Typically, recovery healing timeline is 2 weeks. The first week is usually the worst, while the second week varies widely in terms of remaining issues and patient comfort with his or her appearance.
There are a wide variety of factors that can influence this time frame, including general health, extent of the procedure and any other procedures performed with it, age, and personal traits.
More detail can be had through consultation with a surgeon to discuss your particulars. (Matthew Kienstra, MD, FACS, Springfield Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Timing is an important factor to consider when researching any type of surgical procedure. Every surgeon will have their own post-surgery protocol for their facelift patients.
I always see my patients one day and one week after surgery for post-op appointments.
I always recommend planning a month to heal if you have a big event (like a wedding or work event) to attend. At the four week point after surgery, my patients are “red carpet ready” and are able to make public appearances, have photos taken, etc.
Make sure that you discuss your timeline with each surgeon that you consult with so that everyone is on the same page. (Babak Azizzadeh, MD, Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Facelift healing & downtime
The downtime following a facelift is probably the top most on everyones mind considering the procedure. It involves physical healing from pain / swelling / bruising, as well as the timeline for social interactions following the procedure.
The latter again takes precedence over all else. Both post surgical healing & the social recovery usually go hand in hand. These could take about 3-4 weeks. I believe that would be about the time when you could go into public post op, looking rejuvenated, without looking “like you just had a facelift done!” However, a facelift recovery can be variable and can depend on several factors:The extent of the procedure; a full facelift (addressing face & neck), a short scar face lift etc.
DO NOT opt for quick fix solutions or medical advertisements which promise “big results”, “1 hour…”, “lunchtime…” etc. with small incisions or minimal access. Structural change requires surgery & surgery means downtime. (Sameer Karkhanis, MS, DNB, India Plastic Surgeon)
Healing Timeline After Facelift Surgery
A facelift is a wonderful procedure for overall facial rejuvenation, and can provide patients with dramatic results. A facelift allows patients to typically “turn back the clock” approximately 10 years. Many patients are very interested in having a facelift, but have many questions about what is involved with recovery and the time it takes to get back to normal.
Sutures are removed at seven days after surgery. Patients will begin to see a large reduction in any swelling and bruising at this time as well. I tell my patients that with the application of some makeup, they should be able to go out in public without any visible signs of surgery.
Many of my patients typically return to work at 10 days after surgery. Patients are to refrain from any physical exertion and exercise for up to 2-3 weeks after surgery, and will be cleared to begin exercise by me once satisfactory healing has taken place.
Typically, this takes anywhere from 6-12 months depending on the patient. Patients that seek quicker recovery are many times candidates for Mini Facelifts which require less surgery, and therefore allow for faster recovery.
Patients need to realize that although these time frames are estimated for the average patient, recovery times can vary from patient to patient.
Facelift surgery healing timeline requires patience, but in the end our patients are delighted by their final results! (Anthony Corrado, DO, Philadelphia Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Healing from the facelift is a common concern. There are several stages of healing, and you should consult with your surgeon as he or she has a better understanding of the specifics about you, your expectations, level of social interaction, and the scope of the surgery. (Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS, West Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon)
Plastic surgery recoveries aren’t quite as cut and dry as you might expect. It will depend on the extensiveness of your procedure, your body’s natural healing pace, your unique anatomy, how well you follow your aftercare instructions, and other factors.
It also depends on how discreet you want to be. Some patients are feeling well enough to go out in public within a week of their surgery, if they don’t mind that their stitches will still be visible.
But if you prefer to keep your procedure private, it could take between two and four weeks before your bruising, swelling, and other symptoms have resolved enough for this to be the case. If you want to minimize your recovery time, you may want to ask about a mini facelift.
However, this is determined on a case-by-case basis, so you will want to schedule consultations with a few different plastic surgeons to discuss whether a mini facelift is an option. (John L. LeRoy, MD, FACS, Atlanta Plastic Surgeon)
That is truly variant on the individual and complexity of the procedure. On average most of the initial healing takes about 2 weeks. (Leonard Lu, MD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)
Recovery is Procedure Dependent
Recovery is the primary question asked by facelift patients- it is easy to camoflage a breast augmentation- not so easy to conceal a facelift during the early healing stages. The length of time for recovery is very procedure dependent- I perform small “mini lifts” in my office on a Wednesday and most patients return to a sedentary work environment by the following Monday.
“facelift” can mean many things, I’ll assume that you are talking about a traditional surgical procedure with skin excision. Many of my patients can go out in public fairly soon if this is the only procedure you have had done.
The incisions are well hidden. However, the healing process takes a while. In order to reduce the risk of complications such as bleeding, prolonged bruising and swelling, and skin contour irregularities, I recommend that my patients take 7-10 days off work and public life.
