Having adequate time to recover from facial plastic surgery is critical to achieving your desired results. Rushing or abbreviating recovery can lead to complications and poor cosmetic outcomes.

Because Dr. Michael McCracken receives so many questions about recovery and downtime after facial plastic surgery — particularly related to how much time to take off from work — he wants to discuss it in detail. Read on to learn how much time you should expect to take off from work after facial plastic surgery.

General Timelines

Facial plastic surgery patients usually take one to two weeks off from work. Many brow lift patients go back to work a week after surgery, and facelift and eyelid surgery patients return to work after one to two weeks.

These timelines are generally for people with sedentary desk jobs. Individuals with physically demanding jobs usually need to take additional time off from work. Also, individuals that opt to combine multiple facial procedures need more time to heal.

When patients go back to work, they may have some mild lingering soreness or stiffness, but look acceptable for the workplace. Any residual swelling or bruising should be minimal and easily concealed with cosmetics.

The most important guideline to remember is that everyone recovers at his or her own pace. Dr. McCracken recommends that you err on the side of caution by scheduling more time off than you anticipate that you will need. That way, you can avoid feeling stressed or rushed to return to the office, but if you feel up to returning sooner than expected, you can surprise your coworkers.

Focus On Resting and Healing

There is a tendency, especially among people with busy careers, to get back to work as early as possible, or even to work from home during the initial recovery. Dr. McCracken strongly advises patients to completely disconnect from the office and instead focus on resting and healing. Let the emails and reports wait while you concentrate on your recovery. Recruit a spouse or loved one to handle the household responsibilities so you can sleep, read, watch television and relax.

When you do go back to the office, take it easy as you gradually get back into the swing of things. Ask for help and take breaks. Soon, you will be back to full working capacity, looking and feeling great!

Learn More about Facial Plastic Surgery Recovery

For more information about recovering after facial plastic surgery, Dr. McCracken invites you to call or email our practice today.