What to expect after the operation:

There will be a light bandage over your cheeks and neck for 12 -18 hours after surgery. I try wherever possible to avoid using drainage tubes. You will be nursed in a semi-sitting position in bed immediately after the operation. There is usually little or no pain but your face will feel tight and you may have some neck stiffness or a headache. The dressing will be removed on the first post-operative day and your hair carefully washed by the nurse. At the time of your discharge from hospital you may wish to wear a light head scarf and/or dark glasses. You should expect some swelling and light bruising which reaches its peak by the second or third day and this usually settles during the first 7 to 10 days but it is wise to leave 2 to 3 weeks clear in your diary since the time taken for swelling to subside is very variable from one individual to another. It is not uncommon on the third to fifth day after any major surgery to feel some post-operative depression.

You should wash your hair in the shower daily or on alternate days and you may at this time notice some apparent hair loss. This hair, in fact, is that which has come from the skin which is discarded at the operation. Avoid using the hot setting on your blow-drier. This is of utmost importance if any areas of numbness, especially around the ears or temples, are noted. Do not wear earrings until sensation has returned to your earlobes.

During the first 6 to 8 weeks after surgery the face (and eyelids, if they have also been operated on) may feel a little tight. This is usual and related to residual swelling and scar maturation. Once the stitches have been removed warm water compresses may make this feel easier. The cheeks will feel relatively numb for up to 3 months after the operation; this is quite usual and recovers spontaneously. You may visit your hairdresser after 10 days but no bleach-based colourants should be used for 6 weeks.

The stitches in front of and behind the ear run beneath the skin and so are not visible except at either end; they will be removed after one week. Fine staples may be used to close the incisions in the scalp. If eyelid surgery has been carried out, these stitches are removed after 3 days.

You should not expect instant perfection. The facial contours will go on improving over a period of 6 months or so. Most scars take three months to reach their full strength and during this period are red, slightly raised and may be itchy. They then fade and flatten until they become fine, white lines. The scar maturation process usually takes nine months to one year, but is very variable according to individual skin types. Fair haired, fair skinned people tend to make more prominent scars.

You will be given very comprehensive pre and post operative instructions and I or my staff are available to talk to you should you have any concerns.