What Level of Pain is Considered Normal After a Facelift?

The #pain should be minimal and can be controlled with the prescribed medication by your surgeon. Throughout the #facelift #healing process you should be seen frequently by your doctor and one of their registered nurses to ensure you are following instructions properly and your recovery is going well. The healing process in general can take up to one month for the majority of swelling to subside, incisions to close, sutures to come out, and for bruising to completely go away. #Recovery time from a #facelift varies from person to person, but patients can generally expect to be presentable within three weeks from surgery. Patients should expect swelling, bruising, and discoloration of the skin during this phase of recovery (swelling normally goes down after 48 hours; most bruising will go away within two weeks). The marks from a facelift can easily hidden with “camouflage” make-up which you can learn how to apply.The scars from a facelift mature within six to twelve months from the surgery date. It is during this time that the rejuvenating effects of the facelift will become apparent and the real result will be seen. If you have certain concerns about the procedures and #healing process, it is recommended to call your board-certified surgeon or their medical staff and discuss those #concerns.

I prescribe pain medication for all my patients, however, 90% of them only require something to help them take the edge off prior to sleep the first night. By the second day, my patients take tylenol as needed for pain. So overall, the discomfort is mild.

Facelifts a generally not considered painful due to modern surgical techniques and effective pain management. During the procedure, patients are under anesthesia, so they feel no pain. Post-operatively, any discomfort is usually manageable with prescribed pain medication and subsides within a few days. Most patients describe the sensation as more of a tightness or soreness rather than significant pain. Our priority is to ensure your comfort throughout the process.

For the majority of patients, pain is not a significant problem in the postoperative phase.  Although I prescribe a narcotic in limited quantity for the first week, most patients use very little or none of the medication.  Narcotics cause nausea, urinary retention, and constipation which can impede your recovery.  In every situation, there are outliers, and some patients are more pain sensitive.  In the situation of a complication such as a hematoma, more pain will be experienced. 

Pain after a facelift is actually usually pretty
minimal. Your surgeon should prescribe some pain medications, but often
patients only use them for a day or two after surgery. Rather than pain,
patients most often experience discomfort from swelling, tightness, or
itchiness. This will be most pronounced in the first few days after surgery,
then should continue to subside over the next few weeks and months. Individuals
may have different pain tolerances, however, and if your pain medications don’t
help, I would advise visiting your surgeon for a follow-up visit.