How soon can a person return to normal activity after a traditional Facelift?

Hi,Thank you for your answer. Working in medical tourism, we get this question a lot. Usually a first recovery period of 10 days is enough for the patient to be able to fly. The complete healing takes longer. 2-3 days after surgery, you can already walk around. After a week you can resume light activities. First sport activities or heavy lifting should wait at least a month. The most important thing during the first recovery period is not to bend over and sleep slightly sitting up.

This question will generate different answers based on each physician's experience and facelift technique. A "traditional facelift" can mean different things to different surgeons. On average, I find that my patients are able to start getting back to exercise at 2-3 weeks after an extended face and neck lift surgery.

Thanks for the question. Generally, most patients can fly within 24 to 48 hours after facelift surgery. I wish you all the best.

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 are noticeable at first, but are easily hidden with a bit of “camouflage” make-up which our staff teaches our patients how to use. 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. Most patients who have had Lite Lifts™ feel reasonably normal within 2-4 days after surgery even though they are swollen. If you wish to do light office work, you may. Do not, however, do any heavy activities or aerobic #exercise for at least 3 weeks after surgery! Strenuous #activities can cause bleeding and swelling for a longer period than is necessary.

A facelift is a major surgical procedure, so you must be prepared to give yourself adequate recovery time to achieve optimal results. You will wear a bandage for one week, which can be removed for showers and light errands. You need to avoid strenuous activity for 2 weeks, and avoid curling irons, steam baths, saunas, and hair dryers (unless on the “cool” setting) for 2 months.  Most people begin to look pretty good by 2 weeks but the results will continue to improve for the first 3-4 months as the swelling resolves.

As you can see from the answers already posted, questions about recovery timelines elicit vague responses. The reason is that a "traditional facelift" can mean different things to different plastic surgeons, and each surgeon provides recovery instructions based on the techniques used. It also depends on your level of comfort with answering questions about the procedure. That said, I tell my patients that it's usually OK to begin using makeup to camouflage bruising several days after the procedure. You can usually drive and return to work about 2 weeks after the surgery, as long as you are no longer taking prescription pain relief medication. If your normal routine includes strenuous activity, such as weightlifting, I caution my patients to wait 3 to 4 weeks before resuming it, and to slowly ease back into it.

Healing varies from patient to patient. Do not exercise for the first 3-4 weeks post surgery. It is very important to maintain elevation of your head. You are able to turn your head fully within a week. The downtime after a facelift is about 2 weeks and you can be back at work and resume normal daily activities. By 4-6 weeks, most of the



major swelling will be gone. I don’t allow my patients to drive a vehicle for 10-14 days especially if they had eye surgery concomitantly. It may take up to 6 months for you to consider your recovery to be complete.   



#plasticsurgery#drrodrohrich#facelift

Your instructions will vary from surgeon to surgeon, so it's important to discuss your surgeon's specific instructions to maximize your recovery.  I generally tell patients that they must avoid turning the head or stretching the neck for 2 weeks. When you turn, move the shoulders and head as one unit or as though you had a “stiff neck.” This is important to prevent stretching the healing incisions and causing the scars to widen, as well as to prevent putting tension on the deep sutures beneath the skin, which could cause them to pull loose.  Because of this risk, we advise patients to not drive for 2 weeks following surgery.

In order to minimize swelling, you are advised to sleep with the head of your bed elevated or in a recliner for 2-4 weeks post-op. 

With some make-up, your hair worn down, a neck scarf, and thick-rimmed sunglasses, you should be able to go out in public within a few days with minimal attention drawn to yourself. Most patients take 2 weeks off from work after a rhytidectomy and are able to resume their exercise regimen within 3-4 weeks.

Excellent question.As always you should closely follow the instructions of your surgeon, he/she will better know when it is safe for you to resume your normal activities, (because "normal activities" means different things to different people, patients and physicians, especially on the internet).In general significantly restricting your activity in the initial two to three weeks is essential, and 3-4 weeks is even better.  Too much early activity can cause a number of issues that may prolong your healing (by weeks or even months), compromise your results, and create unneeded anxiety.  Consider your facelift an investment, where a little patience and rest in the beginning will produce significant dividends for years to come.I hope this helps.

Hello BeachieBeauty -Thanks for your question.  In my practice, I let patients resume cardio at 2 weeks with full exercise at 4 weeks. I recommend that they watch how hard and fast they turn their heads to avoid stretching of scar for the first several weeks.  I recommend that patients walk on a daily basis to get rid of the boredom of recovery and to get out of the house.  The first week after a facelift can be emotionally draining, so a small amount of normalcy is well-received.  I hope this helps.Dr. Shah

Facelift recovery and return to normal activities? The average is 1-2 weeks and strenuous activity after 4 weeks.