What is involved in recovery?

The weeks after a facelift and what they ask of you

Drains, medications and check-in visits

Before you commit, have the surgeon walk you through the recovery in concrete terms: whether drains are used, which medications you will take, and when the check-in visits fall. A timeline depends on the procedure, the surgeon, and you.

What a useful recovery plan answers

A useful plan answers practical questions. When will you return to see the surgeon, what will you need to do at home, which activities are off limits and for how long, how much time away from work to plan for, and who do you call if something looks wrong. If the plan is vague on any of these, ask for detail.

Recovery is also where the long view matters. Ask what the surgeon wants from you after the operation, including skin care and sun protection, and how that affects the result over the years.

Checking the plan against published descriptions

Before the consult, read the society's description of the facelift procedure and its facelift questions page. Where the surgeon's account of your recovery departs from either page, raise it at the consult and ask for the reason.

Your plan against general recovery descriptions

General recovery descriptions are a starting point, not a prediction. If a plan you are given conflicts with what you read, the surgeon who examined you is the right person to ask.