FACIAL COSMETIC SURGERY

Normal Things To Expect After Surgery

1. Bruising. This can take 4-6 weeks to disappear. Bruising usually follows gravity by gradually moving from the lower face down to the neck and chest area before it completely fades.

2. Swelling. Your face will be quite swollen following your facial surgery. This takes several weeks to decrease and may take as much as a year to completely go away.

3. Moderate discomfort. Following the facelift procedure you may experience a tight feeling under your chin. This is due to the swelling caused by the repair of the neck muscle and results in the tight feeling. Quite often the patient feels that the dressing is too tight around the neck but this is not usually the case. You will be given a prescription to take for discomfort if needed.

4. Weakness. You will feel a little weak of "washed out" after your surgery. This feeling usually goes away as the recovery progresses. You should drink a lot of nutritious fluids during this time. (Gatorade and fruit juices - not just water.)

5. Temporary firmness of some areas of the face. You may notice some areas of your face feel a little firm after your surgery. This is a normal reaction and will soften as recovery progresses. The area under the chin takes the longest to soften and feel normal, especially if neck liposuction and muscle repair are done.

6. Decrease in sensation. You may experience a slight decrease in sensation of the lower face following a facelift or facial liposuction, and possibly the forehead (if browlift is performed). This will improve over 1-2 years. As sensation recovers you will typically get several types of unusual feeling s in the surgical area: little sharp pains, a dripping or crawling sensation.

7. Incisions. There will be several small incisions back in the hairline following a browlift procedure. The facelift incisions are a little more extensive but the majority are hidden back in the hairline or inside the ear. Sutures (stitches) will be removed at intervals during the next two weeks

8. Dressings. Following the facelift procedure you will wake up wearing a soft cotton head dressing. If laser resurfacing is performed, you will also have a clear dressing over your facial skin. You must keep this dressing in place at all times. You will return to your surgeon's office the morning following your surgery to have your dressing changed. Your dressings will be changed again the next day in order for you to be more comfortable. The dressings will be removed after 4-6 days.

9. Diet. You should drink nutritional fluids such as apple juice or Gatorade the evening after your procedure. The next day you may eat soft foods such as scrambled eggs, grits, mashed potatoes, soups, oatmeal, etc. Following the facelift procedure you should not eat anything that requires you to have to open your mouth widely or that requires chewing for two weeks after your surgery. If you have laser resurfacing around your mouth it is important to refrain from using drinking straws for three to four weeks also.

10. Medication. You must have a responsible adult with you around the clock for at least 2 days to help you with your medication and with your general care. You will be given a list explaining how each prescription is to be used. Instructions will also be on each medication container.

General Risks of Any Surgery

1. Bleeding. Blood loss is minimal during the facial procedure but over-activity during the postoperative period may cause some bleeding. You must not lift, strain, stoop or bend over for 5-6 weeks after your surgery as this can cause you to have unexpected bleeding which may necessitate having to return to the operating room for additional surgery. You should also not lift anything heavier than a regular plate of food.

2. Infection. You will have antibiotics to take after your surgery to minimize the risk of infection. Infection is rare after facial surgery, however, if you should experience unusual pain or redness you should call your surgeon.

3. Blood pressure problems. If you currently take medication for your blood pressure you must continue taking it throughout your recovery period. Your anesthetist will be monitoring your blood pressure throughout your surgery.

4. Allergic reactions.

5. Anesthesia problems. You will be given medication during your surgery to prevent nausea during your recovery period. In addition, you will be given specific prescriptions to take should you experience nausea during your postoperative period.

6. Blood clots in the legs and lungs. During your surgery your surgeon will be using special "foot pumps" to gently massage your feet during your procedure to minimize the risk of blood clots. After your surgery you will have anti-embolus (elastic) stockings applied. It is important that you keep these stockings on for the first week after your surgery. You may remove them daily in order to bathe your legs, but they must be worn until you are actively moving around in your home or hotel room. You should also get up and walk around frequently. When lying or sitting, you should pump your feet up and down as this helps to minimize the risk of blood clots. If you experience pain or swelling in one leg during your postoperative period, or if one leg feels tender to touch, you should contact your surgeon immediately.

7. Constipation. This is especially common because of your pain medication and decreased activity. It is wise to start and "over-the-counter" stool softener or laxative before and after surgery, especially if it tends to be a problem for you.

8. Additional or "touchup" surgery. Healing after surgery is not an exact science nor 100% predictable. This may result in a delay in your return to work or normal activities, or it may result in the need for additional surgery and/or hospitalization along with their additional costs.

9. There may be other uncommon or unknown problems that we have not anticipated.

Risks Specific to Facial Surgery

1. Nonspecific sensations. Frequently patients experience slight itching or similar sensation of the scalp or face after cosmetic surgery. These sensations will disappear as your recovery progresses but it is important that you wear white cotton gloves, especially at night, to remind you to keep your hands and fingernails away from your face. If you should accidentally scratch your newly lased facial skin or disrupt a suture, your healing process will take longer.

2. Blurry vision. If you have the browlift, eyelid, or laser resurfacing surgery you will be expected to put ointment in your eyes every single night for 2 weeks. This ointment will blur your vision. Further, any time you have surgery around the eyes, more mucus is produced in the eye area and this, plus the swelling from the surgery also blur your vision.

3. Slow or poor healing. There may be areas of slow or poor healing, especially if you are a smoker or have diabetes, auto-immune disease, impaired immunity or some other less common disorder. This can occur anywhere but it is most common around the hairline and behind the ear. For this reason you should leave hair as long as possible until after your surgery. Poor healing can also result in scarring or some temporary or permanent hair loss around the incision.

4. Redness. During the first few weeks after laser resurfacing you will experience some increased redness of your facial skin. This usually fades over the next 1-6 months. Two weeks after your surgery you will be given some cover-up makeup to use. This make-up is specifically designed for post-op laser resurfacing patients to cover residual redness until it has faded. An aesthetitian will show you how to apply the make-up.

5. Color change in the skin and/or demarcation line. An area of the skin may become temporarily or permanently darker or lighter than the surrounding skin. This may be a normal response to laser resurfacing, or it may occur in an area of slow or poor healing.

6. Localized or diffuse thinning of the hair. Any stress such as illness or surgery can result in thinning of the hair, especially if your hair is already thinning. This is usually temporary, or rarely permanent. You may have your hair "permed" or colored prior to our surgery but it is important to wait at least 6 weeks after your procedure before repeating the process.

7. Driving. You should not drive a car during the first 2-3 weeks after your facial surgery. The neck muscle repair along with the facelift procedure will make it difficult for you to turn your head quickly or completely during the early recovery period. This plus the blurry vision makes driving dangerous.

8. Nose Surgery. If you are planning to have nose surgery you will be wearing a special cast on your nose for one week. You will also have some jelly type packing inside your nose that you will need to keep for two weeks. You must refrain from blowing you nose during this two-week period as doing so many cause heavy bleeding.

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