FaceLift Post Operative Care Infomation

This page provides post-operative instructions for patients who have had facelift or neck lift surgery with Dr Roth. Please read it carefully before your operation and keep it accessible during recovery. If anything is unclear, contact the rooms.

Dressings and Headband

Immediately after surgery you will be wearing a bandage around the head which is removed by Dr Roth on the first or second day after surgery. You will then be given a facial and neck compression wrap to wear. This should be worn continuously for the first week following surgery, then at night only for the following two weeks. You may remove it to shower.

Swelling and Bruising

Swelling and bruising are expected and will peak at 48–72 hours after surgery. Keep your head and shoulders elevated at approximately 45 degrees — use two pillows when sleeping — for the first ten days. Do not lie on your side as this causes uneven swelling. Apply cold compresses to the face and neck for 20 minutes per hour while awake for the first three days.

Care of Incisions

If yellow crusting or dry blood develops along the incision lines, clean gently with a cotton bud dipped in 3% hydrogen peroxide diluted 50/50 with water. Apply the prescribed antibiotic ointment to the wound three times daily for the first week, then white petroleum jelly (Vaseline) three times daily for a further week. Do not rub the incisions. Do not massage the face for the first six weeks — this can pull on the deeper sutures and cause them to fail.

Diet

Avoid foods that are hard to chew for the first two weeks. Begin with liquids and soft foods, progressing gradually to a normal diet. Maintain good fluid intake — six to eight glasses of water per day.

Medications

Take prescription pain medication as directed. Avoid alcohol while taking pain medications. Avoid aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, Vitamin E, and herbal medications as these increase bleeding risk.

Activity Restrictions

• Turn your head, neck, and shoulders as one unit for the first week
• No strenuous activity, heavy lifting, bending, or any activity likely to raise your blood pressure for the first two weeks
• Gentle walking is permitted from the second week
• For 24 hours after anaesthesia: no alcohol, no driving, no public transport without a companion, no signing legal documents
• You may bathe 48 hours after surgery — a bath is preferable to a shower initially
• Avoid direct sun exposure for one month; use SPF 30+ sunscreen on all exposed incision areas

Hair Care

• Wait at least 48 hours before wetting incisions
• Continue daily washing with normal shampoo once permitted
• No hot blow dryers, curling or flat irons for the first two weeks; cool setting only
• No hair colouring for six weeks

Suture Removal

Sutures in front of the ear and under the chin are removed at five to seven days after surgery. The remaining sutures are removed at nine to ten days. Absorbable sutures are placed behind the ear and in the deeper tissues — these do not need to be removed.

Follow-up Appointments

You will be seen on the first or second day after surgery for dressing removal. Further follow-up appointments are scheduled at suture removal and at six weeks. Make-up may be applied from day seven, avoiding the incision lines.