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Facelift Recovery

The Facelift Patient-Approved Checklist: 11 Ways to Make Recovery a Breeze

Toronto facelift patients get ready for the big day months ahead of time. Leading up to a transformative facial cosmetic surgery, you may feel a wide range of emotions from excitement to apprehension and from impatience to butterflies. We find the best way for our clients to make facelift recovery a breeze and calm nerves beforehand is to get all their questions answered, then get all their ducks in a row.

Dr. Cory Torgerson

Advanced Facial Rejuvenation Expertise

Dr. Cory Torgerson is renowned across the country for his advanced facial rejuvenation expertise. Whether you’re having a deep plane facelift, mini facelift, or even non-surgical, your instructions for a safe and comfortable recovery will be given comprehensively before you settle in at home. Our patients are also provided with Dr. Torgerson’s personal contact information so they can reach him after hours.

Even with thorough clinical preparation, it helps to have a handy reminder in the form of a checklist to prep yourself for a fantastic recovery. We’ve gathered 11 of our patient favourites to guide you on your revitalizing journey. * Bonus: They involve shopping!

1. Pet care and childcare
If ever there was a good time to call in a favour or hire extra help, this is it. You won’t be able to bend over for a couple of weeks. You won’t be permitted to do any vigorous activity that could get your blood pressure up for a few weeks either. Aside from fatigue and physical limitations, you’ll appear relatively puffy and bruised too.

Most people prefer privacy while they heal. That means that the regular activity level and needs of young children could be a bit too much. If you have pets that require regular walking and care, or if you have an energetic dog that could jump on you, you’ll need help. Take a break via walking services, or even ask a friend to take your fur babies for a while. You’ll have a much more relaxing face lift recovery if you don’t need to worry about these physically demanding responsibilities.

2. Medications
Get your required prescriptions filled ahead of time, if possible. These may include a narcotic pain reliever and antibiotic. If your facial surgeon recommends Gravol, Tylenol, or constipation medications, you can pick them up over the counter as well. It’s handy to keep a pad of paper and pen by the bed so you can keep track of what you’re taking.

You can certainly ask someone to go to the drugstore or pharmacy for you after surgery, but worries over running errands or not having the medication you need at the right time can create unnecessary stress. A stress-free recovery is a happy recovery.

3. Gauze
While you’re at the drugstore, you’ll benefit from picking up a package of gauze squares and possibly some medical tape. Your surgeon will send you home with adequate dressings, and you’ll likely be back at the clinic for your first bandage change just a day or two later, but a little oozing is expected, and with gauze handy, you can apply extra layers to keep tidy and protect your bedding.
4. Entertainment
It’s fun to go shopping the week before your facelift and pick up whatever interests you in the form of books and magazines. Go ahead and buy the ones you might normally snicker at in the checkout lane. You won’t be bedridden post-op, but you will spend a fair bit of time relaxing on the couch or in bed, so gather movies, binge-worthy shows, magazines, and whatever else is low-energy and entertaining for your staycation.
5. Expect facial swelling – Help reduce it
Bruising, tightness, and facial swelling after surgery are all normal and expected. Your face is highly vascular, which means that bruises form easily, plus the face holds on to inflammation for some time. It can be disturbing to first catch your reflection when you don’t look like yourself.

Try to remember that these effects are temporary. If you keep your head and shoulders somewhat elevated with plenty of firm support in bed, you’ll reduce swelling quicker. Most people describe the discomfort after surgery as tight, but not particularly painful.

6. Recovery zone
Set up a space in your home aside from your bed, on a recliner or sofa, if possible. It’s easy to feel bored and claustrophobic when you’re tucked away indoors more than usual. You’ll want to move around for a change of scenery, and because you need to keep your head and shoulders elevated, you’ll need a lot of firm pillows or a recliner with all the comfy supports you could want nearby.
7. Clothes
We recommend gathering comfy clothes and pyjamas that button up in the front. Anything tight, or which requires pulling on over the head won’t be useful for at least the first week. You can bring PJ’s to the OR with you for your procedure, and since doing laundry might not qualify as relaxing, have lots of clean clothes ready.
8. Liquids and soft foods
Some people experience nausea after general anaesthetic, and it can last for a day or so. You’ll want light snacks like plain crackers along with drinks you enjoy and ginger ale. You’ll need to take medications with a little food and stay hydrated, even if you don’t have much of an appetite. Think of what you’d eat when you don’t feel well and stock up.
9. Wet wipes
Immediately after facelift surgery, you’ll have cotton packing, gauze, and a snug compression garment around your head. You won’t be able to shower as you normally would. Lots of clean washcloths will help you stay fresh. Wet wipes can be handy at your bed or couch side until you can wash regularly again.
10. Cover incisions and scars
Right away and throughout the first year, you’ll need to get into the habit of protecting your incisions from the sun. The thin facelift scars will be well hidden in areas that minimize their appearance, but if they are exposed to the sun while healing or through the first year, they can darken. Scar tissue can develop pigment when tanned, and it’s tough to reverse.

That means wearing sunblock whenever you’re outside and covering up with hats or scarves. You’re investing in a transformative, age-defying procedure that will smooth away years from your look. You’ll have fewer wrinkles and a youthful complexion, so doubling down on sun protection makes good sense, not just for your scars.

11. Patience
Nothing is instant (even though a facelift almost is). You’ll begin to see dramatic changes as soon as the week after surgery. However, residual swelling lingers, as do pink, raised scars or numbness in some areas. The good news is that only you are likely to notice these things. The final elements of healing can last for several months. Sometimes it feels like forever, and you might worry that you won’t see the result you dreamed of.

Rest assured, the recovery is long, but the eventual results will be worth it. If you have any questions or concerns, let your surgeon know. They care about how you feel as well as how you look. They’ll want to encourage you every step of the way.

To learn more about face lifts in Toronto, contact the Torgerson Clinic in Yorkville for a consultation. We’d love to meet you and help you reveal the confident new you.

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Our facility offers a luxurious, comfortable and private setting for consultations and surgery with a waiting room that is both spacious and inviting. Although we hope you don’t have to spend too much time waiting to see Dr. Torgerson, within a few minutes you will feel relaxed and at ease.

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