Of course, you should rest when you get tired. AVOID BENDING OVER OR LIFTING heavy things for two weeks. Besides aggravating swelling, this may raise the blood pressure and start hemorrhage. SLEEP WITH THE HEAD OF YOUR BED ELEVATED for 2-4 weeks after your operation.
No facelift lasts forever
A surgical facelift cannot be reversed. However, your achieved look may deteriorate over time, simply because our skin becomes more lax as we age, so you may need a second procedure to address the ageing process.
One question I hear a lot from facelift patients is “how long do I have to elevate my head after facelift surgery?” While sleeping on your back is a must, keeping your head elevated for the first 2 to 4 weeks is equally important.
Compression is just as important to facelift surgery as the surgery itself. Without it, you would face excessive bruising, scarring, and swelling. You would also have larger, more visible scars and a puffier face.
Things NOT To Do After Facelift Surgery
Avoid applying pressure around the incisions. Restrict physical activity for several days after surgery (other than walking). Avoid bending and lifting heavy objects for about 2 weeks.
AVOID BENDING OVER OR LIFTING heavy things for two weeks. Besides aggravating swelling, this may raise the blood pressure and start hemorrhage. In addition, avoid actions such as forceful coughing, straining when passing stool, vomiting, and sneezing with the mouth closed.
You may have some itching or shooting pain as the feeling returns. It may take several months for the numbness to go away. Most people recover in 4 to 6 weeks. But it probably will take 6 months or more to see the final result from the surgery.
In other words, while the newly enhanced skin, muscles, and tissues may feel tight or artificial, the patient's face won't look that way. For most patients, this sensation goes away after about 6 – 8 weeks, though it can take up to 3 – 4 months in some cases.
It depends on the type of surgery you have and your surgeon's recommendations. For most procedures you will be required to wear the garment for at least 4 to 6 weeks. The compression garment must be worn 24/7 even when you sleep, you will be only allowed to take it off when you shower.
You should feel some gentle pressure, but never so much that it is painful or causes a loss of circulation. The garment should also fit smoothly against your skin; if the fabric bunches or folds, this is a sign that it is too tight.
5. Stay on a full liquid diet for three to four days, then soft foods that minimize chewing for the next week. 7.
You may begin light aerobics after two weeks, but no head- or neck-turning exercises for four weeks.
As you research and consult with plastic surgeons to perform your facelift, keep these 4 signs of a bad result on your radar. Visible scars, pixie ears, alteration of the natural hairline and an obvious pulled skin appearance are easy to spot.
Why? When the facelift is performed, the skin is tightened and it can flatten out the jowls because the skin is tighter. However, over time as the skin relaxes, the full fatty jowls will restretch out the skin and the jowls will reappear. Weight loss prior to face lift surgery is very important for these people.
Noticeable Incisions
Visible scars are glaring signs of plastic surgery. Generally, facelift incisions run from the hairline at the temple and continue in front of and behind the ears and extend to the lower scalp.
Compression garments should be on your body much as possible in the first weeks, but it is safe to remove them for a short time (like during bathing).
“There is no benefit to wearing compression stockings to bed — when the leg is flat in bed, gravity does not affect blood flow,” Kim said. “That being said, it doesn't hurt to wear them to bed if you please. Just keep in mind that wearing them in bed doesn't mean you don't have to wear them during the daytime.
When you compress your ankle, wrist, feet, or other parts of your body at rest, you collapse your lymphatic system. This stops your body from completing the swelling process, making it worse.
Beginning on day 2 or 3, light walking is recommended to help promote blood flow which speeds healing. Short, easy walks is the only form of exercise that should be undertaken. Many patients start to feel less discomfort over the first few weeks as bruising and swelling subsides.
Once the swelling wanes, that tightness feeling should dissipate in time. Your skin will also start to slightly stretch as it adapts to the new shape. You can expect the face to feel tight for a few months following the facelift surgery. The tightness can last for about 2 – 3 months.
All of the muscles encountered in facelifting, including the platysma, orbicularis oculi, zygomaticus major and minor, and risorius muscles, belong to the superficial group [24].
General Facelift Recovery
In general, the results from your facelift will look very good after about 1-month and you'll look your best at 6 months.
Most patients begin to feel like they are really making progress during their second week of facelift recovery. Most fatigue should wear off by this point and patients should feel well enough to resume many of their normal tasks around the house.
Walking is hands down the best form of exercise to do post any kind of surgery including a facelift. Walking in the initial phases of recovery will promote blood circulation, prevent blood clots and promote healing. It will give you a surge of energy as well.