Make Time for Face Lift Recovery | Dr. Wayne Carman

Make Time for Face Lift Recovery

Winter in Toronto brings cloudy skies, freezing temperatures, and snow. Sun lovers may turn up their collars and mutter at the gloom and gray, but cocooning during the colder months marks an excellent opportunity for people to heal following elective surgery—particularly after having a face lift.

Prolonged exposure to excessive sunlight can make scars darker and more irritable, and UV can be a problem even on an overcast day. Unless you’re an avid skier, staying indoors to avoid the sun is less of a challenge in January than it is during the summer. The winter sports fans among us might want to wait for the shoulder season to have surgery, but for many, the attraction of a fireplace and a good book is very appealing.

Though medical advances have reduced healing times after a face lift, you’ll nonetheless want to give yourself a break after the procedure. The post-operation recovery period is several weeks long, during which time sutures are removed, bruises fade, and swelling resolves.

You’re obviously not going to shut yourself in for weeks on end, but chilly winds and drifts climbing centimeter by centimeter make it easy for you to take advantage of some indoor downtime. Even when days are sunny and you need to be out and about for shopping or other errands, the near-zero thermometer means you’ll likely be throwing on a warm hat and looping a scarf around your neck and face to protect the newly healed areas.

If, while you’re out, you decide to buy yourself something new (maybe a jacket to go with that scarf—and your new look) no one will blame you.