Facelift Recovery Timeline

Facelift recovery timeline is the most important part of planning your surgery. abdominoplasty patients must know every detail of their recovery process because recovery is the time that your body is going to do a lot of healing after the surgery.

Following A facelift, technically known as a rhytidectomy, a good recovery period is of much importance. It helps you get the best possible results from your cosmetic surgery. If you plan to have a facelift procedure with Flora, our specialists will be taking full care of your recovery process both during your stay in Iran and contacts after coming back to your home country. Your doctor will give you the necessary instructions on how to pass your recovery period. Our agents will provide you with every piece of information that might be of use. We will notify you of the recovery timeline and the latest information through the CRM system, on a regular basis (same as for facelift day by day trip plan). This following up will continue 2 years after your surgery and you can cancel this service whenever you want. In the following, we will explain the facelift recovery process in detail. A to-do and not-to-do list is also mentioned for this period of time.

1-Facelift Recovery Timeline Day 1, right after the surgery

Usually, a facelift surgery does not need hospitalization but if your surgeon deems it neccessary, you will stay at the hospital overnight. During the first day you may have some swelling and bruising on your face. You will need to take pain medications as the pain is on its peak on the first day. Our agents will provide whatever you need such as medications and hospital pack, prior to the surgery. On this day, your surgeon will likely remove your drainage tubes and change your face bandages. You may also feel unsteady and sleepy; therefore, you will be transferred by our VIP-transfer back to your hotel room to get some rest. Walking lightly inside your room can be of help, but you should not do any more intense activity. Intense activities increase your blood pressure and thus harm your recovery process.

Bandage

Following a face-lift, your doctor may prescribe the use of a bandage. The bandage will be placed around the treated area of the face to reduce swelling and bruising. You should keep using the bandages for around two weeks from the time you have had the surgery.

Small tubes

Small tubes may be placed in the treated area to draw off any excess blood or fluid. This can help reduce blood accumulation and thus prevents the risk of Hematoma formation in the treated area.

2-Facelift Recovery Timeline, Week 1

During the first week, our agent will arrange a follow-up visit in order for your surgeon to check your recovery process. By this visit, your surgeon will remove or change your surgical dressings and will check your incisions and swelling. After three days, your pain is substantially reduced and you may no longer need analgesic medications. You can do light exercises in the first week, but you still need to be careful about the level of your activities. Day by day, swelling and bruising go down, but it takes a couple of weeks for them to totally disappear. Before flying back to your country, you will be visited by your doctor, again. Your doctor will remove your stitches and take a look at the wound.

Bruising and swelling

Bruising and swelling will be most present during the first week. As the time goes on, bruising and swelling go down by the recovery process. Using a bandage or taking some specific medications can reduce bruising and help subside swelling.

Discomfort

The discomfort is at its peak during the first postoperative days. During these days you may use some medications to relieve the pain as your doctor has already instructed. During the second week some numbness, tingling and tightness may remain in the treated area of the face.

Diet

Following a face-lift surgery, having a good diet is a necessary part of the recovery process. Consuming dark green leafy vegetables such as Spinach which contain lutein antioxidants can be beneficial. Garlic, avocado and banana are other foods which can be of use if you put them inside your diet list.

Walking

You will be able to take a light walk in your hotel room even on the first day. But in order to start regular walking you need to wait around two weeks until your overall condition improve more.

In flight care

The conditions of air travel can increase some serious health risks after having a facelift procedure. One of these health risks is Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism (DVT/PE) which is a condition of blood clots forming inside a person’s veins. Therefore, your doctor will check on you on the sixth day following your surgery to check your healing process. There are also certain steps that help you have a better air travel with a less risk of health problems. The first advice is to walk around for some minutes before getting on the plane to make blood move. The second advice is to get up and stretch your body which helps blood circulation. Also be sure to choose your seat carefully so as not be disturbed by other passengers. At last, you should bring some water with yourself to stay fully hydrated during the flight.

Sleeping position

As you will not be able to sleep lying prone while your face may touch the ground, the most ideal place may be on your back with the head raised above the heart. It will not be possible to sleep on your sides as well. You might find it difficult to give up your old habit. You should practice sleeping on your back before your surgery to make it easier for yourself during the recovery time.

Medication

The surgeon may prescribe some medications to use for the sake of reducing the pain and subsiding swelling. Which medications to use and their doses depends on what your doctor sees necessary and useful to your recovery process. You should avoid medication or supplements that thin the blood. These can affect your blood clotting and increase the risk of hematoma formation during the post-surgery period. Medications you should avoid include blood thinners (Coumadin, Plavix, others), aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), ginseng, Ginkgo biloba, fish oil and others.

3-Facelift Recovery Timeline, Week 2

In the second week, you may still find some swelling and bruising on your face around the treated areas. Swelling and bruising can also cause some people to experience some numbness, tingling and tightness in the treated area. These are nothing serious to be concerned about. Having passed two weeks from the surgery, most patients are able to go back to their work. They can also resume light activities such as walking.

