Unlike what television and movies may have told you, facelift and neck lift recovery can be peaceful and relaxing. Facial lift recoveries are usually portrayed in a terrifying way in pop culture: we usually see a woman with swollen features, completely wrapped in mummy-like bandages. Fortunately for you, facelift recoveries are supposed to be calm, relaxing times for you get some well deserved rest and take care of yourself. But first, let’s learn about what a face and neck lift recovery entails and what we need to do to prepare for them.
Your Gear
You won’t be wearing full-on mummy wraps, instead, you will be provided with a soft cotton head wrap after your operation. A couple of drains will also be placed under the skin to prevent fluid buildup; but that will be removed after a couple of days. Your sutures should also be removed after around a week. Although you might experience swelling, bruising, and soreness, those should go away after a few weeks.
Notepad
Yes, journaling can be fun, but having a notepad or notebook during your recovery has a more useful purpose: keeping track of when you took your medication. You will be given pain medication to manage any discomfort during your recovery, and it’s important that you take it correctly and in the right amounts. You don’t want to run out too quickly or forget to take them.
Nutrition
You don’t want to do anything strenuous that can raise your heart rate and cause more bleeding, so it’s good to have frozen or pre-prepared meals around so that you don’t have to cook much. It’s also smart to eat lots of fluids and soft foods that are easy to eat and chew—you also don’t want to be chewing something like jerky when you’re recovering from a combination face and neck lift. Ouch! Nutrition-wise, you should stick to low-sodium foods to reduce the probability of swollen tissue.
Your Recovery Zone
Your recovery zone is a sacred place of rest and recovery—essentially, it’s where you’re going to spend most of your time while recovering from your facelift. Make sure it’s soft, full of blankets and pillows, and that you have essential things like your phone, remote, medication and salves close by within reach.
Face Lift Recovery Time
All of this face lift recovery prep may seem daunting, but actually most of Dr. Lee’s patients are back in public in as little as a week and a half. We use sutures that are buried and absorbable, so there are none to take out, and we also don’t use drains. Instead, patients simply use a soft cotton wrap for about a week
Contact Dr. Ben Lee now for a consultation on the neck and facelift.