Face and Neck Lift

Your Procedure

You have had a facelift procedure, also called a ‘rhytidectomy’.
Below are some helpful tips for what to expect and how to care for your face after the procedure. At the end, there is also a ‘30 day facelift recovery guide’ for reference that will explain your recovery a week at a time.

What to Expect

It is normal to be quite swollen in the early postoperative period, and sometimes your eyelids may even swell shut. This is not usually very painful, and typically resolves in about 24-48 hours, though the bruising can last upwards of a week or more. Incisions can weep a small amount of blood, and you can also have bloodstained tears and nasal discharge.
Tight, hard, painful swelling is not normal, as is excessive bleeding.

Surgical Site Care

You may shower 2 days after surgery.
Place a tiny amount of Polysporin on your incisions, just enough to moisten the skin.
Avoid scratching and rubbing at the incisions if possible.
Placing a cool cloth or a well wrapped bag of ice for 5-10 minutes at a time helps with swelling.
It is also helpful to sleep with an extra pillow or otherwise elevate your head slightly.

Activity and Care at Home

You can walk around at home, but avoid strenuous activities and all exercise or sport.
Avoid smoking or being around a smoker
You should not drive within the first 24 hours, or while you do not have full control of a vehicle.

Medications and Pain Management

Most people have little pain postoperatively, typically controlled on Tylenol alone. You may also have a prescription for a narcotic medication.
Avoid taking aspirin or other medications that may cause bleeding.
If your eyes feel excessively dry, you can lubricate them with over-the-counter artificial tears.

What to watch for / when to call / who to call

Uncontrollable pain, loss of vision in one eye, uncontrolled bleeding, purulent or malodorous discharge, or significant systemic problems such as fever or being very unwell are not normal postoperatively.
It is normal for the skin to be bruised especially along the incision line, but if it is hard, purple-black, excessively tight, or excessively painful, this is not normal.
Should you experience these, please contact the office.

Follow-up

Your follow-up should be pre-arranged at the time of surgical booking. If you are unsure of the date, please contact the office. Sutures are usually removed about 1 week after surgery.
Further wound care and scar care will be discussed at your follow-up appointment. Please avoid all creams, gels, vitamin E, or other ‘scar products’ for the first week after surgery.

30-day Facelift Recovery Guide

Adapted from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Website

Week 1

Day 1. After surgery, you may feel unsteady and sleepy. Day 1 is usually when you need pain medication to stay on top of discomfort. Moving around is fine, but rest as much as possible. Keep well hydrated with fluids. Try and keep your head up such as with an extra pillow, or resting in a recliner. Cool cloths or a small bag of ice wrapped in a towel are helpful for swelling. A nurse follow-up visit may have been scheduled for this day depending on your procedure.
Day 2. Typically follow up with Dr. Evans is at this time, where your dressings will be changed and incisions evaluated. You can likely shower by the end of the day once assessed by your surgeon.
Day 3. By this point you are starting to feel better and want to move more, though bruising and swelling is typically the worst around this time point. Continue to rest, stay well hydrated, and avoid strenuous activity or heavy bending or lifting.
Day 4-7. Swelling has usually peaked by now and is starting to subside. Most people no longer require pain medication, or are taking simple Tylenol. You should feel fairly comfortable moving around now. Suture removal usually occurs by the end of the week, or the start of week 2. You should stop using Polysporin at this point.

Week 2

Swelling and bruising are normal, and many people may notice areas of numbness and tingling and tightness, especially along the incision lines. These are all common and should not cause concern. Minor asymmetries are normal, but if there is one area that is particularly hard, sore, tight, or excessively bruised, please let your doctor know. By the end of the week, many people are feeling more like themselves and begin doing light activities like going for walks and shopping. Avoid exercise.

Week 3 and 4

There is still residual swelling and tightness at this time, but for the most part, things are starting to look and feel much better. Patients often begin to see real improvements in their facial contour as the swelling settles. You may ease back into exercise and activities. You may bathe and swim.
The incision lines will continue to be raised, red, bumpy, and itchy throughout this time, will lessen with time. Active scar care is most important at this point. Gentle massage along the incision lines with a moisturizer such as Aveeno, Dove, Nivea, Cetaphil, coconut oil, or even Vaseline is helpful to mature scars and improve their overall outcome.
A 1 month postoperative visit is usually scheduled with Dr. Evans, and by this point you should be back to doing normal activities starting to enjoy life again! It can take many months for minor swelling, bruising, tightness, and numbness to resolve, and a whole year for scars to mature.