Great thread, Courtney — and great additions from Charlotte and Stottie Girl. This is exactly the kind of resource I wish had existed when I was preparing for my own procedures. I want to add some things that haven't been covered yet, mostly around the recovery side that people tend not to think about until they're already post-op. None of this contradicts anything already shared here — think of it as filling in some gaps.
As always: follow YOUR surgeon's specific instructions over anything you read in this thread. Your experience will be unique to you.
Black eyes, bruising, and swelling — including eyes swelling shutI want to be straightforward about this because nobody told me what to expect: you may wake up looking like you lost a prizefight. After forehead work, orbital shaving, or brow lifts, expect dramatic bruising around your eyes. Your face will cycle through a full spectrum of colors that first week — deep purple, blue, green, yellow — and all of it is normal.
Here's the part that really needs to be said:
your eyes may swell completely shut. This happened to me. After my surgery the swelling was so severe that I couldn't see at all for most of the first day. My doctor came in and gently separated my eyelids, and after that I was able to see much better. It's just part of the process — your body is doing what bodies do after major surgery — but it's the kind of thing you want to know about ahead of time so you're not caught off guard.
Here I am in the recovery room, right after surgery. Full compression bandages, oxygen mask, and all. It looks dramatic, but as you can see — thumbs up.This happens because fluid and blood from forehead surgery travel downward with gravity and pool in the loose tissue around the eyes. Even if you didn't have any eyelid or orbital procedures done, you can still end up with significant eye swelling and bruising from the forehead work alone. The swelling typically peaks at 48-72 hours after surgery, so days 2 and 3 are usually the worst. Some people's eyes swell shut; others get severe puffiness but can still see. There's no reliable way to predict which you'll get, so plan for the possibility and make sure someone is with you.
What helps: Cold compresses in the first 24 hours are critical. Use them 15-20 minutes on, then off, as much as you can tolerate. Always put a cloth between the compress and your skin, especially since your face may be numb and can't tell you if something is too cold. Never use ice directly on the skin.
Keep your head elevated — gravity is either working for you or against you. Staying elevated helps fluid drain away from your face rather than pooling around your eyes. A recliner or wedge pillow is worth every penny.
Some surgeons prescribe a short course of corticosteroids to reduce inflammation, and others recommend Arnica montana (an over-the-counter herbal supplement used to reduce bruising and swelling — inexpensive and easy to find). Ask your surgeon about their protocol before surgery day.
The color progression: Bruises around the eyes go through a predictable shift — purple to blue-green to yellow-brown — before fading. After forehead work, this typically takes about 2 weeks. After blepharoplasty, it can run 2-3 weeks. The bruising will almost always be asymmetrical — one eye looking worse than the other. That's normal, not a sign something went wrong. In my case I had black eyes for almost 2 weeks, but they were lighter and lighter each day.
Most of the major bruising and swelling resolves by about 10-14 days, which is when many people feel comfortable being seen in public again. Green-tinted concealer is great for the lingering discoloration once you're cleared for light makeup, usually around 7-10 days post-op.
Black eyes from facial surgery can take four to six weeks to fully clear, though the worst passes much sooner. Swelling decreases top-down — forehead and eyes first, then midface, then jaw and chin — so if you had upper face work, the eye area is actually one of the first regions to start improving.
That first day or two when you're swollen, bruised, and possibly unable to see can be rough emotionally. Post-surgical depression during this phase is very common — it's a physiological response to major surgery, not a sign you made a mistake. It passes. I wore a straw hat, kept my spirits up, and within days I was already seeing the woman I'd been waiting to see.
Swelling — what to expect and why you can't judge your results earlyThis might be the single most important thing in this entire post:
do not judge the outcome of your surgery while you are still swollen. What you see in the mirror during the first weeks and even months is swelling, not your final face. I cannot stress this enough. People panic, they second-guess their decision, they convince themselves something went wrong — and almost always, the issue is that they're looking at a face full of fluid and trauma response, not at their surgical results.
