28 Aug 2025 | by Dr. Sanan

One of the primary questions that I hear from any new facial rejuvenation patient is
regarding the post-op recovery timeline. This is understandable. My Boston area
patients live busy lives that they want to get back to as soon as possible.
Furthermore, some of them don’t want to share the fact that they’ve had “work”
done. I pride myself on delivering a completely natural looking result. But this
elegant result will take time to fully reveal itself so knowing the point at which you
can be out and about without any obvious tells is important. The thing to
understand about healing is that it is personal. Everyone’s body heals at his or her
own unique rate. Certain factors that may speed up your recovery such as diet, rest
and hydration are within your control, but others, like genetics, are not. I spend a
lot of time during our initial consultations asking in-depth questions about your
medical history, family history and perform a thorough physical exam in part to
establish your body’s baseline of healing. So keeping in mind that these are
averages, here are some guidelines about what to expect after surgery.

Deep Plane Facelift Recovery in Boston


As a double Board-Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon, I am both up-to-date on and
adept in all facelift techniques. These include the:

• Deep Plane Facelift
• Traditional Facelift
• Vertical Facelift
• Mini Facelift

To a certain extent, your recovery time following a facelift is going to depend on
the exact procedure that we choose for your anatomy and needs. Some younger
patients may be good candidates for a less robust facelift. However, in general, the
deep plane facelift is my go-to procedure as I find that it delivers the most elegant,
natural looking result. I tell patients to expect 1-2 weeks of post-op bruising and
swelling. You are going to want to lay low during this time as rest is a crucial
component of the healing process. After two weeks, the predominant portion of
patients can get back to their normal routine although strenuous exercise may need
to be avoided for a bit longer. I know that this can frustrating for many, but you’ve
spent a lot of money to rejuvenate your face and healing is a critical part of the
process. Rushing it could adversely affect your results which nobody wants so
follow your surgeon’s post-op instructions to the letter. It’s what will serve you
best in the long run.

Recovery after Ultrasonic Piezo Rhinoplasty


Rhinoplasty procedures are a big part of my practice as an ear and nose surgeon as
well as a facial plastic surgeon. I offer my Boston area patients the complete
spectrum of options such as:


• Ultrasonic Piezo Rhinoplasty
• Functional Rhinoplasty
• Ethnic Rhinoplasty
• Revision Rhinoplasty
• Female Rhinoplasty
• Male Rhinoplasty

As with the facelift, your recovery may be dependent on what exactly we decide to
do in order to improve the form and/or function of your nose. However, the
ultrasonic piezo rhinoplasty is typically my technique of choice and one of its
many benefits may be a faster recovery. Most rhinoplasty patients can expect to be
sent home with nasal dressing and a splint that will need to stay in place for at least
a week. Nasal bleeding and draining is not unusual but generally resolves after a
couple of days. However, bruising around your eyes and nose as well as swelling
are to be expected for about 2 weeks. You will be sent home with explicit post-op
instructions on how to keep your head elevated, even during sleep, and what to
avoid such as blowing your nose and strenuous exercise. Most patients are back to
their normal routine after this two week period except for intense exercise which I
typically like my rhinoplasty patients to avoid for 6 weeks post-op.

With both a facelift and a rhinoplasty, you will be over the intense hump of healing
in 2-6 weeks, but it is important to keep in mind that full healing will take many
months. I like to tell my patients that they will see 80% of their end result at 6
months, but that last 20%, which is very subtle, may take up to a year. To find out
more about a deep plane facelift, ultrasonic piezo rhinoplasty, or any other surgical
or non-surgical procedure with Dr. Akshay Sanan at the Boston Center for Plastic
Surgery, contact us today or call (617) 402-2768 to schedule a consultation.


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