Week two to week four following a deep plane facelift and neck lift will require a shift in aftercare. Additionally, much of the healing should have progressed well.

What to Expect Week Two to Week Four After Surgery

Water-and-Vinegar Soaks

The second week, you will continue your water-and-vinegar soaks to the face twice a day, followed by application of the cream we gave you (and switch to Aquaphor when that cream runs out). Many of our patients will continue the water-and-vinegar soaks into the third and fourth weeks, once or twice a day as they sooth the skin and make the face feel better.

Sutures

All the suturing is performed by Dr. Patel, and there are several layers of sutures, which gives us excellent results. The dissolving sutures break up over two weeks and others are removed between two and three weeks after surgery. These are special non-scarring sutures. The deeper sutures dissolve over a few months but occasionally, some will poke through the incision. We will trim these for you as needed.

Incisions

It is important to apply a regular moisturizer to the incisions three times a day, as moisturized incisions heal more imperceptibly. A little crusting will form and will drop off: this is normal.

Ears

It is normal for the sensory nerves to wake up differently on the two sides of the face, and it can be uncomfortable sleeping on your ear. A soft pillow will help. Also, sometimes patients will notice a quick recovery in the sensation in one ear or the other and this, too, is normal. There is never any permanent change in your hearing, but swelling can sometimes give you slightly decreased hearing on one or both sides. This always resolves within a few days.

Jawline & Neck

The jawline and neck tightness will begin to settle during weeks two to four. However, some stiffness will still be there and this is normal. We spend a lot of time during surgery working on the jawline and the neck because, as I have said many times in lectures, “the money is always in the neck!” The more beautiful the neck, the more gorgeous the face. And we have hundreds of examples to prove this.

Lips

We always treat lip lines and also use nano fat grafts and stem cells to improve the skin around the mouth. After all, this area gets more wrinkles and lines, even in non-smokers, and ages more than the rest of the face. Therefore, it is normal for the skin around the mouth to look more pink than the rest of the face. The same applies to the thin skin of the lower eyelids, which can remain more pink for longer than the rest of the face. Again, this will settle.

Aerolase Laser

The beauty about modern lasers is that we now, finally, have a way of making new collagen in the skin of our patients. This is especially important after a hammock lift or a deep plane facelift and neck lift, as we use stem cells during surgery to improve the skin. We perform a series of Aerolase lasers, usually once a month, to generate new collagen in your skin. Our patients regularly get admired for the beautiful skin they develop with our surgery and the Aerolase lasers. We have many examples for you to review on our Instagram (www.instagram.com/drbckpatel) and our website (www.patelplasticsurgery.com).

Work and Play

After day 14, most patients can use makeup and resume all normal activities. Depending on the depth of wrinkles and creases, some patients will need longer for the pinkness to settle. If you have deep wrinkles and lines, you will need a second fractionated CO2 laser and injection of stem cells, usually 9 to 12 months after your surgery: this allows us to give you the best results. We will guide you.