facelift recovery

Hello I'm about 10 days since surgery, and still have numbness around ears and cheek area near ears.  Will get back stiches out on Wednesday this week.  I have a think puffyness around the cheek near ears still swollen.  Been experiencing ear pain all around the ear area which Dr. told me would happen, part of the healing process.  Only taking tyelonl now.  I do have a strange pain its when you eat something for the first time when you get that sour pinch in your ear/neck area normally its a really sharp pain, but I was told its normal.  I don't like the eay I look right now my face is shaped strange because of the swelling still around ear and cheeks.  I'm still wearing soft wrap at night very hard to sleep, I stay on my back. Sure hoping I made the right decision I'm 55 and was going to have this surgery at 50 and put it off. Time will tell.  I had the weekend HAHA face lift or mini face lift which includes the chin incision tightening and lipo.  I have a grea husband who has been helping me everyday, even washing my hair for me.  :)) Thanks

Would not go with Dr Nond. I had rhinoplasty and cheeks implants. After a week I had to take it out as the silicone did not.suit my face what so ever and cheek implants made my lower eyelid area very hollow looking. Nose silicone was also crooked and he tried to straighten it a week after.surgery. I was in so much agony.. and no it did not work. I am Australian thai and spoke to one of the nurses there and he said there was another person who also took the implant out after a week just before I did. That pretty much saids it all.

Dear hazel eyes, I am at exactly the same time frame of recovery as you. From my cheekbones to my ears is still hard and numb. I am trying to tell myself that every day I can feel my ears a little more but it's still uncomfortable to hold a phone or sleep on them. My eyelids also look like Frankenstein and one is scratcy and feels like it doesn't close all the way. They are still numb from the corners to my ears. I'm freaking out because I just read on a doctor's answer blog that the ear numbness could be damage to the major ear nerve and that the feeling may not come back! I hope I'm just reading too much because my doctor assured me last week that this numbness can take several weeks to resold pave itself as the nerves have to regenerate.
The frosting on the cake is that I just had a major (face and neck) outbreak of Rosacea, which I have never had before. So all in all, I am starting to get depressed.

18 days post op my eyes lack luster for some odd reason. Had an upper eyelift, forehead lift and lower face lift. I am very critical but examine my face daily.dr said by 4 weeks 60% of the swelling will go down and the rest takes many months. BE patient. I do see slight improvementioned each day

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Facelift results are generally long lasting, though patients should be advised that swelling and puffiness might affect appearance for several months. It may also take up to six months for incision lines to fade and disappear. Patients who undergo facelift procedures are often encouraged to maintain a healthy lifestyle and to avoid excessive sun exposure in order to enhance and prolong the benefits of the procedure.

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Hello, I am almost 7 weeks out from mid facelift, neck lift with platy, upper and lower eyes and cheek implants. I wanted to share my experience, recovery, and where I am now. I am 58yr old, and noticed I was having significant jowling and neck hanging when in my late 40's. As time continued, I started getting large bagging under my eyes when I smiled. The folds at my nose were really getting pronounced and my mouth was downturned significantly, but the worst part was that I felt like I looked like I was "melting" when looking at myself from a side view. view. Looked like everything had just "slid down" my face and I lost all recognition of any jaw line. My eyes were also starting to "droop" and I just looked tired when I was not. I am in relatively good health and was medically cleared for surgery.
I have to say, even with all of my preparation and choosing a double board certified PS, I was not quite prepared for what I saw after 81/2 hours of surgery. Ladies, this surgery is NOT for the faint of heart! The best part was I had no illness from the anesthesia, and no real pain to speak of. I spent the night in the hospital before a mid morning discharge after seeing the doctor. I asked the nurse how much pain medication I had since the surgery so I could anticipate how to take the meds at home, but she told me I did not have ANY. I was really surprised by that, and din't ever take any after coming home, so no pain, really. My eyes were open, but they were very swollen and totally black and blue. Stitches in each cheek to hold the implants in place, mummy head wrap and three drains from the back of my ears. My first problem was not being able to close my jaw after waking up. Got a little better every day, but very hard to eat. Doctor said it would get better every day, but it didn't resolve until the drains were removed two days after surgery. That was a relief, for sure. I started on the steroid 5 day medrol pack and that seemed to make a big difference in my swelling immediately. Slept on three pillows for almost two weeks as instructed by the doctor. Had some irritation of the eyes, could not see clearly. If you intend to have the upper and lower eyes done and wear progressive glasses, don't plan on reading for at least a week. With the blurriness and the swelling of the bottom lid, it was almost impossible. Had all staples and stitches out a week after surgery. At this point, the sharp pain I was having in my eyelid stopped and I was very happy for that.
I work in an office, and went back to work 17 days after the procedure. The bruising around my eyes had subsided and I was able to hide with makeup and my glasses. Only one person really noticed, so i just told them I had eye surgery. The swelling for the most part seemed to have diminished except for around my ears and down my neck below the ears. Scars look quite good except for the one under my chin, and a rope like scar behind my ear. I have been told to massage the area which I have been doing.My doctor seems pleased, but I have an area under my chin that looks like a ridge or strip of skin that seems to stick out, it is almost u shaped. I have had a shot of cortisone and FU, but it's still no better. Trying to be patient, but it's hard. The neck looks great from the front, all the loose skin and "turkey waddle" is gone. I still look to have a slight bit of jowling, but the lines around my mouth have greatly diminished. I am convinced and have been since the surgery that one of my cheek implants projects out further than the other one, and I have a slight asymmetric look right now. I still have the "smile bags", and now really look hollow under the eye, and I have a true under eye bag that I didn't BEFORE the surgery. My ears still feel "full" and the area in front of my ears feels very hard, as does the area behind the ears down the neck. My earlobes have lost some of their definition, and my pierced earrings now touch my neck when I try to put them in, so not able to wear them. My eyes are difficult to open fully, and I still have puffy lids like before the surgery. I have an up-sweep to my face, but no jawline yet to see, hopefully after the hardness and swelling go away, it will look better, but I am afraid the skin will be droopy again! The doctor keeps telling me all will be perfect, but I just don't know. I need to find my patience. Would I do this again? The jury is still out. If I get all the issues worked out, then yes, I would, but I don't think I would do it without some sort of 3D picture so the doctor and I could agree what the final results would look like. Hope this helps anyone who is considering or has just had this done and is in recovery!

