Recovery after face lift

Sleeping position

For several days, and sometimes a few weeks, there will be some swelling and bruising of the face, ranging from very mild to more noticeable. People vary a great deal in how much they bruise. If you are treated for high blood pressure, it is important to keep it well controlled, and possibly to check it more often, both before and after surgery, as this reduces bruising.

The traditional advice is to sleep propped up on a couple of pillows. Sleeping flat, with no pillow or just a small neck roll, seems to work equally well and lets the neck rest in a natural, extended position.

Arnica Montana tablets and cream, a homoeopathic treatment, and Hirudoid cream or gel can help the bruises settle sooner.

Cold compresses in the first days can also reduce the swelling.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can be a valuable help to recovery. Breathing oxygen under increased pressure in a chamber raises the amount of oxygen reaching the healing tissues, and sessions in the days after surgery can help reduce swelling and bruising and support healing.

Make-up and hair styling

The scars of a facelift lie in front of the ear, around the ear lobe and, in a full facelift, behind the ear and along the hairline. When a neck lift is performed, there is also a short scar under the chin. A short scar facelift avoids most of the scar behind the ear.

The scars are usually well hidden, but they may affect how you choose to wear your hair for the first weeks.

Once the stitches have been removed, make-up can usually be used to cover any remaining bruising.

Antibiotics & sutures

There is always a small risk of infection after surgery, and antibiotics may be prescribed for a short time.

If you take antibiotics, probiotics (as a drink or tablets) reduce the risk of diarrhoea. If diarrhoea does occur, stop the antibiotics and let your surgeon know straight away.

Quilting sutures, if used, are removed three days after surgery. The other stitches are usually removed after about a week. Some stitches dissolve on their own and do not need removing.

Returning to work and exercise

As a guide, most people can work from home after about 1 week, and return to work in the office after 2 to 3 weeks. Physically active jobs may need longer.

Walking is encouraged from the start. Light exercise can usually start after about 3 weeks, and your normal level of exercise after about 5 weeks. Swimming should wait until the incisions have fully healed.

Everyone heals at a different pace, and your own timetable is agreed with you at your follow-up visits.

Diet & lifestyle considerations

A healthy, balanced diet provides what the body needs to heal.

Smoking greatly increases the risk of poor scarring, because it reduces blood flow, the oxygen reaching the tissues, and the production of collagen.

It also helps to cut down on alcohol, particularly while taking antibiotics or pain relief, as it dehydrates the body and slows healing.

Getting moving

Any operation under general anaesthesia increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot in the leg veins.

Compression stockings and calf pumps are used to reduce the risk, with medication where needed. Drinking plenty of fluids and getting moving early are the most effective natural ways to reduce it further.

Even simple leg stretches and a short walk around the room help to keep the circulation going.

Washing

Following the advice on washing helps the incisions heal well and reduces the risk of infection.

Until the incisions have fully healed, do not apply moisturisers or lotions directly to them.

Bandages

In our practice, dressings after a facelift are used for the first night only, and are removed before you leave hospital.

When other procedures, such as eyelid surgery, have been performed, small dressings may be used that stay in place until your visit to the practice.

Elasticated compression garments are not usually recommended in our practice, to avoid pressure on the delicate skin under the ears.

Smoking

Smoking, vaping and other nicotine products can be very damaging after a facelift, because nicotine narrows the small blood vessels in the skin. It can cause areas of skin to lose their blood supply and die, which spoils the result and leaves scars that are difficult to correct.

Smoking, vaping and any other form of nicotine, including patches and gum, must stop at least 4 weeks before surgery and for 4 weeks afterwards, to reduce the risk of damage to the skin.