Its Ok to Keep Taking Valium After for Weeks from Having a Facelift?

    Sometimes, anxiety and depression figure prominently in the postoperative course following a facelift.  Your appearance always figures prominently in your self esteem and sometimes early facelift results are less than expected.  I usually advise waiting 3 months before making any determinations about the result.

Valium postoperatively works very well in the immediate 4-7 days after the surgery.  Its major benefits include anxiety reduction and reduction of activity in order to allow for uneventful healing.  As an aside, most of the hematomas I have seen in my practice after Facelift relate to a failure to refrain from strenuous activities, allowing for a rise in heart rate and blood pressure.  Severe anxiety 4 weeks after surgery probably requires additional intervention beyond your Facial Plastic Surgeon.  Some patients have a high baseline of anxiety which is exacerbated by a stressful event like surgery.  A qualified mental health professional will be helpful in guiding use of anxiolytics like valium at this point.

Sorry to hear you are feeling anxious following your procedure. Regarding the treatment of anxiety, it would be necessary to speak with your physician before treating the issue with medication. For anxiety, I typically give patients one of the following prior to surgery:

1) Valium
2) Xanax

I would not advise freely taking anti-anxiety medications without a prescription. Thank you, and best of luck with the rest of your recovery!