start to apply make-up.  Be sure to see a facelift specialist to determine which procedure is best for you.