Looks like neck lifts have painful recovery. What percentage of your patients are in pain or feel tightness after two weeks?

Pain after a full facelift will typically last bout 48 hours but is easily treated with appropriate medications. Some degree of stiffness after a well done lift will last several weeks but will not limit your activities more than 12-14 days.  I tell my facelift patients to allow about 2 weeks for recovery; most can start to resume normal activities at that time. I recommend a light general anesthetic for this surgery.

Dear esther4805, In my practice we spend a lot of money providing state of the art medications for our anesthesiologist that are short acting versus hospitals and other surgical centers who may use inexpensive gas or other agents that have lingering effects on many patients. Facelift patients wake up in the recovery room after general anesthesia and feel relaxed and state they had "the best nap of their life." Most patients do not complain of pain after facelift surgery. Some patients will however state that they feel tightness in their neck immediately following their procedure but not of pain or discomfort. Some patients may have difficulty getting used to sleeping on their back. Most patients do not take pain medications past the second day of surgery and recovery is surprisingly simple.  I performed a face lift on my wife last year and she was in the desert cooking Christmas dinner for ten people ten days post surgery. During consultation the surgeon can discuss with you your concerns with anesthesia and during your pre-operative appointment you may also speak with the anesthesiologist. See the video above of a patient with multiple facial procedures shortly after surgery and the link below of facelift before and after photographs. Best regards, Michael V. Elam, M.D.