For many patients considering facelift surgery or mini facelift at our San Diego office, one of their chief concerns is the recovery period or downtime. By using twilight sedation and performing the procedure in a precise and custom-tailored fashion, we generally limit recovery to one to two weeks. This may vary of course if additional procedures such as eyelid lift or laser resurfacing and fat grafting are added- but even so, most patients fall within that range for facelift recovery.
On the first night after having a facelift at our La Jolla Center, patients often choose to have a professional nursing assistant stay with them. This can be at their own home if they live close by, or at the adjacent Sheraton Hotel. Other patients who have a comfortable or experienced family member or friend and had a relatively short procedure may choose to have this person stay with them instead.
Facelift sutures are removed between 5-7 days after surgery, and at this point swelling and bruising are becoming minimal. Makeup can usually be applied, and patients will start to resume some of their activities.
The important thing to keep in mind with any surgical procedure is that recovery times are estimates- everyone is different, and it is important to feel relaxed during this period, and to be able to take one or two extra days if needed.
