When is the best time for a facelift? And what is recovery like?

These are the two questions I hear most in consultation. The first does not have an age as its answer; the second is usually simpler than people imagine.

The best time depends on each patient

In Europe especially, we are used to seeing patients who consult when sagging is already considerable. I usually turn the question around: if nobody knew you had had surgery, would you wait that long?

When the result is natural, the right time is when you want to look better and the examination in consultation confirms that surgery can give you that. We decide it together.

The first days

The Deep Plane is usually performed on an outpatient basis, under local anaesthesia and sedation monitored by an anaesthesiologist, with no hospital admission. In the immediate postoperative period you will have no pain — we control it with analgesics — and you will be able to eat practically everything.

The first week

After a week there is still swelling; this is normal and part of the process. You will generally be able to return to normal life 7-10 days after the operation.

The first month

I do not recommend intense physical exercise until about a month has passed. If you travel from a very sunny area, avoid direct exposure for the first few days, especially on the scars, which are minimal and concealed in the folds around the ears.

The full results are appreciated after several weeks. Every recovery is different and we follow it closely at the check-ups.