Facelift

Many of our Washington, DC, patients are surprised at how manageable the recovery is. The recovery is usually described as more uncomfortable, with feelings of tightness and soreness rather than pain. You can take the prescribed pain medication from Dr. Economides to help you manage any discomfort.

Your actual facelift surgery won’t be painful, as you will be under general anesthesia.

Your first appointment will be a consultation in Chevy Chase, just outside Washington, DC, with Dr. Economides, where you will create a treatment plan for your facelift together, including the type of facelift and how many appointments to expect.

You will only need one appointment for your surgery, but you will need to return to our office for a series of 4-6 follow-up appointments. During these follow-up appointments, Dr. Economides will remove your sutures, check your progress, and ensure you are not experiencing excessive discomfort.

You’ll notice improvements within 2-3 weeks, including the removal of excess fat, sagging skin, and more contoured facial features. Your face will be swollen and bruised, especially around the incision sites, so it’s common to look “worse before better.” However, many patients feel comfortable returning to work at this time.

After about 4-6 weeks, swelling will diminish significantly, and you can see the lifted contours of your jawline and cheeks more clearly. It’s important to remain patient as you heal and follow Dr. Economides’ recovery steps to ensure a quicker recovery.

Final results typically finish within 3-6 months.

While a facelift can provide long-lasting rejuvenation, it does not stop the natural aging process. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and good skincare routine can help you enjoy your results for many years.

Dr. Economides makes incisions around the ears and hairline to ensure they are hidden when healed. These scars will be very small and hardly noticeable, especially when disguised by hair. They will look pinkish at first, but gradually turn into faint, thin white lines over several months to a year.

There is no scarring for a liquid facelift.

Modern facelift surgery addresses the most visible signs of aging by repositioning the underlying facial tissues rather than simply tightening skin, helping restore youthful contours without creating an overly tight or artificial appearance. Dr. Economides carefully repositions the deeper facial tissues while redraping the skin with minimal tension, and a facelift performed with careful tension control and tissue repositioning is less likely to look pulled or artificial. Every procedure is customized to your facial anatomy, degree of aging, and aesthetic goals to avoid an overdone appearance.

Less extensive procedures, such as a liquid facelift, allow you to return to more intense exercise within a few days.

Surgical facelifts require more downtime. You are encouraged to take light walks in the first few days to promote blood circulation, but avoid intense exercise for several weeks.

During your consultation with Dr. Economides, you will discuss a timeline of when you can return to light, moderate, and strenuous exercises and activities, depending on the type of facelift you get and how well you’re healing.

After your facelift, you should prioritize resting at home for the first week to give your face sufficient time to heal. The type of facelift you get affects how long you should wait before traveling: more extensive procedures require a longer waiting period—traveling too soon after your facelift can cause deep vein thrombosis, increased swelling, bleeding, and bruising.

You should wait about 1-2 weeks before traveling after a mini facelift, 2-3 weeks for a traditional facelift, and 4-6 weeks after a deep plane facelift.

You can travel within 1-3 days after a liquid facelift because no major surgery is required and there is no risk of deep vein thrombosis.

Facelifts are highly complex procedures that take an expert plastic surgeon to perform. Dr. Economides takes every precaution to minimize any possible risks. However, there will always be at least some possibility of risk. Here are some possible risks you may encounter:

• Bleeding
• Swelling
• Pain
• Bruising
• Infection
• Asymmetrical results
• Deep vein thrombosis
• Numbness
• Soreness or sensitivity
• Seroma
• Unfavorable scarring
• Hematoma
• Nerve damage

To find the best facelift plastic surgeon in Washington, DC, consider several factors. Some of the most important factors include the following:

• Board certification: This indicates that an accredited institution has verified that the plastic surgeon has completed rigorous training programs, passed intensive oral and written exams, and adheres to strict ethical and patient-focused safety standards. It also shows that they possess the knowledge and skills required to perform complex cosmetic and reconstructive procedures safely.
• Before-and-after photos: Looking at before-and-after photos helps you determine if you like the aesthetics of the results they produce
• Patient Reviews: In addition to looking at results in photos, you can learn more about the plastic surgeon by reading patient reviews. This gives you insight into how they felt throughout their experience, including comfort, confidence, reassurance, informativeness, and satisfaction with their results.