Down time with face/necklift and upper blepharoplasty - is 3 weeks enough time?

Everyone is a little different but 3 weeks off should be plenty of time to recover. If you were having your lower lids done you might expect some bruising on your cheeks that would be the most obvious. But just a face and upper lids 3 weeks will be enough

There are different ways that facelifts are performed, and people heal in different ways - some bruise a lot, some bruise minimally. Having said that, usually most any of our patients that undergo eyelid surgery and deep plane facelift are able to put on make up, style hair, and go out and look fine after two weeks. There will still be little areas of healing going on, but the patient is usually more aware of it than the public. Be sure to see a facial specialist for consultation.

Every patient heals differently; however, you would be shocked by how well you have healed by 3 weeks. At this point in recovery, my patients are returning to work and their normal routines. I have included a video of a timeline of recovery for a patient from 48 hours to 3 months out. She looks like herself, but refreshed and rejuvenated.

As we frequently emphasize in our consultations, the superior vascularity (blood supply) of the facial region facilitates a significantly faster resolution (healing/settling) process in the postoperative period compared to other anatomical areas.
The second phase of tissue healing, known as the proliferative phase of wound healing, is typically rendered complete by the end of the third postoperative week (Day 21).
• Return to Social Life (Social Recovery): With the steady subsiding of prominent edema (swelling) and ecchymosis (bruising), our patients' reintegration into social life is generally achieved within 10-14 days.
• Return to Daily Activities: This means patients can comfortably revert to their daily routines and light activities by the end of the third week (Day 21).
However, to observe the final aesthetic outcome of the surgical procedure and the fully settled facial contour, patience is key. The maximal result, which occurs when the tissues have fully relaxed and taken their permanent form, is typically evident around the end of the third month (Day 90).

Three weeks should be adequate time for you to recover from your facelift/necklift and upper blepharoplasty surgery. At three weeks, typically, all of the potential bruising has resolved and the Incision lines can be camouflaged with make up. Even if there is no bruising, the rejuvenation of your face and neck may be detected by people who know you well, as they will see restoration of mid facial volume, a straight, sharp jawline and a smoother neck. Best wishes.

Thank you for your question! Healing does vary from person to person, but in general, 3 weeks is usually enough time for most patients to feel comfortable being out in public again. By about 10–14 days, the majority of bruising and swelling have improved significantly, though subtle swelling can continue for several months.

In my experience, most patients are “restaurant ready” around the 3-week mark—meaning they can go out socially and others are unlikely to suspect they’ve just had surgery. That said, people who see you often and know your face well may still notice some changes. Your incisions may still be a little pink at 3 weeks, but wearing your hair down or using makeup can help camouflage them.

Overall, by 3 weeks, you should be presentable and able to return to your routine without it being obvious you’ve had surgery, though your results will continue to refine with time.

Best of luck with your surgery and recovery!

Thank you for sharing your question. With the right technique and depending on your anatomy, it is achievable to be able to be in public around three weeks after a well-performed face and neck lift with upper blepharoplasty. Healing is different for everyone of course and everyone's anatomy is different, so it’s helpful to have realistic expectations based on a detailed evaluation and plan with a plastic surgeon who specializes in facelifts and neck lifts. Discuss your goals and timeline with your surgeon, who can help plan your procedure and recovery for the best balance of safety and a natural appearance.

Great question and the answer is... it depends. For an isolated facelift, you should be physically presentable with makeup. If you are having concurrent fractionated CO2 laser resurfacing and/or lower eyelid blepharoplasty, you will be able to wear makeup at 2 weeks, but may be appear more postoperative. That having been said, you will be much more aware of your appearance than the vast majority of the general public. My limitation for any bending/physical activity is 2 weeks and for weight lifting/golf/tennis/ Pilates is 4 weeks. I follow patients for 12 months after such procedures, because healing occurs in stages and this offers reassurance and guidance. I hope this helps.

3 weeks is probably enough recovery time for facelift and upper blepharoplasty, but it depends a lot on how secretive you want to be. If you want it to be worth the expense and recovery time, then you want to have a noticeable difference. Techniques such as the hemostatic net have made a definite difference in recovery time.

Recovery will look different for every patient. However, as a general rule I tell patients that they can expect to more or less stay at home in the week after surgery. By the 2nd week, they will feel more comfortable being out in public, however still be bruised, swollen etc. By three weeks they should be able to go about life as normal, with some activity restrictions in place. People who you see frequently and know well might very well realize you have had something done, especially as this will depend on the degree of change. But, as a general rule after 3 weeks most patients are doing well going about their daily life.
Sean M. Fisher, MDAesthetic Plastic SurgeonSeattle, WA