How Long Does Swelling Last After a Deep Plane Lift?

The deep plane facelift is a type of facelift that addresses the midface and cheek area as well as the jowls and lower face.  This technique is carried out at a deeper level of the face and often has less swelling and bruising associated with the surgery and recovery.  You are correct that smoking can impair your healing.  Smoking constricts the blood vessels leading to decreased blood flow and decreased nutrient delivery to the healing facial tissues.

 

Hello! Yes, smoking does delay healing, which is unpredictable, asymmetric and annoying. It typically takes 6-12 months for final healing post facelift, during which time areas of swelling can come and go and small lumps/bumps are not unusual. Everyone is different with regards to water retention and healing times, so averages may mean nothing if you are a slow healer! Good luck.

If done by experienced surgeons deep plane facelifts can heal very fast. Smoking is probably the worse thing you could do for a facelift its almost a guarantee you will have a problem after surgery

   Healing after deep plane facelift can take 6 to 12 months, and smoking will definitely impair the process.

Every facelift has different nuances in regards to healing.  The deep plane facelift varies tremendously based on the technical nuances of the lift.  I prefer the CPMS variant of deep plane facelift where most of my patients are presentable a little over a week and can be ready for social events fairly quickly.  Every surgeon has specific nuances which may or may not work for them.

Dear 60lovingit,


Typical facelift swelling lasts about 2-3 weeks

Roping occurred with some specific sutures (threadlift) and shouldn't be a concern because they are not widely used

Hematomas occur 1-5% of the time, usually not a big deal if treated appropriately

Smoking slows healing, not a good idea before a facelift


Best regards,

Nima Shemirani

Any type of surgery will be hindered by smoking, especially facelift surgery when we are dealing with microcirculation. Lumps and bumps are frequent after deep plane facelifts or any facelifts for that matter. Gentle massage as well as ultrasonic therapy may hasten then recovery. Time and patience are the key. Most swelling generally dissipates within the first month, but may take up to 6 months for the final result.  Hope this helps!

Swelling takes longer to subside after deep plane facelifts, and smoking never helps anything!  If you have lumps or bumps, it's probably wise to check in with your surgeon to determine if the bumps are fluid or blood collections - that can be treated,  or other irregularities that will likely subside with time.  Most results are seen in the timeframe you're looking at - 3 weeks, but it truly takes six months for all the swelling to subside.  Hope this helps!

Dr. Kaufman

Smoking certainly does delay healing in any kind of surgery, and especially surgery that involves the delicate microcirculation of the facial skin.  It's hard to generalize all contour irregularities that can occur during the post-operative period as "lumps and bumps", but as you alluded to, most people will not be black-tie function ready after 3 weeks.  Not all deep-plane facelifts are created equal, so it also makes it difficult to generalize, but typically the majority of healing will not be achieved before 2 months.  

At 1-2 two weeks Brusing swelling and asymmetry dominate
At 2-4 weeks much of the swelling has subsided however it will take 3-6 months for the final
Bits of swelling and scar maturation