Guide:
- How Long Does It Take To Recover From A Deep Plane Facelift?
- How Long Do Deep Plane Facelift Incisions Take To Heal?
- Is A Deep Plane Facelift Painful?
- How To Avoid A Deep Plane Facelift Gone Wrong
How Long Does It Take To Recover From A Deep Plane Facelift?
People searching for dramatic, comprehensive improvements in the appearance of aging changes in their face, often consider the deep plane facelift.
What is a deep plane facelift? The key difference between deep plane facelift and traditional facelift is that it yields more natural-looking, longer-lasting results with little difference in the downtime. So how long is recovery from a deep plane facelift and what can you expect during this time?
Immediately after your deep plane facelift, it is completely normal to experience swelling, bruising, tightness, and some discomfort. You should notice all of these post-surgery side effects gradually diminish daily. Many patients experience most swelling around their lower face, jawline, and neck, but this should become less noticeable from one month to three months. If you opt for a deep plane mini facelift instead, your recovery should be slightly less demanding.
Any pain or discomfort during the initial stages of your deep plane facelift recovery should be easily managed with the pain medications prescribed for you by your doctor. To help minimize bruising and swelling, you can take special medications such as bromelain or arnica as suggested by your doctor.
During the first week of your recovery care of your facelift incisions is essential. This means keeping them clean and moist with saline and ointments such as petroleum jelly.
If your sutures are not dissolvable, you’ll need to return to your plastic surgeon’s office to have them removed after the first week. Once these sutures are out, you can wear makeup on your face again.
You’ll need to take it easy for the first week after your surgery, slowly resuming your daily activities while listening to your body as it heals. Light walking should be safe after about a week but this is not the time to exercise to the point of exertion. Your doctor will provide specific instructions on which activities are safe to resume after the one-week mark.
Some patients aren’t quite comfortable going out in public after the one-week mark depending on how their swelling and bruising are healing but many patients feel comfortable enough to do so.
Usually, most patients feel completely back to normal around the two-week mark after their deep plane facelift.
You should be ready to return to work after about a week or two, especially if you have an office job. If your job is more physically demanding you may need extra time off to be safe and let your body heal completely.
At the one-month mark after your deep plane facelift, you should notice dramatic improvements in any initial swelling and bruising. You may also see your incisions are beginning to fade. It is normal to still have some feelings of numbness or tightness at this point, but it should be minor compared to how it felt the day of your surgery.
While you may feel fabulous and want to jump back into your gym routine quickly after your deep plane facelift, you should put your fitness goals on hold for 3-4 weeks. While it may be alarming to some that they need to halt their heavy lifting and running routines, it is only to ensure no complications happen and you achieve the best result possible. Intense activities too early in your recovery can slow down the process.
Most patients see a dramatic transformation by the six-month mark. How long does a deep plane facelift last, though? Results should last over a decade if you care for your skin properly.
How Long Do Deep Plane Facelift Incisions Take To Heal?
The next question many patients ask after ‘How long is recovery from a deep plane facelift?’ is ‘How long will it take incisions to heal?’. Initially, the skin around your facelift incisions will feel numb and you may experience some possible itching or stinging as the feeling returns to the areas. This numbness may take several months to fade completely.
During the first few weeks of recovery, your deep plane facelift incisions will likely feel tender and appear red, swollen, and bruised. These initial post-surgery effects improve dramatically within the first 1-3 months. The incision color, thickness, and raised appearance should fade gradually, but be aware that this can take six months to a year. By the one-year mark, your facelift incisions should be matured, meaning they appear thin, white, flat, and sometimes practically invisible.
Is A Deep Plane Facelift Painful?
While the surgery itself should be painless as it is done under general anesthesia, the pain level of deep plane facelift recovery depends on the patient’s specific pain tolerance. What one person may find very painful may be mostly tolerable to another.
Any discomfort related to your deep plane facelift is the most intense immediately after your surgery and should improve gradually over the following days. Most patients feel little to no discomfort related to their facial rejuvenation surgery around the one-week mark.
Dr. Taghva and her surgical team have perfected the pain management process for their patients. The medications they provide, and the schedule they recommend patients take them, are tried and true to minimize discomfort as much as possible.
Even if you feel great straight out of your deep plane facelift and believe you don’t need to take any pain medications as recommended by your doctor, we advise you to stay ahead of the pain by staying on schedule at least for the first 2-3 days of your recovery.
How To Avoid A Deep Plane Facelift Gone Wrong
We recommend paying close attention to your surgical team’s pre-op instructions if you want to aid healing during your recovery and avoid the chance of a deep plane facelift gone wrong. This may include:
- Getting any necessary lab tests requested by your doctor
- Plan to have someone there to take you home on the day of your procedure
- Arrange to have someone there to help you with usual activities for the first few days after your facelift
- Mentally prepare yourself to take several weeks off of strenuous activities such as weight lifting or running
- Minimize sun exposure and wear your sunscreen
- Request adequate time off work for your recovery
- Avoid smoking at all costs
- Keep your body hydrated and eat foods that nourish your body during the weeks leading up to your surgery
- Do not consume alcohol 2 weeks before or after your surgery
- If you need a haircut or color soon, schedule it ahead of your surgery as it can interrupt scar healing if done too soon after surgery
- Stop taking blood thinning medications or herbal supplements for 2 weeks before your surgery
The number one step to ensure satisfactory deep plane facelift results is to choose a board-certified plastic surgeon specializing in facial rejuvenation. During your consultation, take the time to ask them about their training and experience. Don’t be afraid to ask them how often they have delivered a successful facelift result using the deep plane technique.
Before trusting a surgeon to perform your surgery, you should check their before and after photos to ensure they have delivered results that meet your expectations. Do they look natural? Do the scars heal nicely? Does the skin look overly pulled? Make sure their work matches what they tell you.
You should have realistic expectations going into your deep plane facelift. Aside from being physically prepared with all your recovery necessities, you should prepare mentally for this big step toward newfound confidence.
Ready to find out if a deep plane facelift is right for you? Request a consultation with Newport Beach plastic surgeon Dr. Goretti Ho Taghva for a comprehensive assessment.