Here's how swelling actually works after FFS:
The first 72 hours are the worst. Swelling peaks around 48-72 hours after surgery — so day 2 and day 3 will likely be when you look and feel the most swollen. Your face may feel tight, hot, and pressurized. This is your body's inflammatory response doing exactly what it's supposed to do. Cold compresses, head elevation, and a low-sodium diet all help limit how bad it gets, but you will swell. Everyone does.
Weeks 1-2: Swelling is still very prominent but starting to decrease. You'll notice fluctuation throughout the day — typically worse in the morning after lying flat all night, and improving as the day goes on and gravity helps drain fluid downward. This morning-to-evening fluctuation can continue for weeks and is completely normal.
Weeks 3-6: This is when things start to feel more encouraging. Your facial contours begin to look more familiar. Most people feel comfortable returning to work and social activities somewhere in this window. But you are still significantly swollen, even if it doesn't feel like it anymore because you've gotten used to it.
Months 2-3: Substantial improvement. At the 3 month mark, you can expect to see roughly 80% of your results. Your face is starting to look like your face again. But that remaining 20% matters — it's the difference between "I can see where this is going" and your actual final result.
Months 4-12: The slow reveal. Residual swelling continues to subside gradually. This is especially true for jaw and chin work — mandible contouring and genioplasty tend to produce the most prolonged swelling of any FFS procedure. You may not see the true final shape of your jaw until a full year out. Rhinoplasty results can also take 6 months to a year to fully settle.
Swelling doesn't resolve evenly. It follows a top-down pattern. Your forehead and eye area will improve first, followed by midface, and finally jaw and chin. This is because gravity and the lymphatic system work together to clear fluid, and they start from the top. So if you had both forehead and jaw work, don't be surprised if your upper face looks great at 6 weeks while your lower face is still puffy. That's the normal pattern, not a sign that the jaw work didn't go well.
Swelling also migrates. Fluid travels with gravity, so if you had chin or jaw angle surgery, the swelling and bruising will gradually move down into your neck over the following days. This is expected and temporary.
The low-sodium diet matters. Multiple surgeons recommend a strict low-to-no-sodium diet for the first 2-3 weeks after surgery, and for good reason — sodium causes your body to retain fluid, which means more swelling. This is one of the few things within your control that can meaningfully affect how swollen you get and how long it lasts. Read labels, avoid processed foods, and take it seriously.
The emotional side of swelling. This is where a lot of people struggle, and it deserves to be said plainly. You may look in the mirror at week 2 or week 4 and not recognize yourself, or worse, feel like you look worse than before. Post-surgery depression during this phase is extremely common — it's driven by physical exhaustion, pain, hormonal disruption from anesthesia, and the simple reality that your face is hidden under layers of swelling. It is not a sign that you made a mistake. It is not a sign that your surgery failed. It is a temporary physiological and emotional response that virtually everyone goes through to some degree. If you can, avoid obsessively checking the mirror in the first couple of weeks. You are looking at trauma and swelling, not at your new face.
The results emerge over time. Give yourself grace. By the time a year has passed, you'll be looking at what your surgeon actually accomplished — and that is when you can truly evaluate the outcome. This is also why most surgeons will not perform any revision work until at least 12 months have passed. The face needs that full year to settle.
Compression garments and bandagesYou're going to leave the hospital looking a bit like a mummy, and that's by design. Depending on which procedures you had, you'll likely come home with gauze over your incisions, bandages wrapped around your face, and possibly a compression garment — essentially a snug wrap that goes around your chin, jaw, and/or forehead. Some people call the chin version a "jaw bra," which is accurate if undignified.
These garments aren't optional accessories. They apply gentle, even pressure that reduces swelling and bruising, help your skin and tissues settle properly against the underlying bone and muscle in their new positions, reduce the risk of fluid accumulating under the skin (seroma) or blood collecting (hematoma), and can actually help with pain management by keeping everything stabilized.
