How soon after necklift and lower facelift is it consider safe to fly?

Question

Have vacation to Florida planned for end of March 2016. Most convenient time for surgery happens to be March 1, 2016. Would it be safe to travel by air 3 1/2 weeks after surgery. I'm 67 yrs. old and in good health. Thank you.

Ozge Ergun, MD · Answer

Thanks for the question. You should be able to go on vacation by 1-2 weeks after your surgery. But this is valid only with assuming postoperative recovery is uneventful. If any unexpected incident happens in your treatment process, this time can be extended or shortened. I wish you all the best.

Jed H. Horowitz, MD, FACS · Answer

hello turkey18neckYour PS would give your instruction on post-op care including the type of activities you should carry out, you should contact your PS about this. #safety #post-op

Sam Rizk, MD · Answer

It is reasonable to assume that given your 3.5 week
post-op timeframe, you should be cleared to fly home after your facelift and
neck lift surgeries. Your doctor knows your condition best, and will thus be
the best person to consult as your recovery progresses. It is very important
that he or she clears you for flying, ensuring that your recovery is proceeding
as planned before you return home. Still, in my experience with out-of-town
patients, two weeks is sufficient downtime to rest and heal before flying.

Raymond E. Lee, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question.  The best person to answer this question is your operating surgeon.  He will know your health history, what he did, and how things went.  In general, I feel it is safe to fly a couple weeks after a face and neck lift as long as everything was healed well and without any incident.  However, I also take into account duration of flight and if flying with companions as it is helpful to have someone help.  Please follow up with your surgeon.

Julian De Silva, MD · Answer

Traveling
immediately after a surgery is typically not recommended. In general, it is recommended
that patients wait a minimum of two weeks after a necklift/facelift before
boarding a plane. Flying very early after surgery may increase recovery time
with an increase in swelling and bruising, as well lead to unnecessary
discomfort. In addition, during the initial days of recovery, it is best to be
nearer your surgeon in case anything should arise.

Dino R. Elyassnia, MD · Answer

I require my patients who travel from out of town to wait 10-12 days before flying home so 3 1/2 weeks should be fine.  I think its important especially for longer flights to get up several times during the flight to walk or even perform some sitting leg exercises or leg massaging to decrease the risk of deep vein thrombosis which is elevated both with surgery and flying.

Todd C. Miller, MD · Answer

I typically like my patients to remain local for about 10-14 days following surgery. As a rule, my patients who travel from out of town usually stay for 7-10 days before travelling back home.

William Portuese, MD · Answer

In our practice we ask patients to stay in town for 10 days after a facelift procedure, at that point they are free to travel on vacation or back home.

Jason S. Cooper, MD · Answer

Yes, you should be able to fly domestically after a face lift at 3.5 weeks. I recommend you discuss the timing for suture removal, drain removal, ect with your surgeon. Your specific recovery after face lift surgery will be important to determine exactly when it would be safe for you to fly. Your timing seems reasonable but you will need to discuss with your surgeon. This is really a question about recovery which is not possible to predict until the post operative period.

Michael R. Whetstone, MD (retired) · Answer

I advise my patients that they may fly a week to 10 days after surgery and all the sutures are out. make sure to stay out of the hot sun following surgery. keep in the shade and /or floppy hats with sunscreen while in florida. best of luck

How soon after necklift and lower facelift is it consider safe to fly?

Answers (11)

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