Swelling 2 Weeks and 2 Days After Facelift, When Can I Expect this to go Down?

Swelling after a facelift is normal and expected. On average, patients can be presentable (with makeup) in 14 days. I don't recommend video appearances for 21 days and flash photography for 3 months. These are averages and so there are patients on either sides of these numbers. In general, if you have a fuller face, you have more soft tissue than most so you'll hold on to fluid longer and have swelling after facelift longer. If you tend to bruise easily, your body has to clear the bruising so that will increase swelling in the area of the bruise more than average. Patients who have a robust immune system and heal well sometimes will swell even more because it's trying to do it too quickly and it will then take the fluid, from the increase in resources over a short period of time, time to dissipate and increase swelling after facelift. Thicker skin individuals, such as african-americans, asians, hispanics, and oily caucasians, will sometimes take longer to return to normal as well since thicker skin is like having a thicker sponge so swelling takes longer to resolve. Each person is different, but, on average, most people can plan on 14 days for noticeable swelling after facelift and to be presentable, with makeup.You can improve swelling after facelift by keeping your head elevated the first 2 weeks, applying cool compresses religiously the first week, minimizing activity after surgery, minimizing salt intake 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after surgery, using a steroid pack from your doctor, using a prescription version of arnica montana, and minimizing medications that can make you bruise 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after surgery such as aspirin, ibuprofen, herbal supplements especially green tea, gingko biloba, flax seed, fish oil, and multivitamins, especially those containing Vit E. Participating in lymphatic massages 10 days after the facelift can also help mobilize the fluid and minimize swelling; have a lymphatic massage once a week until the swelling has resolved.

Although most swelling after a facelift will be gone within the first few weeks after surgery, some element of swelling will continue to be present for many months and simply takes time to resolve. I have seen in my own facelift patients that their results continue to improve for a full year and that at 12 months after surgery, they look significantly better than at 3 months after surgery.
Keep in mind also that numbness of the cheeks and/or neck will give the sensation of being swollen, but often patients do not look swollen at all to the casual observer. Always be sure to discuss any post-operative concerns with your surgeon.
All the best,

Bruising and healing can be quite variable from person to person.  We all heal along a bell curve. What this means is that you have some people that never get bruising and some people that can take a month or more for bruising to resolve.  The vast majority of our patients have most of their bruising resolved withing 2-3 weeks after surgery.  It sounds as if you are right within that 2-3 week stage and that the little bit of neck bruising will resolve within the next week.