What to Expect the First Week After Surgery

Hygiene & Personal Care

The first day after surgery, you will remove the dressing and will be able to bathe/shower.

Patients who have had laser treatment as well will start the water-and-vinegar soaks to the face four times a day for the first week and twice a day for the second week. After each soak, you will apply the special cream we give you and when that runs out, you will switch to Aquaphor. These detailed instructions will be in your preoperative package for you to read prior to the day of your surgery.

Sleeping Instructions

It helps to sleep with two to three pillows for the first three nights and it is important to keep the neck extended (lean back) and not fall asleep with your chin on the chest. This will allow the swelling to settle more quickly.

Wearing Your Brace

The jawline (neck) brace we give you will be worn every night for two weeks and as much as you can during the daytime for two weeks. It is fine to leave it off after each soak of the face and let the air get to the whole face for an hour or so.

Managing Anxiety: Important

It is normal to feel anxious during that first week for several reasons. After all, the swelling and sensation of tightness can be concerning. This settles over the first 2 weeks and then gradually thereafter. Also, being kept busy looking after the skin and staying out of direct sunshine can provoke anxiety. Knowing this, we discuss the taking of anti-anxiety medication specifically with each patient.

It is important to know that it is normal to feel sad and wonder why you did the surgery!!! The good news is that this will pass. In fact, even the first few days after surgery, you will already see the immense improvement we obtain in your jawline and your neck.

We keep in regular touch with our patients and guide you through this first week. This is also the reason why we try to introduce all our patients undergoing a deep plane facelift to meet someone who has already been through it, men and ladies alike. It has been immensely helpful to share experiences and also for prior patients to realistically guide our patients. Mutual support is excellent and our prior patients are always happy to discuss the surgery, the recovery, and any other aspects with prospective patients.

Physical Sensations

• Tightness: The jawline and neck will feel tight for the first week: this is normal. The swelling of the lower face will feel worse than it is because the sensory nerves wake up slowly and the numb areas (temporary) always feel more swollen than they really are.
• Tearing: If you also have surgery on your brows and your eyelids (the majority of our patients undergoing the deep plane facelift and neck lift will have this done), you will experience temporary tearing and blurry vision. Preservative-free artificial tears can be used during the first few weeks.
• Pain: Most patients only need prescription pain medication for 1 to 2 days. After that, patients can switch to Tylenol or extra-strength Tylenol. You will have a course of a Medrol Dose Pack, which is a low-level steroid that is reduced over 6 days and helps with the swelling immensely.

Diet

Most patients can resume their normal diets the day after surgery. Good fluid intake and a balanced diet are important for recovery. It is normal for your cheeks and jaw to feel tight when you open and close your mouth: this settles.

How the Face Feels

The face swells the first few days and then subsides. Also, there will be the sensation of numbness and tightness already discussed. This settles over time. The numbness of the cheeks goes away slowly over weeks to months and does not bother our patients.

It is also normal to be able to feel some of the deeper sutures, especially in very slim patients or patients who have lost a lot of weight. These deeper sutures slowly soften and dissolve and do not cause any problems.

Activity & Exercise

You can go for a walk even the day after surgery, but not in direct sunshine. Most patients will go for a stroll in the evening after the sun has set and with a broad hat or cap on. After the first week, you can apply sunscreen and go outdoors, but, again, not in the direct sunshine.

Gentle stationary biking and treadmill use can be resumed by day 7 and physical sports like tennis and skiing can be resumed by day 14.

Wearing Makeup

Whenever we use lasers and stem cells to improve the quality of the skin, it is normal for the pinkness of the skin to fade gradually. Makeup can be used by day 10 to 12. It is also normal for the skin to look more pink when you remove the makeup at the end of the day, and is of no concern.

Note for Men: Shaving

We encourage our male patients to avoid shaving for the first two to three weeks. As your stubble grows, it allows you to heal and hides the incisions very well. When they shave the stubble off after 3 to 4 weeks, most people will think our male patients look better just because they shaved! And the incisions blend in as we design them very carefully.