The Glow Must Go On: How to Take Care of Your Skin After a Facelift

When the compression garments are finally off and your lifted temple is ready to shine, you know it’s also time to step-up your skincare routine and make your complexion the main character.

In order to maintain and enhance your facelift results, it’s essential you take special care of your skin. Remember that a facelift repositions and tightens tissue, but at the end of the day, it can’t stop aging. Without proper maintenance, neglect and sun exposure could affect your skin again and make you lose the effects.

At Northeastern Plastic Surgery, we care about much more than the fresh results right out the O.R. That’s why your surgical team, led by Dr. Fodero, will give you the best recommendations to support your rejuvenated look and enjoy it for longer.

What Happens If You Don’t Take Care of Your Skin After a Facelift?

Goodbye Glow, Hello Regret

Once your facelift recovery has finished, you must know there are several factors and external agents that can affect your procedure’s results, such as:

• Sun exposure, first and foremost
• Smoking
• Harsh skincare products containing alcohol, strong acids, or substances that irritate your tissue
• Extreme temperatures (from saunas to icy winds)
• Chronic stress
• Dehydration
• Poor diet
• And more

While some of these can’t be avoided, it’s important to establish a great routine that will protect your skin. Make sure to consistently use SPF, adequate products, and keep a healthy diet and steady hydration, as it will help you prevent the early return of wrinkles, fine lines, and laxity.

The Golden Skincare Rules After a Facelift

These are some of the main recommendations we give our recovering facelift patients. However, make sure to discuss this beforehand with our surgeon, as each case is different.

1. Incorporate gentle cleansing, from as soon as it is safe again.
2. Use non-irritating, hydrating moisturizers.
3. Apply SPF of at least 30 daily, even when it is cloudy or you are staying in.
4. Under medical supervision, explore options for antioxidant products (for example, with Vitamin C), or retinol (only after cleared by your surgeon).

The Do’s and Don’ts of Facelift Aftercare

When to Resume Your Skincare Routine

You must be very careful when returning to your skincare routine after a facelift.

At the beginning, you will start with only gentle cleansing and hydration. After a few weeks and as guided by your surgeon, you can gradually reintroduce certain actives. And if you were thinking about peels, lasers, or exfoliating treatments… just keep them on pause for a while.

Lifestyle Habits to Make It Last

A youthful face is more than the products from your morning and night routine. We recommend you:

• Avoid smoking (and even secondhand smoking)
• Reduce your alcohol intake
• Prioritize sleep and hydration, as these help your skin’s natural repair cycle
• Stay active, but in a balanced and supervised way
• Eat antioxidant-rich, anti-inflammatory foods such as berries, leafy greens, broccoli, fatty fish, avocados, almonds, turmeric, green tea, and dark chocolate