I had a facelift and necklift a week ago and my face is really swollen. My friend told me that when she had the same procedure last year, her doctor prescribed Medrol and that it made a huge difference in swelling. I am just worried the swelling might stretch the skin too much and have a negative influence on the final outcome. When I asked my doctor, he said steroids can have serious side effects. What is your opinion?
July 7, 2019
Answer: Use of steroids to reduce swelling after facelift Hello. Thank you for your question. I would suggest following the recommendations of your primary surgeon, as they know your case and medical history, and should be making recommendations in your best interest based on their experience. Swelling is absolutely expected following facelift, and can vary from one patient to another. The swelling usually reaches it's peak around postoperative day 3 or 4, and will then diminish fairly quickly over the following 2 weeks, with some mild residual swelling that will diminish more gradually over several months. For most patients, the visibly apparent swelling that others will notice typically resolves in about 10 - 14 days, such that patients may feel comfortable getting back out in public. I do not routinely prescribe steroids after facelift. Earlier in my career, I would prescribe a Medrol dose pack after facelift surgery. However, I stopped doing that several years ago and saw no significant difference in recovery for my patients. Therefore, I see no advantage to prescribing steroids, in general, as steroids do have the potential for undesirable side effects, especially in older patients. Having said that, in a case of excessive swelling in a patient with no contraindication to steroids, I would not hesitate to prescribe a short course, such as a Medrol dose pack, in hopes that it might potentially speed up resolution of the soft tissue swelling. I hope this information is helpful. I wish you the best in your recovery and achieving your aesthetic goals.
Helpful 2 people found this helpful
July 7, 2019
Answer: Use of steroids to reduce swelling after facelift Hello. Thank you for your question. I would suggest following the recommendations of your primary surgeon, as they know your case and medical history, and should be making recommendations in your best interest based on their experience. Swelling is absolutely expected following facelift, and can vary from one patient to another. The swelling usually reaches it's peak around postoperative day 3 or 4, and will then diminish fairly quickly over the following 2 weeks, with some mild residual swelling that will diminish more gradually over several months. For most patients, the visibly apparent swelling that others will notice typically resolves in about 10 - 14 days, such that patients may feel comfortable getting back out in public. I do not routinely prescribe steroids after facelift. Earlier in my career, I would prescribe a Medrol dose pack after facelift surgery. However, I stopped doing that several years ago and saw no significant difference in recovery for my patients. Therefore, I see no advantage to prescribing steroids, in general, as steroids do have the potential for undesirable side effects, especially in older patients. Having said that, in a case of excessive swelling in a patient with no contraindication to steroids, I would not hesitate to prescribe a short course, such as a Medrol dose pack, in hopes that it might potentially speed up resolution of the soft tissue swelling. I hope this information is helpful. I wish you the best in your recovery and achieving your aesthetic goals.
Helpful 2 people found this helpful
July 6, 2019
Answer: I want steroids following facelift! Thanks for your interest. Twenty four years ago I enjoyed having a fellow from Kuwait who was training with me for a year-and we organized what became an unpublished study that provided copious quantities of valuable information. We blinded patients in three procedures-facelift, blepharoplasty and rhinoplasty. 1/2 of these patients randomly were either given the equivalent of a Medrol dose pack (steroids) or given nothing. All were instructed in routine postop care specially aligned to reduce swelling-episodic ice and head of bed elevation. A year later with 60 facelift patients, 85 blepharoplasty patients and 275 rhinoplasty patients- our beloved nurse, myself and my boy scientist fellow - were unable to discern any statistically significant difference between the 2 groups in the 4 weeks following surgery. So, cutting to the chase-you have an operation which results in swelling and bruising sometimes-throw some ice on the affected area(20 minutes on and 3 hours off)-do this for the first 10 days with head elevation-get a great result and avoid a short course of steroids!Seems simple and oh did I mention-I love my job!!!.
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
July 6, 2019
Answer: I want steroids following facelift! Thanks for your interest. Twenty four years ago I enjoyed having a fellow from Kuwait who was training with me for a year-and we organized what became an unpublished study that provided copious quantities of valuable information. We blinded patients in three procedures-facelift, blepharoplasty and rhinoplasty. 1/2 of these patients randomly were either given the equivalent of a Medrol dose pack (steroids) or given nothing. All were instructed in routine postop care specially aligned to reduce swelling-episodic ice and head of bed elevation. A year later with 60 facelift patients, 85 blepharoplasty patients and 275 rhinoplasty patients- our beloved nurse, myself and my boy scientist fellow - were unable to discern any statistically significant difference between the 2 groups in the 4 weeks following surgery. So, cutting to the chase-you have an operation which results in swelling and bruising sometimes-throw some ice on the affected area(20 minutes on and 3 hours off)-do this for the first 10 days with head elevation-get a great result and avoid a short course of steroids!Seems simple and oh did I mention-I love my job!!!.
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
