7 Tips When Having a Facelift
Having worked in surgery for 20 years in the operating room, I took care of hundreds of ladies that came in for their facelifts. I watched them in surgery, then the recovery room, then sent them off to aftercare … rarely able to see them fully recovered. When my turn came around (I’m 50) understandably, I was nervous. After all, it is my own face, and of course I knew too much, so I was even extra nervous! I also knew nearly every plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, so my choices were even more picky and scrupulous because I had been in so many operating rooms with so many different people. I chose Dr. Harry Glassman because of his work, his reputation, and his anesthesiologist who’s been with him for many years. I felt completely comfortable trusting my face and surgery to them both.
Here are a couple of pointers that no one really tells you about, and that I have experienced and now can pass on:
1. Go to a recovery facility.
I went to Serenity Aftercare in Santa Monica thinking I would just spend one night but I ended up staying two. I got a terrible migraine with nausea the first night that I was there (which can happen because of the swelling in the face and neck). Thankfully, they gave me a Demerol shot, which helped immensely. And having someone there with me, bringing me smoothies and helping me out was extremely comforting. The nurses were awesome.
Regarding the pain, honestly, it does not hurt at all. I’m on day 6 of my recovery and can feel the staples that are in my head sometimes, but I think the headache has been worse than any kind of pain from the actual surgery itself.
2. Because you will be swollen, you can also only eat soft foods, so …
prepare yourself with a lot of soups, yogurt, ice cream, sorbet, pudding, oatmeal, and so on, for the first week.
3. Buy a wedge pillow on Amazon.
This was a lifesaver. It helped me to stay on my back and elevate my head. It is made of memory foam and I’m still using it 4 weeks out. I am a side sleeper, but because my ears are numb (totally normal for 2-3 months after surgery) it’s weird to sleep on my side. Plus, if I lie flat, I swell.
4. Get facials pre-and post facelift.
Jennifer the aesthetician at Thibiant put me on a plan. I did the Oxygeneo and a Silk Peel before to exfoliate and oxygenate my skin.
5. Your skin gets itchy after surgery around day 3 …
which means things are healing … which is good … but man is it itchy!!! The best thing I found, is putting an ice pack on the area for a couple of minutes and gently tapping the skin rather than scratching it.
6. No exercising, which is a big bummer, and
… there’s really nothing you can do about that one. You don’t want to do anything to raise your heart rate or blood pressure while your blood vessels are growing back together and healing.
My skin has a super glow because Dr. Glassman uses PRP (platelet-rich-plasma) in the face and sprays it before he closes the incisions. I have not had ONE bruise on my face since day one, and can attribute that to his ultra- skilled technique and the PRP.
Every day the first week I went to Thibiant to sit under a healing light called Collagentix for 20 minutes, which speeds the healing process.
7. Do a cleanse.
I ordered a cleanse from Pressed Juicery and I’m drinking tons of fluids.
In summary, the first week really has been easy! I’ve washed my hair, put a little concealer under my eyes, and some lip-gloss, and I’m still laying low at home letting my body recover. Any surgery, even for aesthetic purposes, is an assault on your body and it takes a few days for your body to recover from the anesthesia and all the medication associated with that.
I am as thrilled as I could possibly be with my results and it’s only been one week! I can’t wait to see what it looks like around week four!
Week 4 Update: I am still thrilled!
My face is round, my neck is tight, and I look like I feel on the inside …young! I would do it all over if I had to because it is totally worth it!
