Brow Lift: Caring for yourself after surgery


Brow Lift: Caring for yourself after surgery

We are committed to helping you recover safely and quickly from your surgery. Use this information to take care of yourself at home. Your surgeon may have additional instructions for you after surgery. These instructions will be included in your after visit summary (AVS). Your care team will print your AVS and give it to you before you go home. If you have questions about your follow-up care, talk to your surgeon.


What can I expect after surgery?

Take time to rest during your recovery. Have someone stay with you overnight after surgery to help with daily activities, such as making meals and other household tasks.

After surgery, you may have:

  • An upset stomach, nausea, vomiting and fatigue (feeling very tired). These effects can be caused by the anesthesia (medicine that puts you to sleep) you received during surgery and may last 1 or 2 days.
  • A low-grade fever (less than 101°F or 38°C) due to lung congestion. Usually, you can clear this congestion by coughing and breathing deeply. Your congestion may take a few hours to clear.
  • A drowsy, dizzy or weak feeling for a few days after surgery.
  • Headaches for 7 to 10 days.
  • Numbness and tightness in your forehead and scalp for a few days to a few months.
  • Bruising and swelling around your eyes and cheeks for up to 10 days. The bruising and swelling also may extend down your neck. These symptoms will start to improve after the first 24 to 48 hours after surgery.
  • Scars, which will improve over time.

How do I manage my pain?

Pain medicine will help you feel more comfortable but won’t get rid of all your pain.

  • Your surgeon may prescribe pain medicine for you.
    • Take your pain medicine exactly as your surgeon prescribes.
    • Take your pain medicine with food to avoid an upset stomach.
    • As your pain improves, you may take acetaminophen (Tylenol) instead of your prescription pain medicine, but do not take both at the same time. Some prescription pain medicines contain acetaminophen, so taking acetaminophen in addition to your prescription pain medicine could be harmful.
  • Do not take ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) until your surgeon says it’s OK. Check your AVS to see when you can take these medicines.
  • Do not take aspirin, herbal supplements or vitamins for 1 week after surgery. These medicines can increase bleeding, bruising and drainage.

Using cold compresses on your forehead also will help with pain (see below).


How do I care for my face?

Your surgeon will give you specific instructions about how to care for your incisions and what to do about your bandages, if you have them.

  • Apply cold compresses (soft cloths) to your forehead as needed to help relieve swelling and discomfort for up to 48 hours after surgery.
    • Use compresses dipped in iced saline (salt water with a small amount of ice). You can purchase saline solution at stores that sell contact lens supplies.
    • Don’t use ice, frozen compresses or bags of frozen vegetables. Compresses at freezer temperature are too cold for your face and can damage your skin.
  • Keep your head elevated (raised) for 5 to 7 days after surgery to help decrease pain, swelling and bruising.
    • Avoid lying completely flat. Sleep in a recliner or elevate the head of your bed by placing a rolled-up blanket or a couch cushion under the head of your mattress. Your head and shoulders should be comfortably propped up at about a 30-degree angle.
  • Keep your healing skin out of the sun for 8 weeks. After 8 weeks, apply sunscreen if you’ll be exposing the area to sun. Use sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of 30 or higher.
  • Wear a hat when outside for 2 weeks after surgery.
  • If you have scalp incisions, apply bacitracin ointment to those incisions 2 times each day if instructed.
  • If you have forehead incisions, you may have Steri-Strips on those incisions. Leave the Steri-Strips in place until your follow-up appointment.

What about drinking and eating?

If you have an upset stomach, nausea or vomiting, you may not feel like eating.

  • Start by drinking small sips of fluids, such as clear carbonated beverages, tea or soup. Drink fluids often.
  • Gradually add bland foods to your diet, such as dry toast or crackers.
  • Start with light meals. Resume your regular diet as you feel able.
  • Talk to your surgeon if your nausea doesn’t improve. Your surgeon may prescribe medicine to help decrease nausea.

To prevent constipation from pain medicine:

  • Eat fiber (fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain cereals and breads).
  • Drink plenty of fluids.

What about bathing?

48 hours after surgery

  • You may shower and gently wash your face and shampoo your hair.
    • Pat dry the area around your face.
  • Continue to shower and shampoo as often as needed to keep your incisions clean and free of crusts and scabs.

What are my restrictions?

  • Don’t drive for 1 week after surgery.
  • While taking prescription pain medicine:
    • Don’t drive.
    • Don’t drink alcohol.
    • Don’t make any major decisions. Major decisions include activities such as signing important papers or managing legal issues.
  • Avoid traveling out of the area for 2 weeks after surgery.
  • You may want to have a friend or family member drive you to your first follow-up appointment.
  • Don’t get your hair colored or permed for 6 weeks after surgery.

What about activity?

Get up to walk around every 2 to 4 hours when you’re awake. This movement helps prevent blood clots from forming in your legs. These blood clots can be life threatening.

Other than light walking, you will need to significantly limit your activity while you recover from surgery. Too much activity produces fluid in your body and slows healing.

For 3 weeks after surgery

  • Don’t lift anything heavier than 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms).
  • Don’t bend over.
  • Don’t do strenuous activity that causes you to sweat or your face to become flushed (red), such as jogging, biking, swimming, weight lifting, vacuuming, shoveling, lawn mowing, gardening or sexual activity.

Returning to work

If you have a desk job, you may return to work in 7 to 10 days. If you have a more active job, wait 3 weeks before returning to work.


When do I call my surgeon?

Call your surgeon’s office if you have:

  • A fever of 101°F (38°C) or higher.
  • Increased redness, heat (feels warm to the touch), swelling, or cloudy drainage (pus) around or from your incisions.
  • Forehead swelling that starts getting worse 24 to 48 hours after surgery.
  • Sudden bruising and swelling.
  • Severe pain not relieved by pain medicine.

Phone number

Park Nicollet Plastic Surgery
Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
952-993-3504

If you call after office hours or on Saturday or Sunday, you will be transferred to the Methodist Hospital operator. Tell the operator you are a patient and ask to speak to the on-call plastic surgeon. A surgeon will call you back.



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