For the first week, expect to wear your compression garment and/or bandages essentially 24/7, including while sleeping. The only time you'll remove them is when your surgeon tells you to — usually for cleaning or at your first post-op appointment. During the second and third weeks, many surgeons allow you to stop wearing bandages during the day but still require the compression garment at night. After the initial recovery period, you should plan on continuing to wear the compression garment at night for 6 months to a year. That sounds like a long time, and it is — but your tissues are still settling and reshaping throughout that entire period. The nighttime compression helps shape and tone everything as it heals, and importantly, it helps prevent sagging. You've just had tissue lifted, repositioned, and contoured — the compression supports all of that work while gravity is trying to undo it during the hours you're lying down. Think of it as the easiest thing you can do to protect the investment you just made in your face.
Practical tips: Buy two garments if you can. You'll be wearing yours nearly around the clock at first and regularly for months after, and you need to wash it. Having a spare means you always have a clean one ready while the other dries. Some surgeons provide one; others expect you to purchase your own. Ask ahead of time.
Make sure it fits correctly before surgery. The garment should feel snug — firm, steady pressure — but not so tight that it's painful or leaves deep indentations. If the fabric bunches or folds, it's too tight, and excessive pressure can cause hyperpigmentation. If ordering online, get it early enough to try on and exchange if needed — you can't return a garment once it's been worn post-surgery.
The garment will feel annoying at first. Sleeping in a chin strap is not comfortable, especially when you're dealing with swelling and soreness. But you do get used to it, and eventually it just becomes part of your nighttime routine. It's doing real work while you sleep.
If your garment causes pressure on your ears, some brands offer foam pads for comfort. Worth asking about, especially if you're a side sleeper.
Between the compression garment, possible bandages, and general swelling, you may feel self-conscious about being seen during those early weeks. A wide soft scarf or a loose hoodie can help conceal the garment when you step out for appointments. A wide-brimmed hat — straw hats work great — plus a scarf can cover a lot and double as sun protection for your healing incisions.
Nerve tingling, numbness, and changes in sensationThis catches a lot of people off guard, so it deserves its own section.
After FFS, you will almost certainly experience numbness in the areas where your surgeon worked. If you had forehead contouring or a brow lift, expect your scalp and forehead to feel numb — some people describe it as a "marshmallow-like" feeling where you can touch your skin but barely register it. Chin and jaw work will typically leave your lower face and chin numb. This is completely normal and happens because the nerves running under the skin get disrupted when tissue is lifted away from the bone during surgery.
Here's the important thing to understand: numbness is not permanent for most people, but it takes a long time to resolve. We're not talking days or weeks. Nerve fibers regenerate at roughly 1mm per day, so recovery is measured in months. Most noticeable improvement happens between 3 and 6 months post-op. By around 3 months, many patients have regained 80-90% of normal sensation. Full recovery can take up to 12 months, and for some people up to 18 months for everything to fully settle.
During this process, you're going to experience some strange sensations. Tingling is actually a good sign — it means nerves are regenerating and reconnecting. Many people describe it as mild electrical zaps or currents under the skin. You might also get phantom pains, random itching in numb areas, or a crawling sensation on your scalp. These can be startling if nobody warned you, but they're signs of healing, not signs of something going wrong.
Be careful with temperature. Numb skin can't tell you when something is too hot or too cold. If you're using ice packs, always put a cloth between the ice and your skin and test the temperature on the back of your hand first. You can give yourself an ice burn on numb skin without realizing it. Same goes for hot beverages near numb lips.
Facial expressions may feel strange. Tightness, stiffness, and difficulty making certain expressions are common in the early weeks. If your brow feels like it won't move the way you want, that's normal. Gentle exercise of the facial muscles can help restore mobility as the nerves wake up, but don't force it.
The scalp is often the last area to fully recover. If you had a coronal or hairline incision, that whole region may feel numb or tingly for a long while. Light fingertip pressure on the scalp can relieve the itchy-tingly feelings, but don't rub or scratch at your incision sites.
There's a small chance of permanent changes. In rare cases — less than 1% with experienced surgeons — some areas may retain reduced sensation permanently, most commonly small patches on the scalp, forehead, or chin. Discuss this with your surgeon beforehand so you have realistic expectations. If numbness seems to be getting worse rather than better, or if you still have significant numbness beyond 6 months with no improvement, let your surgeon know so they can evaluate.
Scar care and sun protectionFresh scars lack the melanocytes that protect normal skin from UV, which means sun exposure in the months after surgery can cause permanent hyperpigmentation — your scars darken and become much more visible. For people with deeper skin tones, the opposite can also happen (hypopigmentation), where scars lighten noticeably against surrounding skin.
The general guidance from most FFS surgeons is to protect your scars from the sun for at least 6 months, and ideally up to a year. Physical barriers come first — wide-brimmed hats (straw hats are perfect for this), scarves, or anything that blocks the sun from hitting your incision sites directly. Second best is a mineral sunblock containing zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, which is different from regular sunscreen and offers better protection. And you should also use regular sunscreen, SPF 30 or higher, on the scars any time you go outside. Both sunblock and sunscreen should be applied 15 minutes before exposure and reapplied every hour in the sun.
Stock up on hats before your surgery. You'll want them ready to go.
Scar massageOnce your surgeon clears you — usually around 3 weeks post-op — gentle scar massage can make a real difference. Use your fingertips to make small, firm, circular motions along the scar line. Many surgeons recommend pairing this with silicone scar gel, applied twice daily for the first year. The combination helps scars soften, flatten, and lose their redness over time.
Don't skip this. Scars typically get more raised and pigmented during the first 3 months before they start improving, so it's easy to get discouraged. The full maturation process takes 12-18 months.
Mouth incision careIf your procedure includes work through intraoral incisions — common with jaw contouring or chin work — your surgeon will have specific oral hygiene instructions. Don't eat hard or sharp foods: no nuts, chips, pretzels, or anything crunchy while those internal sutures are healing. The dissolvable stitches take time, and reopening a wound inside your mouth is no fun. This dovetails with Courtney's food list — soft foods aren't just about comfort with numb lips, they're protecting internal sutures too.
Sleeping elevatedNot just a comfort thing — keeping your head elevated for at least the first 2 weeks significantly reduces swelling. A recliner is ideal. If you don't have one, a foam wedge pillow or a stack of regular pillows will do. Buy it ahead of time.
Green concealerOnce you're cleared for light makeup (usually 7-10 days post-op), green-tinted concealer is your best friend for covering purple and yellow bruising. It's basic color correction but not obvious unless someone tells you. Pick some up before surgery.
Combining procedures — it doesn't always have to be stagedCourtney mentioned her surgeon's approach of doing FFS in two phases, and Charlotte's experience involved the type 3 brow bone reduction as a standalone game-changer. That's one approach, and there are good medical reasons for staging. But I want people to know that extensive combinations are sometimes possible depending on your surgical team and your overall health.
In my case, I had two teams of surgeons working on me simultaneously. In addition to my GRS, they did brow ridge removal, lowered my hairline, jaw contouring, and a face and neck lift with fat removal under the jaw. I didn't ask for the face and neck lift — the surgical team saw the opportunity while they were already working and made the call. I'm glad they did.
Not every surgeon or surgical center will do this, and not every patient is a candidate for that much work at once. But it's worth having the conversation during your consultation about what can realistically be combined, especially if you're traveling for surgery or dealing with limited time off work. Two teams working simultaneously can mean fewer separate surgeries, fewer rounds of anesthesia, and one recovery period instead of multiple ones. Ask your surgeon what's possible and safe for your specific situation.
The patience partFinal results from FFS generally aren't visible until about 12 months out. Around 80% of swelling is typically gone within a few months, but that last 20% takes time, and scar maturation can continue up to 18 months. If your surgeon offers revision work, most won't consider it until at least 12 months have passed. Be patient with yourself during those in-between months — your face is still settling into its new shape.
