Actual patient of Dr. Devgan, before and 5 weeks after facelift. Note the improvement in her jawline, neck, and under-the-chin contour.

Actual patient of Dr. Devgan, before and 5 weeks after facelift. Note that her scar is pink and immature, though already flat and inconspicuous. It will improve over time.

How long will it take to recover from a facelift?

Final results from a facelift or necklift operation take up to a year to fully materialize. This is because the face and neck are highly vascular, contain a great deal of blood vessels, and hold onto fluid for some time. Scar tissue also takes about a year to evolve from a raw, pink incision to a thin, pale line.

That does not mean that you need to wait a year to look beautiful, refined, and youthful, after a facelift or necklift operation, though.

A typical timeline for facelift recovery

1 day after surgery: bandages come off

1 week after surgery: stitches are removed

1-2 weeks after surgery: patients feel comfortable going out in public, possibly with concealer or a modified hairstyle

2 weeks after surgery: most patients have returned to work at this point

3-4 weeks after surgery: patients feel confident about all types of work and social events

1 month after surgery: bruising is likely completely gone

3 months after surgery: swelling has come down significantly

6-12 months after surgery: swelling resolves and scars slowly mature and fade

Recovery from facelift and necklift is very tolerable overall, and most patients are fine taking 1-2 weeks off of work and social engagements to recover. If you have specific questions about recovery from these plastic surgery operations, or if you would like to be a patient in my New York City practice, please call 212-452-2400 or email office@LaraDevganMD.com.