Facelift Recovery
Guidance for swelling, head elevation, dressings, incision care, early walking, activity limits, and urgent hematoma warning signs.
If something feels urgent, do not wait on this website.
Contact the clinical team promptly. For severe or rapidly worsening symptoms, use local emergency services or the nearest appropriate emergency department. This website is not monitored as an emergency service.
These are general instructions. Follow the written and verbal plan given for your own operation when it differs.
Start here
- Use these instructions as general guidance only. If your surgeon or clinic team gave you different instructions, follow the clinic instructions.
- Keep your follow-up appointment even if you feel well. Early review helps the clinic notice small issues before they become larger problems.
What is usually normal
- Swelling, bruising, tightness, numbness, and a pulling feeling around the ears and neck are common early.
- Bruising may move downward with gravity. This can look surprising but often improves gradually.
Positioning and swelling care
- Rest with your head elevated about 30 to 40 degrees. Avoid bending forward or letting the head hang down.
- Avoid pressure on the cheeks, ears, jawline, and neck. Sleep on your back until cleared.
- Use cold compresses only if your clinic recommends them, and keep them gentle with no direct pressure on incisions.
Dressings and incision care
- Keep bandages, wraps, drains, and sutures as instructed. Do not loosen a wrap unless it feels too tight or the clinic tells you to.
- Clean incision lines only as directed. Keep hair dye, harsh products, and makeup away from incision lines until cleared.
Activity
- Short gentle walks are helpful once you are steady. Avoid heavy lifting, straining, jogging, and vigorous exercise until cleared.
- Avoid smoking and nicotine because they can reduce blood flow to healing skin.
Call the clinic urgently
- Sudden one-sided swelling, tightness, severe pain, or a rapidly enlarging bruise can be a hematoma and needs immediate review.
- Call for skin that turns dark, blistered, or very pale, or for wound edges that separate.
- Call for fever, pus, spreading redness, worsening ear pain, new facial weakness, or inability to close an eye.
Emergency signs
- Seek emergency care now for chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting, severe uncontrolled bleeding, or a fast irregular heartbeat.
- Seek urgent care for new one-sided calf swelling, warmth, redness, or cramping, especially after body or breast surgery.
- After eye surgery or facial fillers, sudden vision change, severe eye pain, or stroke-like symptoms should be treated as an emergency.
Dr Aran Aso · +964 774 400 1515
https://aranaso.com/aftercare/facelift