Recovering After Your Facelift: What to Expect

You can turn back time and rejuvenate your face with the facelift procedure. Facelift surgery is one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures performed at our practice. The procedure effectively tightens the skin and minimizes the appearance of facial wrinkles. At The Landings Surgery Centre in Halifax, we welcome facelift patients from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Plastic surgeons Richard Bendor-Samuel and Louis Boileau skillfully perform surgery to produce natural looking results. We invite you to contact our practice for your one-on-one consultation so our surgeons can advise you on what to expect during recovery.

What Results Can I Expect From a Facelift?

Facelift surgery, or rhytidectomy, is a procedure in which excess skin and fat are removed and facial muscle tissue is tightened to produce a more youthful appearance. From a facelift procedure, you can expect to see a reduction in loose skin, fewer wrinkles, and a more refreshed appearance. Results can be expected to last 10 years or more.

Candidates for facelift surgery should be in good health. Prime candidates tend to be non-smokers in the 40 to 70 age range with good skin elasticity.

The Facelift Procedure

During a facelift, the skin, fat, and muscles of the face are repositioned. This surgery involves multiple, discreet incisions that are made along the hairline and behind the ear. Once the incisions are made, the muscle and tissue are repositioned and excess tissue and fat removed. The incisions are then closed with sutures and the face bandaged. The whole procedure generally takes two to six hours.

Recovery After a Facelift

There are things you can do before your procedure to prepare for recovery, including: 

• Be sure to have multiple button-down shirts or blouses to wear in the weeks during recovery. Wearing loose-buttoned blouses will let you avoid the need to pull a shirt over your face.
• You should also plan to have ice packs ready to help reduce swelling.
• You will need materials to re-bandage and clean your wounds. Your doctor will advise you on the cleaning and care process.
• Purchase pain medication and fill any prescriptions before you undergo surgery.
• After surgery, you will need someone to drive you home as well as stay with you for the next 48 hours.
• Do not wear makeup for a week or two after surgery.

Immediately after your facelift surgery, you can expect bruising and swelling. The bruising and swelling may last from two to three weeks. Though bruising and swelling may last weeks, you should begin to feel better as early as three days after surgery. For the first few weeks after surgery, it is vital that you see your doctor regularly. Your doctor will ensure that the facelift sutures are healing properly. During this time you will need to avoid strenuous activity. Our Nova Scotia and New Brunswick facelift patients generally take two to three weeks off from work to allow for full recovery after facelift surgery.

Schedule a Consultation at The Landings Surgery Centre

If you're in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick considering a facelift, we welcome you to schedule a consultation at our Halifax office. Our knowledgeable, experienced staff looks forward to helping you achieve the look you desire.