Recovery from Face/Neck Lift

• After Dr. Ramesh removes the initial dressing, wear the elastic wrap provided while you are awake for the first 2 weeks after surgery.
• Your eyes will feel very swollen and may have chemosis (swelling or bleeding on the eyeball itself, which looks like “jelly”), dark bruising on the eyelids or face, or significant swelling. The PEAK day with the worst swelling is day 3 (with the day of surgery being day 0).
• Bleeding from the incisions is normal. If you have bleeding, apply an ice compress with firm pressure to the area for 15 minutes.
• You will feel tired as you recover from anesthesia. Take rest, do not strain yourself, and eat small, easily-digestible meals.
• You might have pain in your eyelids, pain in the temple/when you chew if you had an eyebrow lift, pain when you move your eyes, or tenderness to touch. This is normal for the first several days.
• You will not look or feel like yourself due to swelling, and you will be asymmetric. Recognize that surgery is a process and you will take 3-6 months to heal, but you will start to look like yourself in 14 days.
• Your smile will be asymmetric for several days to weeks. This is due to swelling. The act of doing surgery also sometimes causes the muscles and nerves to fall dormant (“apraxia”) – these usually “wake up” in 4-6 weeks and patients are symmetric again. Very rarely do these asymmetries persist for longer than 3-6 months.
  
• HEMATOMA: During the first 7 days after surgery, the major risk is hematoma (1% of patients). If you have a large bruise in your face or neck (the size of a tangerine, plum, or larger), text Dr. Ramesh a photo and call him immediately. This may require urgent drainage. If this is drained appropriately, this will not affect your final result. Feel free to text photos to Dr. Ramesh’s cell phone at any time you are concerned.

To prevent the occurrence of hematoma, DO NOT bend, strain, stoop, lift anything > 15 lbs, engage in vigorous or sexual activity, get your heart rate up, do housework/laundry/chores, or make sudden movements of your head/neck for 2 FULL weeks.

• DRAINS: Dr. Ramesh might use drains to reduce post-operative swelling/bruising. Attach the drainage tubes to your clothing so that the bottles are not pulling on your skin. Dr. Ramesh will likely remove the drain within the first 5 days of surgery. You should empty the drains and record the output twice daily. To empty the drain:
  • Unplug the drainage plug on the bulb. Hold the bulb upside down over a measuring container.
  • Squeeze the bulb until it is empty of drainage fluid. Notice the amount of drainage and write it on the chart.
  • Squeeze the bulb to get the air out. When the bulb is collapsed as much as it can be, insert the plug back into the drain hole.
  • DO NOT rinse or clean your drainage bulb under any circumstances. This could make you susceptible to infection.