Facelift - how long will I have to sleep upright?

Question

How long will I have to sleep sitting up after having a face lift ? I am planning a face lift , breast implants , lipo sculpting , and trouser lift tummy tuck in one surgery . I am worried about coping with the pain on my above bottom cut line whilst sleeping upright wondering how long I will have to open and any ideas on how to ease the pressure on this area ?

Jonathan Kulbersh, MD · Answer

I recommend sleeping elevated after a facelift. The morning after surgery, I'll check on you to make sure you're recovering well and, if so, send you home with a bandage that will stay on for the next week. You'll be able to remove it for showers and short errands. After a week, the bandage and stitches will be removed. You can continue wearing the bandage at night to speed recovery. You will probably be bruised and swollen for at least two weeks and should curtail most activities during that time. I hope this helps.

Vincent N. Zubowicz, MD · Answer

Specific instructions should come only from your plastic surgeon. Personally, I asked the patient's to sleep atop a couple of pillows for a week or so. Other plastic surgeons may have different requirements.

Rod J. Rohrich, MD · Answer

I
recommend that my patients keep their head elevated at a
45-degreeangle for the first 2 weeks using a wedge rest or well-placed pillow.
Talk to your
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon for your post-op instructions.

Christian Subbio, MD · Answer

The specific postoperative instructions should only be dictated by your operating surgeon, rather than we consultants who have never seen or met you.  It is much better practice to go with the advice of the one who is planning all aspects of your surgery.But, facelift, implants, liposuction, and tummy tuck/lower body lift in one procedure??WAY too much surgery to have at once.  This will significantly increase your risk for clots which have the potential to be lethal. In the absolute best case scenario, trying to cram in all these procedures in a safe amount of time means most likely cutting corners, rushing, and mediocre results.Get a second and third opinion, and good luck!Dr. SubbioBoard-Certified Plastic SurgeonNewtown Square/Philadelphia, PA

Marc DuPéré, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question.I recommend 5-7 days of head/neck elevation post Facelift for my patient. Lazy-boy type of recliners work very well.But consult your plastic surgeon as you are also having what seems to be a lower body lift.I agree with my colleague that you may want to consider staging your procedures for safety purposes.Hope this helps!

Best regards,Dr. Marc DuPere, Toronto Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon

Best regards,Dr. Marc DuPere, Toronto Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon

Mark Beaty, MD · Answer

Sleeping in a recliner after facelift is helpful for minimizing swelling and hastening its resolution.  I generally have patients sleep with their head elevated for the first week after surgery.  Perhaps a bigger concern is the number of procedures you are having in one session.  This will add to the difficulty of recovery and increases the risk of complications such as blood clots.

Michael I. Echavez, MD · Answer

It can be beneficial to the healing process to sleep with the head higher than the chest after a facelift.  This generally helps the swelling to resolve faster.  You may not need to sleep completely upright, but just with the head higher than the heart.  Different surgeons may have different opinions of how upright and how long they prefer their patients to do this.  In regards to time, I would say the range would be about 1-2 weeks.  I would check with your particular surgeon to find out his or her preferences.

Louis C. Cutolo, Jr., MD, FACS · Answer

That's a great question. Generally
you should stay slightly elevated for 2 weeks. Gravity is your friend by taking
the fluid back to your heart, and if you are laying supine, it is harder for it
to get there. I would also caution about having too much surgery at one time.
This will increase your swelling and your recovery time. The risk of complications
also increases, including DVT (deep vein thrombosis, or blood clots in the
legs). Doing the procedures separately will make the procedure much more
tolerable and the recovery (swelling) less and much safer. Thanks, and best of
luck.

Alyson Wells, MD, FACS · Answer

Specific recommendations vary between different plastic surgeons, but I usually ask patients to sleep with their head and neck elevated on 2-3 pillows for the first 2 weeks in order to mitigate the swelling.  Swelling is water, and water rolls down hill.  And with a facelift procedure, there is interruption of the usual routes (lymphatic channels) that dissipate fluid build-up.  It will therefore take longer for swelling to resolve once it develops, so it is better to prevent it as much as possible.  My other recommendation is to consider carefully the amount of surgery you are anticipating; it seems like quite a lot at once.  Although there are some good reasons to combine certain procedures (e.g. having a facelift at the same time as a neck lift and eyelid lift), having several procedures at one time will significantly increase the length of the surgery and the possibility of post-operative complications such as deep venous thrombosis (blood clots that form in the legs and can move into the lungs).  Best wishes for beautiful results and a comfortable recovery!

Michael N. Desvigne, MD, FACS · Answer

Typically, I recommend keeping your head elevated to 45 degrees the first 2 weeks after surgery.  This means sleeping on your back with 2 pillows.  This helps to keep the swelling down.  Some surgeons ask you to sleep in a recliner.  I don't feel this is necessary but the more you consistently elevate the less swelling you will have.

Facelift - how long will I have to sleep upright?

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