Even though a facelift is an elective procedure, it’s still a serious procedure, and serious procedures require a recovery period. When you’re planning for your recovery, there are certain things you need to keep in mind. Your doctor will give you more detailed information that applies to your specific procedure, but there are several things common across all facelift recoveries.
Elevate Your Head
Keeping your head elevated, especially while sleeping, is key to minimizing swelling and bruising during your recovery. Gravity will be your friend when it comes to helping your face heal properly.
Sleep with your head elevated at a 30-45 degree angle for the first two weeks after your surgery. You can either purchase a wedge pillow or stack several regular pillows to do this. Try to avoid sleeping on your side during this time as well.
Be Careful With Your Movements
Simple walking around and gentle movements are great for stimulating blood flow, which is great for healing, but doing anything too strenuous will slow down your recovery process. Avoid lifting heavy things, bending over often, and anything else that requires you to move your head often. These things can aggravate your sutures and increase swelling
For the first few weeks of your recovery, be aware of how much you’re moving. If you need to turn your head to look at something, turn your upper body instead. If you need to grab something from the floor, crouch down and grab it rather than letting your head drop to reach it.
Eat Healthy and Stay Hydrated
As always, you should be eating healthy and keeping yourself hydrated. This helps your body rebuild tissue and reduce inflammation while you heal. Drink plenty of water during the day. For your meals, focus on lean proteins (chicken, fish, eggs, etc.) and a collection of fruits and vegetables to get the right nutrients throughout your healing process.
Use Cold Compresses
Cold compresses are a great way to help reduce swelling, especially during the first 48-72 hours after your procedure. Only use them in short intervals of 10-15 minutes, and never apply the ice directly to your skin. If you keep your head elevated during this process, you’ll see better results. Try to avoid pressing the compress directly over your incisions. Instead, focus on the area around them. Ask your doctor if you have any questions specific to your procedure.
Keep Up With Your Medication
Staying on top of your medication schedule is key to minimizing pain and discomfort during this time. Your doctor will prescribe you pain meds and give you a schedule for taking them. Follow that schedule exactly, even if you don’t feel pain at the time you’re supposed to take your next pill.
While there is a chance that your pain has reduced to the point where you no longer need the medication, most likely the full effects of your previous pill have not worn off yet, especially if you’re in the first week after your procedure. You don’t want to wait until you’re in immense pain before you take your medication (since you have to wait for it to kick in!). Take your medication on time, and avoid the pain altogether.
Follow Your Doctor’s Directions
Any reputable doctor will give you things to do during your recovery and a timeline that will be specific to your procedure. While the information you’ll find on the internet is often similar to what your doctor told you, if your doctor gave you specific instructions, follow those to the letter. If you encounter problems or anything unexpected during your recovery, reach out to your doctor to see if they can help you.