Blog

Your Facelift Recovery Explained from Day 1 To Day 30

A facelift can erase years from your appearance and give you a fresh, rejuvenated look. If you’re considering a facelift procedure, it can be helpful to know exactly what to expect from your recovery. Board-certified head and neck surgeon Dr. Sarah Vakkalanka will provide you with more detailed instructions to follow, but here’s a general recovery timeline you can expect after your facelift.

Day 1

The day of your surgery, you’ll feel groggy and unsteady from the anesthesia, so you’ll want to arrange to have someone drive you home and monitor you for the first night. You’ll be prescribed pain medications to manage any discomfort and keep swelling at a minimum. Make sure to have these filled ahead of time so you have them ready when you get home.

Day 2

Generally, Dr. Vakkalanka may want to see you the day after your procedure to assess your incisions and change any bandages. This a good time to ask all your questions and receive any additional care you may need from your plastic surgeon. It’s likely you’ll continue to need pain medication and will still have a lot of swelling. You should continue to rest.

Day 3

By day 3, you should begin to feel more energy to move around, but you should continue to rest to allow your body to heal properly. Bruising and swelling are usually at its worst during this period but will begin to slowly subside now. You may still need to continue your pain medication at this time.

Days 4 to 6

By this time, you should be relying on your pain medication less and less. However, you should still limit your activities to light walking or housework as you continue to heal.

Days 7 to 14

Your incision is continuing to heal, but you may feel some tightness or numbness in the area. Bruising and swelling will still be present. By the end of the 2nd week, you can likely return to your job and incorporate some light exercise, such as walking, but avoid strenuous exercise, which can put pressure on healing tissues.

Days 15 to 30

If you have sutures that need to be removed, this will happen from one to three weeks after your procedure. Some swelling and tightness may still be present, but you will generally feel well enough to begin incorporating your normal routine. The incision site may look pinkish in color, but this will gradually fade over time.

After Day 30

After day 30, you can resume your normal activities. There may still be some bruising, swelling, and sensitivity around the surgical site. This should resolve itself over some time. Your final results will begin to settle from this point forward.

Ready To Take the Next Steps

The best way to learn about your options for facelift surgery is by meeting Dr. Vakkalanka. She is happy to discuss the best facial rejuvenation options for your goals. To get started, we invite you to call (714) 804-5460 or contact us through our website to schedule your consultation.