While no one likes the recovery process after having surgery, what can make this process even more excruciating is if the success of your surgery really depends on results that you can’t actually see for weeks afterward, like with plastic surgery. But luckily, with the right recovery plan and proper recuperation, you can begin to see progress with your healing at a quicker pace, even with cosmetic surgery like a facelift.
To help you see how this can be done, here are three tips to speed your recovery after having a facelift done.
Follow Your Surgeon’s Instructions Exactly
Both leading up to and following your facelift, your surgeon will give you some instructions on how to care for yourself. And while you might think that these things are more like suggestions, if you’re wanting to give yourself the fastest possible recovery, you’ll want to follow these instructions exactly.
According to Dr. Heather Furnas, a contributor to PlasticSurgery.org, some of the things your surgeon will give you instructions regarding will include things like medications to take or not take, how to limit exercise, and what foods or lifestyle choices to avoid while you’re preparing for or recovering from surgery.
While you might like to think that slipping up on just one or two things might not have a big effect on your recovery, if these things are important enough for your surgeon to warn you about them, they’re important enough to follow for the short time you’ll be recovering.
Embrace Head Elevation
While elevating the part of your body that you’ve had surgery on can be helpful for almost any type of surgery you have, this can be particularly important when you’ve undergone a facelift.
Dr. Millicent Odunze, a contributor to Very Well Health, shares that by making a concerted effort to keep your head elevated for at least the first day or two after your facelift, you can drastically reduce your recovery time. As you keep your head elevated, you’ll help in reducing any swelling and will be able to ensure that the work done on your face remains symmetrical.
Keep Things Cool
Another thing you can do that will help in the recovery process following a facelift is to embrace the use of ice packs on your face.
According to the staff at the Mayo Clinic, the first few days after your surgery are very important for keeping things cool on your face. By applying ice packs on a consistent basis, you’ll not only help your face to feel better as far as your pain level goes, but the ice can also help to reduce any swelling that may occur, which can really help during the healing and recovery process.
If you’re planning on having a facelift soon, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you speed along through the recovery process.
