Cheekbone reduction aftercare
What to do after cheekbone reduction surgery
Your cheekbones begin to fuse about 3 weeks after surgery and are firmly fused at about 1.5 months. How you take care of yourself until then affects the result. Even when surgery goes well, poor aftercare can lead to a broken cheekbone or a change in shape.
Your recovery, step by step
- Surgery day to day 4
- Apply cold packs often
- Keep the compression band on
- Cool showers are fine
- Day 4
- Face tape comes off
- Switch to warm packs
- Face washing, showers and shampoo are fine
- Days 6–7
- Mouth drain comes out
- Brush your teeth from the next day
- From days 7–10
- Sleep on your side with your cheek supported
- 3 weeks
- Soft foods up to this point
- Bones begin to fuse
- 4 weeks
- No alcohol or smoking up to this point
- 1.5 months
- Bones firmly fused
- Hard foods are fine
- Start mouth-opening exercises
Right after surgery
Until day 4, apply cold packs often to keep swelling down. Repeat 15 minutes of cooling and a 5-minute break. From day 4, switch to warm packs to help the swelling go down faster.
Until day 4, avoid hot showers (cool water is fine). To wash your face, gently wipe around the surgical area with a soft damp towel. Once the tape comes off on day 4, you can wash your face normally, take hot showers and shampoo your hair. We recommend having your hair washed at a hair salon.
Rinse your mouth without fail for 2 weeks after surgery. Until the mouth drain comes out, rinse often every day. After it comes out (from days 6–7), rinsing after meals is enough. Eat with the gauze in place, then remove it, rinse and put in fresh gauze. You can brush your teeth from the day after the drain comes out.
Meals
Eat soft foods for 3 weeks after surgery. After 1.5 months, you can eat hard foods too. It helps to buy beef porridge, bread and milk before your surgery.
- 01
From the day of surgery, you can eat rice porridge with finely minced beef.
- 02
Soak bread in milk to soften it before eating.
- 03
Cut tomato pasta with meat, or pho, into short pieces with scissors. Swallow them without chewing much.
- 04
Avoid beef bone soup, nuts and anything with chili pepper.
- 05
Cut back on carbohydrates and flour, and get your protein from beef.
- 06
Vitamin supplements are also a good idea.
Daily life, and symptoms to watch for
- 01
SleepingSleep with your upper body raised and your face above your heart. This helps swelling go down faster. For the first 4 days, light walks, such as along a hotel hallway, also help. From days 7–10, for about a month, sleep on your side. Rest your cheekbone on a firm book covered with a towel or thin blanket, and switch sides as you sleep.
- 02
Compression bandKeep the compression band on until the face tape comes off on day 4. If it loosens, tighten it again. After the tape comes off, keep wearing it every day for about 1.5 months, ideally 24 hours a day. You may take it off when you go out, but wear it as much as possible at home.
- 03
DrainThe drain inside your mouth comes out on day 6 or 7. Keep rinsing and changing the gauze so food does not touch the drain or the wound.
- 04
Contact us right awayWatch for this after the drain comes out (days 7–10). If redness at the surgical area or facial swelling gets worse, or the area feels hot, take your antibiotics right away and contact the clinic.
- 05
Bleeding in your mouthYou may bleed inside your mouth. If blood runs down your throat or seems heavy, contact the clinic.
- 06
Mouth-opening exercisesAfter 1.5 months, start practicing opening your mouth. Aim to fit about two and a half fingers.
- 07
Sounds from the cheekboneFrom around day 7, you may hear a sound like dripping water near your cheekbone. It mostly fades within 1–2 months.
- 08
Alcohol and smokingFor 4 weeks after surgery, avoid alcohol and smoking, and try not to get overtired.
- 09
MedicationTo prevent infection, be sure to take the medication we prescribe.
Even when surgery goes well, poor aftercare can cause problems, a broken cheekbone or a change in shape. Aftercare matters as much as the surgery itself.
Questions or worries?
Message us on WhatsApp
We answer in English on WhatsApp (+82 10-9608-0042). If you are worried about pain or swelling, a photo helps us understand.