The day after a facelift, what might you actually look like—and how might you feel?
This patient recorded herself just one day after her MobileDeepPlane Facelift™ with Dr. Mark Deuber. There is visible swelling, and the hemostatic netting used during her procedure is still in place. But what makes the video remarkable is how she describes the experience herself:
“Pain-wise, like one—one out of 10.”
She also makes clear that she feels tightness and has swelling around her eyes. But her reaction to seeing the early changes in her face and jawline is unmistakable.
How much pain did she have the day after her facelift?
For this patient, very little.
“Pain-wise, like one, one out of 10,” she says in the video. Speaking about the swelling around her eyes, she adds:
“There’s no pain whatsoever on the eyes. I feel tightness.”
That is one patient’s experience, not a prediction of how another patient will feel. Pain, swelling, bruising and recovery vary from person to person and depend on the procedure performed and individual healing.
But her video provides something that a standard before-and-after photograph cannot: a first-person account recorded during the earliest stage of recovery.
Why does she have netting around her face and neck?
The pattern visible beneath her chin and around portions of her face is hemostatic netting, an important component of Dr. Deuber’s MobileDeepPlane Facelift™ technique.
The net consists of temporary sutures that help secure the skin and underlying tissues and reduce the space where blood and fluid can accumulate following surgery. By helping control post-operative bleeding, hemostatic netting may also help reduce bruising and swelling during early recovery.
The patient points directly to it in the video:
“I have this netting. It’s under my neck, and then I have some behind my ears.”
She then describes the staged removal process she was given for the days following surgery.
Can you see a new jawline on Day One?
In this patient’s case, she certainly could.
While looking at herself on camera, she turns her face to show her profile:
“Look at this jawline… You guys, in 13 years I have not seen my jaw.”
That early definition is particularly meaningful to her.
A MobileDeepPlane Facelift™ works beneath the skin, repositioning deeper facial tissues rather than relying primarily on pulling and tightening the skin. The objective is to restore youthful facial structure while avoiding an overly tight or “pulled” appearance.
Day One is far too early to judge a final facelift result. Swelling will change, tissues will continue to heal, and the face will evolve considerably over the following weeks and months.
But this patient’s reaction captures something different: the first moment she can already see a change that matters to her.
What happened to her earlobes?
There’s another detail she is particularly excited about:
“I didn’t have earlobes before… and he created earlobes for me.”
She is describing correction of her previously attached or stretched-down earlobe appearance—the same type of issue sometimes described as a pixie ear.
Earlobe position is a small detail compared with the overall face and neck, but it can make a significant difference in whether a facelift looks natural.
For this patient, it was important enough that she noticed and celebrated it on the very first day.
What happens during the first few days after surgery?
In the video, the patient describes the recovery schedule she was given for removal of her hemostatic netting.
She explains that portions would remain in place for several days, with additional sutures around the perimeter removed later.
That makes this video particularly useful because it doesn’t present Day One as the finished result.
It shows recovery in progress.
There is swelling. There is tightness. The hemostatic netting is plainly visible. And there is still considerable healing ahead.
Yet she is already up, talking to the camera, examining her face and describing how she feels.
Is this what everyone looks and feels like on Day One?
No two facelift recoveries are identical.
This patient’s very low level of discomfort should not be interpreted to mean that every MobileDeepPlane Facelift™ patient will experience a pain level of one out of ten—or no pain in a particular area.
The same applies to swelling, bruising and how quickly early facial definition becomes visible.
What makes this video valuable isn’t that it promises another patient the same experience.
It documents one real patient’s experience at a very specific moment: Day One.
And her reaction?
“I am so happy. I would have, a thousand times over, do this again and again.”
Then she looks into the camera and offers perhaps the best reason to follow her recovery:
“You guys, just wait.”
Considering a MobileDeepPlane Facelift™?
A personal consultation with Dr. Mark Deuber can help determine whether the MobileDeepPlane Facelift™ is appropriate for your facial anatomy and goals, what changes may realistically be achieved, and what you can expect during your own recovery.
Schedule a consultation with Dr. DeuberIndividual results, discomfort and recovery times vary.
Medical Reference
Ribeiro LF, et al. Efficacy and safety of hemostatic net in facelift and rejuvenation surgeries (browlift and necklift): A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery. 2026.
About Dr. Mark Deuber
Dr. Mark Deuber is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Dallas, Texas, specializing in advanced facial rejuvenation techniques including the MobileDeepPlane Facelift™.
