Day 7 After Deep Plane Facelift

Suture Removal: What Actually Happens

Suture removal is a 10-20 minute office procedure. Your surgeon or a trained nurse uses fine surgical scissors to clip each suture loop, then gently pulls the suture through the skin with forceps. Each suture takes a few seconds. Most patients describe the sensation as a brief tug or pinch — uncomfortable but not painful. No anesthesia is used.

The pre-auricular (in front of the ear) and post-auricular (behind the ear) lines come out first, followed by any temporal hairline sutures. Some surgeons use dissolvable sutures in the hairline and around the earlobe — those don't require removal and will fall out on their own over weeks 2-4. After non-dissolvable sutures are out, your surgeon will inspect each incision line and usually apply steri-strips for another 5-7 days. Steri-strips support the wound while skin gains tensile strength.

A small percentage of patients have a stitch retained accidentally — if you feel a poking sensation or see what looks like a tiny thread emerging from the scar at week 2-3, contact your surgeon. It's a 30-second office removal and not a complication.

First Hair Wash: Technique That Matters

Hair washing is cleared on day 7, typically the same day as suture removal. The technique matters because the dissected flap and incision lines are still vulnerable to mechanical irritation:

1. Position: lean back over a sink (salon-style) — never lean forward, which engorges the dissected flap with venous blood and undoes days of swelling progress.
2. Water temperature: lukewarm. Hot water dilates vessels and worsens swelling.
3. Shampoo: baby shampoo or a gentle sulfate-free formula. Avoid clarifying or volumizing shampoos with strong surfactants.
4. Application: let the suds run over the scalp; don't scrub the incision lines or the area immediately around them.
5. Rinse: thorough but gentle — water pressure on a low setting.
6. Drying: pat with a soft towel rather than rubbing. Air-dry rather than using a hot blow-dryer for the first 2 weeks.
7. Avoid: hair dye, bleach, chemical relaxers, perms, and high-heat styling tools until at least weeks 4-6.

If you have someone available to help, a salon-style assisted wash for the first 2-3 sessions is ideal — easier on you and reduces the risk of accidentally rubbing or pulling on incision lines.

Scar Care Protocol — Starts Today

The day after sutures are removed and the wound is dry, scar care begins. The interventions with the best evidence:

• Silicone gel or sheets: apply twice daily over all incision lines. Silicone hydrates the stratum corneum and modulates the wound healing inflammatory response — it is the only over-the-counter intervention with strong randomized evidence for improving facelift scar appearance. Continue for at least 3-6 months.
• Mineral SPF 50: apply daily to all scar zones from morning until the scar fully matures (12+ months). UV exposure on a fresh scar causes long-term hyperpigmentation that's very difficult to reverse later.
• Avoid: retinoids, AHA/BHA exfoliants, vitamin C in active form, and hydroquinone over the immediate scar zone for the first 6 weeks. These can irritate fresh tissue and worsen pigment changes.
• Massage: gentle scar massage starts at week 3-4, not earlier. Earlier massage can pull on still-fragile tissue and widen the scar.

For more depth on long-term scar maturation, see our incision healing guide and the scarless techniques deep dive.

Returning to Work: Graded Plan

The right work-return day depends on what your job actually requires:

• Days 7-10 — remote / desk work: e-mail, slack, internal documents. Most patients have the energy and focus by day 7-10.
• Days 10-14 — camera-on internal video calls: with light makeup, residual asymmetry is manageable. Avoid client-facing camera work this early.
• Weeks 2-3 — public-facing roles: teaching, retail, sales, anything with sustained eye contact. Bruising should be coverable with makeup by now.
• Weeks 3-4 — physically active work: teaching that requires standing, retail with stocking, healthcare with patient transfers.
• Weeks 4-6 — heavy physical work: construction, warehouse, anything requiring sustained lifting, bending, or impact.

Camera-on Zoom is realistic from days 10-14 with good ring light placement (light from above eye-level minimizes shadow on residual swelling). For more on full activity timelines, see our total downtime guide.

Frequently Asked Questions