Post-facelift recovery is a critical component of good clinical care of the cosmetic patient. I’m frequently asked questions about duration of recovery, complications that might occur and the steps to recover safely. Pre-op, we will spend several hours with patients discussing the recovery process. I break the recovery process into post-op day 1, post-op day 7, post-op day 21, and then 6 weeks post-op, 3 months post-op and 1 year post-op.
The immediate post-op time is critical.
Patients require rest, some minor care at home, and to take the medicines that are prescribed, which include an antibiotic bolic a and some pain meds.
Dressings are changed on post-op day 1. Patients will then see me on post-op day 7 for suture removal.
Swelling is a major feature of facial rejuvenation surgery; swelling peaks at about 3 days and then starts coming down at about 7 days post-op. From days 7 to 21, the swelling improves and the overall results look quite good.
By 6 weeks, the patients look excellent, and they’re coming back to the office for photos and on occasion some touch-ups with injectables or light therapy like IPL.
The entire healing process can vary depending on the patient’s overall health, but typically, patients are restaurant-ready on post-op days 7 to 10.
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