Work from home after facelift - would I be okay to start 5 days after surgery?

Question

I’m finding it a bit tricky to coordinate timing for a facelift. Assuming I keep my camera off for meetings, would I likely be okay to work from home starting 5 days after a facelift? I would have a fair degree of flexibility to take rest breaks here and there and my team know I’m planning the procedure.

Lucian Ion, FRCS · Answer

Thank you for your question.

In general, recovery from facelift surgery is associated with relatively low level of pain or discomfort making it possible to work from home reasonably early after surgery.

Five days seems like reasonable amount of time, but you do have to consider that sometimes surgery is associated with unexpected problems which can delay how soon you can feel comfortable going back to work.

If you have the surgery under a general anaesthetic, you would need to factor in the risk of deep vein thrombosis which is also associated with immobility when sitting at the desk. Therefore, compression stockings during the first two weeks after surgery or according to some surgeons during the first three weeks after surgery, in combination with regular breaks which do not need to be long but need to be relatively close to each other (1–1 .5 hours), would help to reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis.

Finally, if during your facelift surgery you are planning to have also eyelid surgery, you may find it more difficult to focus if your surgeon wants you to use lubricant to protect the eyes.

Alan Gonzalez, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello @red_1975, thank you for your question. This depends mostly on your doctor recommendations because it varies depending on the surgical technique of the doctor performing surgery. Best wishes! Alan Gonzalez MD FACS. American Society of Plastic Surgery Member (ASPS), International Federation for Adipose Therapeutics and Science” Member (IFATS), American Society of Plastic Surgery Member (ASPS), Colombian Society of Plastic Surgery member (SCCP).

Ozge Ergun, MD · Answer

The ability to return to work, including working from home, after a facelift will depend on several factors, including the extent of the surgery, the patient's overall health, and any complications that may have arisen during or after the procedure. If everything goes well after your surgery, you may slowly start working from home and taking enough breaks when you feel tired. The facial swelling can restrict the eyesight slightly but you can see how everything is after 5 days post operation and decide.

Anil R. Shah, MD · Answer

Yes, it is okay to work from home 5 days post op facelift. If you are in minimal pain and aren't needing to take any pain medications or anything that makes you drowsy you are fully capable of doing so and making work calls. The one thing you want to avoid is opening your jaw too wide or turning your neck too much, so just keep that in mind. However, you know your body the best and if you don't feel up to it you can always reschedule your meetings!

Selcuk Inanli, MD · Answer

Hello ! Thank you for your question Without your face photos it is very hard to make an evaluation of your case. If you could provide photos and more information I would be able to evaluate your case in a more appropriate way. But from my experience ,yes you can you can continue working from home after 5 days but it be a little difficult 
Thank you ! regards

Jonathan Kulbersh, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. While your facelift recovery timeline should be discussed at length with your performing surgeon, there are a few things that are generally expected while recovering. You will have some bruising and swelling after your surgery, so you might want to wait to go back to work until this subsides if you have to do any video calls. You might also be tired after your surgery, and rest is very important for your healing process. Make sure you give yourself time to recuperate. Your surgeon should provide more detailed care instructions, but assuming you feel well enough and aren’t physically exerting yourself, working from home should be acceptable. I recommend scheduling an in-person consultation with an experienced, board-certified facial plastic surgeon. They will be able to answer any questions you have and discuss your facelift recovery care with you.

Ryan Rebowe, MD · Answer

The downtime from a cervicofacial rhytidectomy (face and neck lift) is very minimal. Most women are off of pain medicine by the third or fourth postoperative day and feeling very well at one week. Edema (swelling) and bruising can persist for 1-2 weeks, so I think you have the right idea about keeping the camera off. However, working from home should be fine.

Michael I. Echavez, MD · Answer

If your work at home would just be at a desk, I think that you most likely would be able to work at home 5 days after a facelift.  You would most likely still have some swelling and possibly some bruising at this point, so I would not plan on having people see you in person or on camera.  I would also just ask your particular surgeon about this because your surgeon may have a different opinion.

Ajaya Kashyap, MD · Answer

Thank-you for your question. It should be fine to work from home five days  after a face-lift, especially since you can take breaks and will not have your video on. Please discuss this with your Plastic surgeon before the procedure, who should be able address all your concerns. All the best!

Ram Kalus, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question. Anyone responding to your inquiry can really only speak for him or herself, but in my hands the vast majority of patients undergoing facelift feel good and "normal" within 24-72 hours, sutures, minor swelling and bruising notwithstanding. In my own practice there are no bandages of 48 hours, and the only restriction is on exercise, bending, lifting, etc. If you are on Zoom audio or conference calls, you should be fine. I recommend you pose the same question to your plastic surgeon. Best of luck to you.

Work from home after facelift - would I be okay to start 5 days after surgery?

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