What is Recovery Like After a Facelift?

A middle-aged woman smiling and resting her arm on her neck. Like most other surgeries, a facelift procedure requires a few weeks of recovery. In general, the recovery period lasts about 4-6 weeks, but this varies from patient to patient depending on their health status and age. Here are a few things you can expect during each week of the recovery process immediately following your facelift procedure.

Week 1

After exiting your facelift surgery, you will still be sleepy and unsteady on your feet due to the anesthesia. You will need a friend or family member to drive you home and monitor you for at least 24 hours. Typically, you will have a follow-up visit with Dr. Sean Bidic, Dr. Vinay Gundlapalli or Dr. Casey Gene Sheck the same week as your procedure so they can change your dressings and make sure your incisions are healing as intended.

By the third day, your bruising and swelling will be at its peak. To help control pain, you can take your prescribed pain medication. You should also start walking around the house a little bit to improve blood flow.

Week 2

After about 7-14 days, you will still have mild bruising and swelling around the incisions. You might also feel some tingling or numbness around your face, but this will fade over the next week or so. At this time, many patients return to work and light physical activities like walking.

Weeks 3-4

At this point, your swelling should mostly subside. Depending on how your incisions are healing, you may have your sutures removed. The incisions will appear pink and slightly raised, but this will fade over the next few months. You will start to notice improvements in your facial contour and you should feel well enough to return to your regular activities.

Want to Restore Your Youthful Appearance? Contact Us Today

If you have sagging skin around your jowls or deep lines in your face and want to achieve a more youthful look, call American Surgical Arts today at 856-362-8898 to schedule a consultation. Dr. Bidic, Dr. Gundlapalli and Dr. Sheck are proud to serve patients from our office in Mullica Hill, NJ.

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