This is a relatively short period of relaxing and recovering, and it helps to ensure that you have a lifelong good result. (Diane I. Duncan, MD, FACS, Fort Collins Plastic Surgeon)
Generally, most swelling and bruising after facial cosmetic surgery (mini face lift) resolve within a couple weeks. Plan for at least 2 weeks of recovery. You may have residual slight bruising or swelling for longer, however, may still be able to go into public without drawing attention. (Houtan Chaboki, MD, Washington DC Facial Plastic Surgeon)
3 weeks you will look good if every thing goes smooth. In women they can go out as early as 2 weeks, since they can use make up and concealers. Take a look at the series of photographs on my home page under Journey of a Facelift (It is located just below the photo of a girl) and you will see a day to day healing documented with photographs after a Facelift. (Tanveer Janjua, MD, Bedminster Facial Plastic Surgeon)
With hair and sunglasses, you can go out 5 days after facelift
Although the facelift is the most powerful facial cosmetic surgery, recovery is surprisingly fast. With proper technique, there is minimal bruising. Almost all the facelift stitches are out by a week. By draping the hair in front of the ears and wearing sunglasses, most patients are able to go out an about on day 5 or 6.
WIthin a few days of that, one can go without the sunglasses. For demanding social situations we advise 3 weeks, 4 weeks for on camera work. The exception to this is your own wedding, the stress of organizing a wedding seems to prolong the healing.
In this circumstance, 2 months is recommended. (Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD, Beverly Hills Oculoplastic Surgeon)
Facelift healing can be as soon as one week but may be longer based on individual healing factors. Many patients do return to work around this time frame. Some patients wanting the most rapid recovery can have the following: Tissue glues- Can expedite healing so that swelling and brusing is minimized.
Avoidance of multiple procedures. (Anil R. Shah, MD, Chicago Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Recovery time after a facelift…
A facelift is an excellent procedure that can help patients look younger by improving facial wrinkles and tightening loose skin and muscles. The healing process can vary, because there are different techniques and every patient heals differently.
After a minifacelift you will have some swelling and bruising, which should only last around 7 days or so. After a full facelift, the swelling and bruising may last 10-14 days. Most patients can return to work in about 10 -14 days, and if you still have some bruising you may start to apply make-up.
Depending on the type of facelift that you have done, healing can vary from a week to a few weeks. The more extensive the work, the longer the healing — though, in my experience, it’s worth the wait to have a better, longer-lasting facelift.
Most of my patients feel comfortable in public around 10 days from the procedure. There will still be some healing to do, but makeup can camouflage things pretty well at this stage. Also, wearing your hair down can be helpful in the initial trips out. (Evan Ransom, MD, Bay Area Facial Plastic Surgeon)
Healing timeline for a facelift typically lasts between two and three weeks. Many patients resume work in two weeks. But there are things that can help speed the healing process such as taking Arnica Montana and Bromelain and/or using one’s own blood (PRP – platelet rich plasma).
There are many “healing” milestones after getting a facelift – pain, swelling, bruising, incision healing, and sensation. Your question specifically refers to going out in public without looking like you had an operation. Time to being socially presentable can vary based on patient factors and the extent of surgery performed.
Taking this into consideration, on average you should be presentable in public in 1-2 WEEKS. Even if there remains a little bruising or redness around the incisions, this is easily covered with light makeup and/or wearing hair down.
If you are anticipating a large, milestone event (like a wedding), you should give yourself at least 6 weeks to ensure you look your very best. Work with your surgeon to ensure you are doing everything possible to maximize healing.
Aggressive icing, compliance with your face-wrap compression dressing, herbal supplements, diet and limitations on physical activity all play a role in minimizing healing time. For some patients, we use hyperbaric oxygen treatments to speed up healing. (Jonathan Cabin, MD, Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon)
There are so many types of facelift that the healing course varies considerably. Generally speaking the less that is accomplished the quicker the healing and the easier the recovery timeline. I prefer to perform a more complete and thorough facelift giving my patients a better prospect for both a long lasting result and a natural appearance in my opinion.
I advise my patients to plan to minimize their interaction with friends for 2 weeks and to plan to resume work after approximately 3 weeks. The final results are seen 3 months after surgery. In my opinion it’s more important to give my patient a natural and long-lasting result rather than a quick outcome but each person differs in their goals of course.
In my three decades of experience, my average facelift patient has returned for a touch up after approximately 12 years up to as long as 18 years. Jon A Perlman M. D. FACSDiplomate American board of plastic surgery (ABPS)Beverly Hills plastic surgeon. (Jon A. Perlman, MD, Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon)