How does the procedure work and what is the recovery timeline of a facelift or Deep Plane Facelift?

Step 1: Initial consultation

Limitations, expectations and a treatment plan

This consultation focuses primarily on the conceptual approach to your facial rejuvenation. A clear understanding of the procedure and its limitations is essential. This ensures you are fully informed about potential risks and have realistic expectations regarding the outcome and recovery journey.

Dr. Van Genechten takes extensive time during this initial consultation to map out your wishes and aesthetic goals and to create an individualized treatment plan together with you.

Step 2: Second consultation

Risks and complications

During a potential second appointment, possible risks are discussed thoroughly. Any additional questions or concerns can also be clarified at this time. If everything was already sufficiently addressed during the initial discussion, this second appointment can be omitted.

When all information is clear and all your questions have been answered, you can make a well-informed decision to undergo the procedure.

Step 3: Preoperative consultation

4 to 8 weeks before your procedure

A few weeks before the scheduled procedure, a final preparatory appointment takes place. Here, all practical matters are reviewed, such as medications or supplements you need to temporarily stop taking or start in advance. Expectations and the procedural flow are discussed once again to confirm the final treatment plan.

Stopping smoking and vaping is crucial: you must remain completely smoke-free for a minimum of 6 weeks before and 6 weeks after the procedure to prevent complications and promote optimal tissue healing.

Step 4: The procedure

On the scheduled day of surgery, you arrive at the agreed time. Our team will guide you step by step through the process, ensuring you feel relaxed and optimally prepared for the procedure.

The recovery

One of the most frequently asked questions during a consultation is not: “How will I look?”, but rather: “When will I look presentable again?” The answer varies from patient to patient, but follows a recognizable pattern. The timeline below provides averages and benchmarks based on the extensive experience of Dr. Van Genechten. Your personal journey is always discussed individually with you.

Week 1

You can often return home the day after the procedure. However, many patients choose one or more overnight stays in a comfortable environment or a specialized aftercare facility. During the first week after surgery, we see you again for follow-up visits: if applicable, an initial check-up is scheduled on day 3, followed by a check-up on day 7 after the procedure.

During the first week, swelling, discoloration, and a bruised sensation are completely normal. The peak of the swelling usually occurs around days 4 to 5. Patients typically experience little pain, but may feel a sensation of tightness in the face and neck, sometimes accompanied by mild difficulty swallowing. A temporary numbness of the skin on the cheeks and ears is also common. On day 7, the first sutures around the incisions are usually removed.

Week 2

In week 2, we schedule a follow-up consultation during which the remaining sutures are removed.

Swelling and any discoloration gradually diminish during this second week. In younger patients, who typically heal faster, it is often already possible to resume light social or professional activities. For more mature skin, this process may require slightly more time.

“Concealable”: when can you go out in public again?

By “concealable,” we mean the point at which you can comfortably go out in public without passersby noticing that you have undergone a procedure. Swelling and discoloration have diminished sufficiently and can easily be camouflaged with light makeup or a scarf if needed.

For most patients, this milestone occurs on average 2 to 3 weeks after the procedure. This remains an average rather than an absolute guarantee: the rate at which swelling subsides is partly age-dependent. As a general guideline, recovery may progress more gradually with increasing age:

These are conservative benchmarks for a more gradual recovery curve, not absolute limits. Many patients recover significantly faster than their age category suggests.

Week 3 to 5

During this period, most patients gradually resume their normal social and professional activities. Any residual discoloration has virtually disappeared by this stage. Patients who felt somewhat uncertain during the initial weeks (which is completely understandable) now begin to fully see and appreciate the natural, rejuvenating effects of the procedure.

From week 3 onwards, applying camouflaging makeup over the scars is permitted. Mild residual swelling may still be present, but is hardly noticeable to others.

From week 6

Around week 6, any remaining swelling is very subtle. Reduced skin sensation may still be present and will gradually return over the following months.

From this point onward, virtually all patients can resume their full social, athletic, and professional activities without restrictions.

3 months: “Partyproof”

Around this time, the postoperative follow-up photographs are taken. The face looks refreshed and naturally restored: patients almost always feel “partyproof” and confident for major celebrations, weddings, or public appearances.

Please note: how the result looks and how the tissue feels do not yet completely align at this stage. It is normal to still feel some tightness or tension in the treated area, even if nothing is visible on the outside.

Important to know: after three months, the biological healing process is approximately 30% complete.

6 months: a largely finalized result

After six months, the contours of your result are virtually definitive. The primary structural lines are established, although subtle details, particularly scar maturation and the deeper tissue layers, will continue to refine in the months ahead.

Full recovery: 1 to 1.5 years

Full recovery, including the complete return of normal skin sensation and the resolution of the last tissue tension, typically takes 1 to 1.5 years. This certainly does not mean that you appear to be recovering for that long: it strictly involves the final, invisible phase of biological tissue maturation.

For international patients

Many international patients stay in Belgium for the first two weeks following their procedure and then continue their recovery back home. They typically return to the clinic for follow-up appointments and photos at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. This care pathway is always tailored in close consultation with Dr. Van Genechten and the aftercare team.

Summary overview

For the complete follow-up schedule with Dr. Van Genechten and the specialized healing therapies that support this process, please visit our page on aftercare.

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