How Long Does It Take to Recover from a Face or Neck Lift?

A facelift can dramatically transform your appearance by taking years off your face and usually it takes around 1-2 weeks, with full recovery and results apparent after around 6-8 weeks. Although it can take up to a year for minor swelling, tightness, and numbness to abate fully, typically you’ll be able to return to work and your daily life within just 2 weeks. But all people are different, some will heal sooner than others.

Benefits Of A Facelift

A facelift is a good choice for patients who:

• Have noticeable jowls and visibly sagging skin
• Want to obtain a more youthful, refreshed appearance
• Have realistic expectations
• Are non-smokers

A facelift is a good way to refresh the appearance and allow your face to reflect how you actually feel inside. Nowadays, people are living, working, and leading active social lives well into their 60s, 70s, and even 80s and 90s. Your appearance may not keep up with your energy, though. A wrinkled, sagging face can make you seem tired and old, even though you feel sprightly and energetic.

Doctor J. Howell Tiller performs facelifts that are very natural and preserve the unique characteristics of your appearance. Dr. Tiller avoids over-pulled, “windswept,” artificial looks in favor of softer, gentler rejuvenation that refreshes and enhances rather than completely changes.

Facelift Recovery Timeline

Each patient heals at their own pace, but your facelift recovery timeline may look something like this:

Week 1: Rest and recover. We’ll give you prescription medications to help with any pain or discomfort, and you should avoid any strenuous activity. You may feel an uncomfortable tightness in your face and/or neck, but rest assured that this is temporary.

Week 2: Swelling, tightness, and bruising should have begun to dissipate. You will likely be able to return to work at this point if your job doesn’t require strenuous labor. Some patients choose to remain at home until the bruising and swelling has fully subsided, while others feel ready to return to the public eye.

Week 3-4: You should be able to return to all of your normal daily activities and resume light exercise by this point.

Week 6-8: You should be able to see your final results at this time, and resume all of your normal activities including heavy exercise with no restrictions.

Call our office and schedule a personal consultation with Dr. Tiller for this or other cosmetic procedures.