The MACSlift, also known as a “mini lift” is a great surgical option for patients who need less downtime or for those who aren’t quite ready for the full facelift. This surgery is performed multiple times each week by both Drs. Scott Thompson and Douglas Henstrom. The following photos were submitted to us by one of Dr. Henstrom’s patients who wanted to document her recovery process for others interested in MACSlift surgery.
Day One Post Procedure
When you leave the office after surgery, you will leave with a head-wrap that is placed around the head, it can be removed after 24 hours. During the MACSlift procedure, drains are sutured in right below the earlobe to help prevent any hematomas, also know as blood clots. On day one after the procedure we have patients come back in to have their drains removed. Removing the drains involves cutting the sutures that hold the drains in place on each side of the lower face. Once the drains are removed we require our patients to keep the incisions clean to prevent infection and to help minimize scabs. The incisions need to be cleaned twice a day using Q-tips with half room temperature water and half hydrogen peroxide. Once the incisions are cleaned, apply a generous amount of Bacitracin to all of the incisions.
Suture Removal
Sutures will come out in different stages, so expect to have four post op visits within the first ten days of having surgery. In the photos, you will notice white steri-strips. Steri-strips are placed by our medical assistants after each post op appointment to help keep the skin together after suture removal. The second post op appointment is on day four. During this appointment all of the visible sutures are removed. On day seven you will come back for your third appointment to have the sutures along the tragus removed. Finally, we have you come in on day ten for your final post op appointment to have the remaining key sutures removed.
Bruising and Swelling
Bruising and swelling with any surgery is completely normal. In your pre-op appointment we talk about things to avoid a week prior to help minimize bruising and swelling such as vitamin E, fish oil and other blood thinners. We also give all of our MACSlift patients a fabulous kit during this appointment. This kit includes a full skin care regiment, Arnica for bruising and swelling, SkinMedica Scar Recovery Gel and a camouflage makeup kit. Below you can see this MACSlift patient with camouflage makeup applied one week after surgery. She has some yellowish bruising, which means the bruising is on its way out. The camouflage makeup kit is great because you can use the appropriate color to conceal the bruises no matter what color they are.
Sunscreen and Scar Recovery Gel
In the kit we also include sunscreen with zinc oxide. It is very important that sunscreen is applied if you are going to be outside for an extended amount of time because fresh scars are more vulnerable to the suns harmful rays. The kit also includes SkinMedica Scar Recovery Gel that can be applied both morning and night.
If you have any other questions, please call our office (801)776-2220 or contact us HERE.