Face Lift Recovery - What to Expect

Having a face lift can give your look a whole new youthful appearance. Many times, as people age, their skin loses its natural bounce and health. As a result, many individuals develop fine lines, wrinkles, folds and sagging areas of skin. When this happens, it can make you look much older than you feel. Through this type of surgical procedure, though, you can restore a great deal of that youthful appearance by better managing the skin. Newer procedures are not nearly as complex or invasive. Even the recovery may not be as bad as you think it is. Recovering Successfully Before you head in for a face lift procedure, meet with your doctor for a consultation. During this meeting, do ask all of the questions you have, but also talk to your doctor about what to expect after the procedure. You will want to know what steps you will need to take to ensure you can heal properly and quickly. After all, the healing process will differ depending on the specific details of your procedure. The following are some expectations you can have after face lift surgery. Talk to your doctor about any risks or concerns you should have. - There will be a bandage over areas of your face. This bandage is not hiding wounds but rather helping to keep you from swelling and bruising too much so from the procedure. - You may have a drain, a tube that extends out of your skin, to help with ensuring no fluid buildup is occurring. This will allow for a speedy recovery. - You will likely be given pain medications. This will help take the edge off so you can heal. - Your surgeon will provide you with specific details about how to care for the incision area, including any type of topical treatment you should use to minimize scarring. It is a good idea to follow these recommendations. - Your doctor will also talk to you about avoiding infection. Infections are the biggest risk of this procedure. Avoiding makeup and other products can help. In addition to this, you should have a conversation with your surgeon about other things you will need to do including any steps you need to take to clean and care for the area. Find out when you can return to work and your normal activities. Generally, this will not be long. You should also find out if there are any long-term limitations you need to be concerned about during these initial few weeks. It is a good idea to plan to have someone to help you for the first 24 to 48 hours after your procedure since you should not be alone.