Exercise After Facelift Surgery

A facelift surgery is one of the most effective and permanent ways to improve your appearance. Through smoothing wrinkles and tightening aging skin, you can remove years off of your appearance, giving you a fresh look that will last for years.

Understandably, you will want to get out and about and back to your regular routine as soon as possible after a facelift surgery. Facelifts are a way of looking younger, but you maintain a youthful body through continued healthy exercise. But if you jump back into exercise too soon after your facelift surgery, you might run into some complications with both the results and your recovery. This is what Dr. Pirani recommends for returning to your exercise routine after facelift surgery.

The First Week After Surgery

You are going to need to take it easy for the first few days after your facelift surgery. This means you should get lots of rest, eat well, sleep well, and avoid all strenuous activity. You should get up and walk around to keep your circulation going, which will promote positive healing. You should not, however, do anything that gets your heart rate and your blood pressure up. An increased heart rate could cause the blood vessels under your skin to bleed, putting you at risk for complications and slowing down your recovery time. It is ideal if you can have a friend or family member stay with you for the first few days to help you meet your daily needs without exerting yourself.

The Next Couple of Weeks

After the first week, you will be able to increase the amount of time that you are up and about. You should be able to increase the length of time that you walk and begin stretching. You still need to avoid strenuous activity and heavy cardio to let yourself heal well. At this point, you really need to listen to your body. If something doesn’t feel right or hurts, then you need to back off and give yourself more time to rest.

A Month After Surgery

After a month following your surgery, you should feel well enough to add some light cardio back into your daily routine. You should still be avoiding strenuous activity and heavy cardio, such as jogging, but you can do some lighter cardio exercises such as stationary biking or low impact aerobics. Go easy on yourself and gradually increase the intensity, but back off if it is too hard on you.

Six Weeks After Surgery

Between six and eight weeks after your facelift surgery, you should feel recovered enough to go back to your regular exercise routing, including strenuous cardio and heavy lifting. While this is the normal time for recovery, remember that healing is an individual experience and you might not have healed as quickly as others do. Continue to listen to your body and slow down or take a break when you need to.

Listen to Your Body

Just as your workout routine is an individual routine, your healing time after your facelift surgery is an individual experience. Some patients take longer than others and only you will be able to listen to your body to know what it is ready for. Never try to push harder than is comfortable for your body or you will not only run the risk of injury, but you can delay your healing time.

Dr. Pirani will be able to go over your individual needs as a facelift patient when you go in for your facelift consultation. If you have any questions following the surgery, do not hesitate to call our office and we will be happy to help you out.