Recovery

Your Recovery – Day 1

At the conclusion of your procedure, you will be mildly bruised and swollen at this point, but neither will be visible due to a fluffy cotton dressing that will be wrapped around your forehead, cheeks, and under your chin. Your face, mouth, nose, and eyes will not be covered by the dressing.

You will be asked to spend some time under your surgeon’s care for about 1 hour prior to being discharged. Your surgeon’s office will usually call you the evening of the procedure to check on your progress.

Your Recovery – Week 1

Most patients feel no pain whatsoever immediately after surgery. Many patients find they nap intermittently the first afternoon. Later in the evening, most patients report a feeling of tightness or soreness along the ears and jawline.

Most patients take their prescribed pain medication for 24-36 hours after the procedure, and then switch to Tylenol – all other over-the-counter pain preparations are off-limits. Many patients take Tylenol alone right from the start, while a few require the prescription pain medication for 3-4 days.

The day after your surgery your dressing will be removed and your surgeon should examine your face to make sure you are healing properly.

On the 6th or 7th day after surgery, you will return to your surgeon’s office for a painless suture removal visit.

By the 7th day, you may wear makeup, and almost everyone is “presentable” to run errands or go back to work. Especially easy bruisers, or patients over 65, may require another 2-3 days for most of the bruising to resolve. By 2-3 weeks, most people are “undetectable”. If you are not self conscious about being seen with bruising or sutures in place, or work from home, expect to be back to work within 3-4 days.

Your Recovery – Long Term

Over the ensuing weeks and months, you will find your incision lines, hidden around your hairline and ears, become less and less noticeable. They are generally mildly pink for a few weeks, but easily covered with regular makeup. By 3-4 months, the pinkness is generally gone.

For more information, please contact us.