Before surgery: what to prepare
Stop aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and blood thinners 10–14 days before. Stop fish oil, vitamin E, ginseng, ginkgo. Smoking and vaping must stop 4 weeks before and through 6 weeks after, nicotine and facelift skin flaps together are the single highest-risk combination for skin necrosis along the incision lines, and most Gangnam surgeons will not operate on active smokers. Wash your hair the morning of surgery; you won't be able to wash properly for several days. Bring zip-up or button shirts. Arrange home help for the first week.
The day of surgery
Facelift is performed under general anaesthesia or deep IV sedation (many Gangnam clinics operate as day-surgery under sedation), runs 4–6 hours, and discharges same-day or after a single overnight stay depending on the surgeon's protocol and the patient's risk profile. You wake up with a head wrap covering both ears and the side of the face, small drains behind the ears (out within 24–48 hours), and significant swelling already underway. The face feels tight, the ears feel pressed, and the area around the jaw is numb. Talking and chewing are uncomfortable.
Days 1–3: peak swelling
Swelling and bruising peak day 2–3 and are universally significant. Bruising tracks down into the neck and chest. The face feels tight and heavy. Sleep with head elevated 45 degrees. Cold compresses on the cheeks (outside the dressing, never directly on incisions). No bending, no lifting, no straining. Soft diet (porridge, soup, scrambled egg). Pain is moderate and well-controlled by medication.
Week 1: stitches out, bruising fades
First dressing change at day 2–3; drains usually out at the same visit. Bulky bandage exchanged for a softer compression band that supports the lift. Sutures around the ears come out at day 5–10 in stages. Bruising shifts from purple to yellow-green. The face still looks swollen and tight. Numbness in front of the ears and along the lower face is universal.
Weeks 2–4: back to public
Office work from week 2 for some patients, week 3 for most. Visible bruising is largely gone by week 2 and fully gone by week 3. Residual swelling reads as a slightly tight, fuller-than-normal face that softens through week 4. The face feels stiff, especially when smiling. Numbness in front of the ears is improving. No strenuous exercise until week 3–4. Hair washing is allowed from day 3–4 with gentle handling around incisions.
Months 2–3: swelling resolves
Swelling drops dramatically and the face shape settles. Numbness improves significantly but patches around the ears can persist longer. Scars around the ear are pink and visible from close range but already concealable by hair; they fade through month 6. The face feels less stiff and movement is more natural. By month 3 the result looks like the goal.
Months 6–12: the final result
Final result by month 6 with minor settling through month 12. Scars are largely faded and well-concealed in the natural creases around the ear and hairline by month 6. Numbness in front of the ears is largely resolved for most patients by month 6; small persistent patches in a minority. Facelifts age with you, the result is durable but not permanent; expect typical age-related changes to continue over the years.
Red flags: when to call the clinic
Call the clinic the same day for: sudden firm one-sided swelling that is rapidly increasing (haematoma occurs in roughly 1–8% of facelifts, is the most common serious complication, is often triggered by post-op blood-pressure spikes, and needs same-day surgical evacuation to prevent skin flap loss, do not wait it out), increasing one-sided pain, fever over 38°C, pus or yellow discharge from incisions, skin in front of or behind the ear that turns dusky white or black (necrosis warning, nicotine triples this risk, time-critical), or sudden inability to move one side of the mouth, raise an eyebrow, or close one eye (temporary facial-nerve neurapraxia occurs in 1–2% of deep-plane lifts, most often affecting the marginal mandibular branch; permanent injury is rare at under 0.5% but warrants urgent assessment). Seroma (a sloshing or fluid-filled feeling under the skin) occurs in around 5% of cases and may need office-based needle aspiration, call within a day or two. Temporary hair loss along the incision lines (shock loss / telogen effluvium) occurs in 5–10% of patients and typically regrows over 6 months, not an emergency, but worth flagging at the post-op follow-up. Go to an emergency room for severe headache combined with vision changes, or chest pain. Routine tightness, induration that feels firm under the skin for months 2–4 (this is healing scar tissue, not swelling), intermittent shooting nerve sensations as sensation returns, and asymmetric swelling in the first week are not red flags.