Eastside Face Journal

Catch the early signs

Start with what to look for. A small skin or recovery problem can grow when it is ignored, so the earliest signs worth noticing after a facial procedure come first, followed by the questions worth carrying into a surgeon's office.

Four guides to start with

Buccal fat removal, lip lift and neck lift each get a hub page that lists the questions people ask before and after the procedure. A fourth hub covers recovery from facial surgery in general, including warning signs during healing and the use of cold packs and compression garments.

Many readers arrive with a different procedure in mind. For those, Cleveland Clinic's overview of botulinum toxin injections and Healthline's page on closed rhinoplasty are two places to read about what those procedures involve before you decide what to ask a surgeon.

From complication reports to early signs

Each warning sign is traced backward from published complication reports to the earliest detectable change, then written as what a patient could notice and when it is worth a phone call. Patient experience is part of that picture, and a study of facelift satisfaction drawn from social media reviews shows how researchers read it.

Reading is not medical care. Your own healing is a question for the surgeon who treated you. Once a sign has you worried, the call goes to a surgeon, and a reader who has not picked one yet can begin at Albert Yang Facial Plastic Surgery with the warning-sign questions in hand.

Local reading

For a look at how another Bellevue-area facial plastic surgery service describes itself, see the Proliance Surgeons care center page for Lake Washington Facial Plastic Surgery.

One hub, one list of warning signs

Read the warning signs on the hub for your procedure ahead of your appointment. Write down anything you are unsure about and bring it to your surgeon's office.

Call the surgeon who operated on you

Nothing in these guides is a diagnosis or a treatment plan. If a sign on the hub's list shows up in your own healing, call the surgeon's office that day instead of waiting for the next appointment.