Brow Lift Recovery

What to Expect During Brow Lift Recovery

So, what’s it actually like to create your dream forehead and brow aesthetic? Regardless of the surgical technique, all candidates can expect pain, swelling, and bruising following this cosmetic surgery. While specific recovery time will vary by invasiveness of your procedure and how your body heals, one to two weeks is a safe amount of time to assume you’re going to feel significantly uncomfortable and not be looking your best.

Another factor is how you recover from general anesthesia if this is a component of your procedure. Many people feel nauseous, drowsy, and slightly disoriented in the hours following anesthesia. These side effects usually resolve relatively quickly, as the sedating medications wear off, but it is still a part of the immediate post-op recovery.

The Ultimate Brow Lift Recovery Timeline

Ok, let’s get into the nitty gritty of brow lift recovery. We’ll start with how to utilize your pre-surgical time to reduce the intensity of your post-surgical experience. Then we’ll look at what you can expect from the first few days, weeks, months, and, yes, even years. Remember, there will be timing differences between surgical techniques, and we’ll note this as we move along the timeline.

It should also be noted that your surgeon should provide comprehensive pre- and post-op instructions, and you should always defer to the advice of your medical team. This is simply meant to serve as a guide.

• Pre-Op

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• Immediately Post-Op

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• Day 1

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• Day 2 to Day 7

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• Week 2

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• Week 3 to Week 12

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• 6 months to 1 Year

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Tips to Improve Your Brow Lift Recovery

Now that you know more about the recovery timeline associated with a facial plastic brow lift surgery, we’ve got some tips to help you progress along your recovery efficiently and effortlessly. Like we previously stated, every individual body heals at its own pace, but there are definitely some universal truths that augment healing.

1. Be Mindful & Be Patient

We’re not being deliberately vague here. Your body will let you know what it needs. If you feel like taking it slow one day, do it! If you suddenly have the desire to get some fresh air, go for it (albeit you are medically cleared for it)! The mind-body connection exists and the more you respect it the easier your recovery will be. Patience rules the day, so be kind to your body and slowly ease yourself back into your routine without forcing things like your return to work or working out.

2. Eat well, sleep well, & stay hydrated

This is just good life advice, but, especially during times of increased stress on the body (think: following a major plastic surgery), the more you nourish yourself and properly rest the better. Some of the best repair hormones only get cycled through your blood while you [sleep](, so be like a pro athlete during the months following your surgery and get those eight hours. Your https://aedit.com/aedition/sleeping-better-after-cosmetic-surgery-aesthetic-procedures)forehead (and your entire being) will thank you for it.

Additionally, eating a balanced diet free from processed foods in combination with plenty of water and taking it easy on caffeine and alcohol will naturally reduce inflammation and help lessen swelling more quickly (check out our guide to what to eat before and after cosmetic procedures). Oh, and don’t smoke. Our advice is to never smoke, but it’s particularly vital to lay off after a major surgery.

3. Elevate & Ice

Cold compresses and keeping your head up (literally and metaphorically) will lessen blood flow to the area and reduce the amount of fluid accumulation in and around your surgical sites. While blood does bring all the good nutrients and healing cells, it can also leave large deposits of infection-fighting cells and other materials you don’t really need hanging around. This is why icing for periods of time (i.e. not continuously) creates the best balance of blood flow.

4. Moderate Your Activities

This probably doesn’t need to be said, but, just in case, three weeks after your brow lift is not the time to begin your CrossFit training regimen. Vigorous exercise makes blood pressure increase. Increased blood pressure means increased swelling. Intense exercise also naturally increases the stress hormone cortisol. While it’s great in moderation when you're healthy, it’s not ideal in the months following a major surgery.

Other activities to avoid or limit: wearing hats and helmets, sun bathing, and wearing glasses for long periods of time.

Brow Lift Side Effects & Complications

So now that we’ve thoroughly covered the days and weeks following a brow lift procedure, let’s review what you can definitely expect versus what may or may not occur. Every brow lift patient should expect at least one to two weeks of bruising and at least four to six weeks of considerable swelling. Achiness, scalp tightness, and headaches are all common side effects that will resolve within a week or two and can be mitigated with medications.

While rare, more serious complications are possible. Infections of the forehead tissues are a possible complication of a brow lift and can be treated with antibiotics. Permanent numbness from nerve damage, intractable pain, asymmetry, brow or upper eyelid drooping, and scarring are more significant complications that may require further surgical revision (like an eyelid surgery) or be unable to be fixed.