How long until the results of my face and neck lift are obvious? I am 3 weeks out and no one has noticed. Is that normal?

Thank you for a great question and for sharing your experience.  Results of a face and neck lift can continue to improve over time, and at this stage you will still have some swelling.  Ideally, you want a natural result where you don't look surgical but refreshed...perhaps that is why you have not heard many comments yet.  So give it some time and communicate your concerns to your surgeon.   I hope you find this helpful.Consult with a Board Certified Fellowship Trained Facial Plastic Surgery Specialist."This answer has been solicited without seeing this patient and cannot be held as true medical advice, but only opinion. Seek in-person treatment with a trained medical professional for appropriate care."

The best results I can achieve for a patient
are natural, not different.

Patients often ask me if their friends, family,
or coworkers will know if they’ve had work done. I tell them, not if I’ve done
my job well. My philosophy is to make my patients look so naturally rejuvenated
that people think they’ve had a good vacation, or slept really well, not had a
surgery. You should expect to look better, not different.



Perhaps your surgeon gave you such a good
result that your friends and family would never guess you had a procedure?
However, if that’s not the case, I recommend you see your surgeon to discuss
your dissatisfaction with the results, and the healing process he expects for
your surgery.

All swelling takes time to subside, you should see steady progress over the course of
days, weeks, and months. Most people begin to look fully natural in about 3-4 weeks,
but everyone heals differently. People will only know you had work done if you choose to
tell them. The goal of facial rejuvenation is to enhance, not completely change your
appearance. You want to look like you, only better and younger.This should be done in the
hands of a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon with expertise in facial rejuvenation.

Typically, it can take several months for all of the swelling to resolve before making any final facelift assessments.

Thank you for your question.  I usually tell my patients that the majority of swelling and bruising usually subsides during the first two weeks.  The majority of the settling of the results usually occurs during the first few months, with only minor changes maturing during the remainder of the first year.  I would follow-up closely with your surgeon who can help discuss your results in more detail and review your before/after photos with you.

Hi Reneegail,Swelling is most obvious during the first few weeks, but the results of the face and necklift should be visible already, unless there were postoperative complications.Loose sagging jawline or neck should be tighter and smoother, unless this sagging was only noticeable to you and your surgeon.  Some sagging which is obvious to the patient is not obvious to their friends and family, because when you see people eye to eye, they can see under your chin, unless they are shorter than you and looking up under your chin.  Most people are more self-absorbed with their own issues than to notice things on other people, unless they are nosy and curious.  Another possibility is that they did notice, but did not want to say anything, which might make you feel self conscious.I would say that if no has noticed so far, at least you don't have any tell-tale signs of having had a face and necklift.  I posted a web reference of a more dramatic example, but if your jawline and neck sagging was minimal, this may explain the lack of people noticing. I will you a continued speedy recovery.Best,Dr. YangP.S. If you find my answers or other doctors answers to questions are helpful, please +1 those answers to push up the better answers to the top, which helps others who read the same post, get to the more helpful answers first.P.P.S. There is a new feature on Realself, which is the "Follow" button. It is similar to the "Like" button on Facebook. If you like my response or any of the doctor responses while you research on Realself, you should "Follow" them. You will get email updates, when the doctors you follow post any new answers to questions, post new photos, or have any new reviews.

The most important person to notice that there are results is yourself. The goal of a facelift is to make you happy. If you have thought hard about your goals and your surgery has achieved that the surgery is a success. It is unusual for others who are not solicited in this regard to notice that you have undergone a facelift if it has been performed well. Others just notice that you are looking good or more rested. We tend to look at others as a whole and make quick judgments but do not tend to notice individual wrinkles or jowls on others. Usually one would notice results just after surgery taking into account that there is also swelling and bruising.

You should immediately see the improvement in the neck laxity and jowls after a facelift. You may have some swelling, but the lift is apparent right away. The results will not improve over time. If you are concerned that you didn't get an improvement, I'd recommend discussing this with your surgeon.Others may not "notice" that the jowls and neck are better since they don't remember exactly how you looked before surgery. Essentially, we only notice things that are not expected, like jowls and neck laxity. When we leave behind a normal neck and no jowls, they don't notice anything because there is nothing there to notice. Others may realize that you look refreshed, but they shouldn't "notice" that you had a facelift.Andrew Campbell, M.D.Facial Plastic SpecialistQuintessa Aesthetic Centers

You should start to see results immediately.  As the swelling goes down you should notice even more improvement in the neck as the angle of the jawline will become more pronounced.  It is not uncommon that no one notices or says anything about your surgery.  That could be because it is a great, natural result.  It is also that many people are just not very observant.  The important thing is that you notice a difference.  The surgery was done for you!

Noticeable is not always a good thing in plastic surgery.  Just think of some of the celebrities who have facelifts and are very noticeable for all the wrong reasons.  Sometimes not be noticed is a compliment to the plastic surgeon who has produced a natural result.Your acquaintances and coworkers don't know your face like you do.  They may look at you and think did she get a haircut or lose weight?  In these circumstances you would need to have your before picture on your shoulder next to your face for people to realize that you  have had a face lift.You also get used to your younger look quickly because you used to look like that.  So when you see you before pictures, you may be amazed at the transformation.Thank you for you question.  All my best.