4-Facelift Timeline, Month 1

After one month, you will be able to start most of your activities again. This includes activities such as moderate lifting, running and strenuous exercise. Be sure to stay careful while doing strenuous activities, because the recovery process is still continuing. In this period of time the results of the surgery are likely to become visible. You should be able to go out in public without any make up. Most bruising and swelling have gone or are much less noticeable at this time.

5-Facelift Recovery Timeline, Month 2-3

During the second month the scars will likely go invisible and the feeling will be back to your face nerves. The skin will be back to normal shape as well.

6-Facelift Recovery Timeline, Month 4-6

After 4 months, you will have a youthful-looking face while bruising and swelling are fully gone. You can resume your activities at the level before the surgery and have no limitations afterwards.

7-Advised Diet in Facelift Recovery Timeline

A good diet after a facelift can be of help to find a more youthful-looking and better contoured face. Below are some instructions regarding what is beneficial and what is destructive to your face healing process.

Foods

Eating good food is another key to have a better recovery process and avoid side effects of medications and consumables. Fruits and vegetables, especially dark leafy greens, should be placed at the top of what are recommended. Garlic, avocado, banana, omega-3 fats and eggs are other foods which can be of use if you put them inside your diet list. Avoid eating spicy foods and foods that are difficult to chew as they can press pressure on your incision sites.

Nutrients supplements

As nutrient deficiency can negatively impact all aspects of wound healing, using nutrients supplement may be needed during post-operation recovery. Consult your doctor regarding nutrients supplements that you may need to take. Vitamin A and C are among the useful supplements to your face recovery.

Alcohol

Avoid drinking alcohol for a minimum of one week after your operation. It can cause vasodilation and thus can worsen swelling. Also, you should limit your alcohol consumption for a period of one month.

Drinks

It is so important to stay well-hydrated after the surgery. Drink more water, as water serves to prevent infections and reduce swelling on face skin. Try not to get your water from sources such as herbal tea for at least 3 days from the surgery.

8-Daily Activities in Facelift Recovery Timeline

Although walking is allowed, you need about 1 week of recovery to start other light activities again. Any type of strenuous and vigorous activities and exercises are prohibited until week 4 or 5. Some activities and their healing time are listed below.

Sleeping

During the first week after the surgery, you should rest with at least two pillows while your head is elevated. Try to sleep on your back for about two weeks, so no pressure is present on your face.

Getting back to work

You may get back to your work after two weeks from your surgery. But if your work requires a high level of intensity you should wait around one month of your recovery period.

Driving

You should wait around 4 or 5 days until you no longer need to use any pain meds and are able to turn your neck and shoulders around.

Sexual activities

Although sexual activities do not affect your face, it still comes with risk to quickly resume your sexual activity. The biggest risk lies in elevating your blood pressure, which can subsequently cause bleeding and worsen swelling at surgical sites. Therefore, it is best that you avoid sexual activity for a minimum period of three weeks following your procedure.

Smoking

You must avoid smoking for at least one to three days both before and after the surgery. The longer the period of going without a cigarette, the better final results are likely to come out. You should as well refrain from any nicotine-containing substance such as nicotine gum, patches, snuff, chewing tobacco, cigarettes, pipes, cigars, and even trendy e-cigarettes.

Take a shower

Avoid taking showers for the first 48 hours after the facelift surgery. Water can lead into infection on the incision sites of the face. Wetting your incisions makes the overall recovery process longer and more difficult.

9-Exercising in Facelift Recovery Timeline

Light physical activities can be beneficial to your healing process and an important factor for achieving the best possible results after a facelift. As you heal by time, you can resume more strenuous activities. We listed some important physical activities and their limitations.

Aerobic & Card

As for other activities, Aerobic & Cardio must be put forward until around four to six weeks is passed from the procedure time, because they can harm the recovery process.

Running

Running can increase blood pressure and therefore lead to bleeding and more swelling. Thus you should wait until the four-week mark before you start running.

Lifting

By the fourth week you may resume weight lifting. But heavy lifting requires bending and can put too much pressure on the incision sites. So, only after the sixth week you can return to some of your normal exercise routine.

Swimming and contact sports

As for any other activities, you should wait before getting back to swimming. As your face touches water it poses a risk of infection to your incision sites. In addition, swimming too soon after a facelift surgery can strain your incision sites and cause scars to stretch. Bath or a cooling soak in the pool are mostly permitted after two weeks, while you just have to keep your head above water. Resuming activities such as diving with your face touching water requires a minimum period of six weeks

The most important part of your recovery is to observe the dos and don’ts on their certain time. Considering that we will inform you about the exact details of your recovery timeline through the CRM system for 2 years, you can pass this process perfectly.

Please do not hesitate to contact Flora if you have any other questions related to the face-lift recovery process and we will answer as soon as possible. Our experts are available 24/7 to serve and help you with anything you have in mind regarding how to pass a successful face-lift recovery period and thus have a more juvenile skin afterwards.