I just had this last week. One of my eyes tilts up and is swollen can it resolve?

Lolita55-What a load of........I had a facelift, necklift, liplift, and fat injections and at six months, I am still 25%-30% swollen. I had these procedures performed by one of the most reputable plastic surgeons in the country. Most plastic surgeons lie about the time it takes to recover. During the day, I look wierd and by the evening, I look presentable.

I am 3 weeks post lower facelift and neck lift and your post has given me great comfort. I have one of the best surgeons in the country and I am in the same condition as you. I was not prepared for the healing time as, apparently, nobody on this site was psychologically prepared for the time it takes to heal. My doctor said three or four month and I should start to see results. I have the ugliest purple "ropes around my ears but I just go about town without a care (they are visible) but everybody "knows" so I just relax and take it day by day. It took a lot of years or our faces to go from youthful to worn out. I did pick at the top of my one ear out of curiosity today because I wanted to see what that horrible material was that felt like super glue. The spot wept and I know better NOT to touch anything else out of impatience.

I'M ANGRY, HENCE I'M TYPING IN CAPS! I WAS UPSET FOR !YSELF INITIALLY, HAVING THE PRIVELEDGE OF DEALING WITH A WORLD RENOWNED SURGEON, WHO I INITIALLY WAS OVER THE MOON BELIEVING THAT I GOT TO SEE A SURGEON, WHO WITHOUT MY MANS ASSISYANCE I COULD HAVE NEVER AFFORDED ON MY OWN,...WELL HERE IT IS TWO MONTHS LATER, AND WITH A NOTICABLE DENT ON MY RIGHT CHEEK AND SOME OTHER IMPERFECTIONS, I'M LIVID AT THE LACK OF ATTENTIVENESS I RECEIVED PRIOR TO MY SURGERY, BEFORE THE CASH PAYMENT WAS MADE, AND NOW POST SURGERY, POST PAYMENT, I GUESS MY USEFULNESS HAS EXPIRED, AND LIKE EVERY OTHER BIZ IN THIS FINANCIALLY DRIVEN SOCIETY, NO MATTER HOW SEVERE A PROBLEM I'M HAVING CONSTITUTING MY DEEP PLANE FACE LIFT, THE DOCTOR IS CONSTANTLY UNAVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. HIS ILLUSIVENESS DOESN'T SPEAK HIGHLY OF HIS CHARACTER, THAT'S FOR SURE!
THE UNEDUCATED SECRETARY, WHO SHOULD ATLEAST BE SLIGHTLY EDUCATED, ENOUGH TO ANSWER SIMPLISTIC QUESTIONS, WITH THE MYSTERIOUS SURGEON WHOSE ATTENTIVENESS CONSIST OF HAVING A CHECK, CASH, OR, CREDIT CARD IN YOUR HAND TO BE AT YOUR DISPOSAL, SHOULD ATLEAST HAVE A REFERENCE SHEET SO SHE CAN ATLEAST ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS.
SHE'S GREAT IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION REGARDING HER FAVORITE NAIL COLOR, BUT SOMEHOW THAT DOESN'T ALLEVIATE MY SINCERE FEARS REGARDING WHATS NORMAL, AND NOT NORMAL WHEN IT COMES TO SURGICAL HEALING! OH, I DO STAND CORRECTED, HER TWO FAVORITE LINES ARE, "I'LL ASK THE DOCTOR WHEN HE GETS OUT OF SURGERY (CODE FOR HE'S NOT IN SURGERY BUT CANT BE BOTHERED/ NO MATTER WHEN YOU CALL HES ALWAYS IN SURGERY, I MEAN NOT ONCE HAVE I CALLED AND HES NOT IN SURGERY-IMPOSSIBLE!), & HER ALTERNATE RESPONSE IS BETWEEN CHEWING BUBBLE GUM" I'M SURE THE DOCTOR WOULD TELL YOU YOU CAN DRAIN IT YOURSELF, I THINK, I'LL CALL YOU BACK?" WHICH NEVER HAPPENS!
MIND YOU HES A RENOWNED SURGION ON PARK AVENUE, FAR FROM CHEAP, AND HAS ANOTHER OFFICE! I CAN'T EXPOSE HIS NAME BECAUSE THOUGH WHAT IM SAYING IS TRUE I DONT WANT TO BE SUED FOR DEFAMATION.
WE SDID START OFF ON A GREAT FOOT THOUGH, OUTSIDE OF A FEW MINOR CORRECTIONS THAT NEED RECTIFICATION HE IS A GOOD SURGEON!

