How long after a Facelift and upper/lower blepharoplasty can I sleep on my side?

While there are no hard and fast rules, I ask patients to avoid sleeping on their side for the first two weeks- this helps to prevent laying on the incisions and possibly irritating or disrupting the suture line. In addition, we ask that patients try to keep their head elevated for  the first two weeks after surgery to help decrease swelling. That said, we also would like to make sure patients get a good nights sleep. If these restriction are too much of a challenge to sleep, then we are fine with the patient modifying these guidelines.

You shouldn't sleep on your face for a while after surgery. After about 2-4 weeks, you can start to sleep on your side. In case of any problems, you should contact a Board Certified Surgeon.

Hello! It will help reduce swelling if you keep your head higher than the level of your heart. I recommend my patients do this for the first week, and add another week or two if they are concerned about swelling. You can try tilting a recliner back, this usually is comfortable and forces you to sleep on your back. Good luck!

I generally have my patients sleep on 2-3 pillows on their back for 2 weeks after a facelift. Each surgeon will have different thoughts so it's best to speak with your own surgeon about that. Hope that helps! 

It is important to sleep with your head elevated for a couple of weeks after surgery to reduce swelling, and for some even longer. I know this can be difficult for many patients, I recommend to my patients that they sleep in a recliner to help them be comfortable during this time. Many patients find a recliner at a garage sale and then sell it when they are done! Good luck!

Thank you for your question.  The answer will depend on the surgeon and type of facelift that was performed.  In general, I ask my patients to preferentially sleep on their back with their head elevated 20-30 degrees for 2 weeks.  This helps with swelling and avoids any possible abrasion or rubbing of the incisions.  I also ask the patients to avoid fully turning their neck for the first month so as to not put any extra tension on the deep support sutures while the soft tissues are healing in place.  I realize that not everyone will be able to comply fully with my recommendations, but this gives them a target to shoot for.  All the best!

It really depends of the surgeon's protocol, as well as patient probability for post-operative bleeding. We usually ask patient to slip 3-5 nights on their back. Later on they can resume any side position that is not creating pressure  on the face/eyes and is not stretching neck too much. However elevated head position is mandatory for 2-3 weeks if tolerated.

How long you will need to avoid sleeping on your side after a facelift will really depend on your individual surgeon and particular technique employed. Depending on your surgeon, the answer may be anywhere from 1-3 weeks. In general, I ask my patients to sleep on their backs with their head elevated for about 2 weeks. This is to prevent swelling and irritation of the surgical site and suture lines. No matter how skeptical they are, most patients find that they are able to tolerate this position, by sleeping on a recliner or with the assistance of multiple, strategically placed pillows. Hope this helps!

This is a question that should be answered by your own surgeon. In my practice patients are permitted to sleep on their side immediately although elevation of the head with pillows or a hospital bed is recommended.

One should follow their surgeons protocols as only they know exactly what they are doing intra-operatively.  In general you will find most surgeons will have their patients sleep elevated for 1-2 weeks.  I personally recommend 1 week elevated but my patients are also wearing a facial garment at night for 2 weeks.  These rules are more to minimized your swelling than changing the long term outcomes.  Good Luck!

The major concern after a face lift is bleeding in the area. To prevent this, elevation of the upper back, shoulders and head is recommended for at least one week to 10 days. Obviously you can't lay on your face or drop your head down while sleeping because you could cause bleeding.