I FEEL BLESSED BY THE GODS AFTER READING JOAN1'S DISASTROUS EXPERIENCE! THE FACT THAT THAT POOR WOMAN HAS TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR FILLER AS A RESULT OF HER DOCTORS NEGLIGENCE REALLY PISSES ME OFF! GIRL, IF YOU READ THIS AND YOU STILL HAVE A TIMEFRAME TO SUE!;!! SUE! THE WHOLE POINT OF YOU PAYING TO GET YOUR FACE DONE WAS SO THAT YOU WOULDNT HAVE TO PAY FOR FILLER TO CONCEAL THE SURGIONS INEPT CAPACITY WITH A SCAPEL!
GOODLUCK AND I HOPE YOUR PROBLEMGETS EXPEDITIOUSLY RESOLVED!
SINCERELY RAFA2
L

I too had upper and lower eyes done, along with a deep plane f/l the beginning of January. I was told that most people can return to work in two weeks. That didn't seem so bad, so I took that at face value. I am now 3 weeks post op. The bruising is largely gone, however I have a lot of swelling in my face that gives me a "chipmunk" or "cabbage patch" look. The swelling feels very hard and ropey on both cheeks and neck (which are highly visible). My skin is tight to the touch, feels numb all over, and feels very tender. I followed the surgeons instructions to a "t" with bromeliad and arnica supplements before and after surgery, along with 2 rounds of oral steroids in addition to lasix and potassium post op. In addition, I literally kept myself packed in ice for 4 days post op. In retrospect, I can say that I felt totally unprepared for what to expect. I honestly think that if I were accurately informed of what I might expect, I probably would have opted out of having this done. I am 70 years old and have always been told I look much younger than my years. Generally, I am healthy and active. I can't begin to tell you what this experience has taken out of me...I am easily fatigued, still feel considerable discomfort in my face and neck, and often find it hard to sleep through the night. I wish I had found this blog prior to surgery. It has been reassuring hearing the stories of so many others and I can only hope that what I am experiencing will eventually subside. I still have large watery looking bags under both eyes with a brownish discoloration. Right now, I don't feel that I look refreshed or even remotely good. I can only hope that my appearance will improve with time. I haven't been out in public much yet, other than the supermarket or pharmacy. I know that I will be connecting with some friends soon and was hoping that my appearance wouldn't be so obvious that I had something 'done.'

There is a range of talent with all physicians. Research and finding an experienced one who has done 1000, not 100 is imperative. Their skills are refined and the results are better.

How long until your mouth/smile was back to normal

I too bought into the 2 week thing. I am 17 days in from a mini facelift and I am worried about a ridge on my left side. I still have swelling in that side and the doctor assured me it will go down when the swelling goes away. On the right side I have a more round bump vs a ridge. Less swelling on right side. Any suggestions from.anyone. Does the Bromelain work? I have to go back to work Monday and people for sure will notice my face.