Celebrity makeup artist and all-around beauty icon Sandy Linter found herself in the back of a New York taxicab, chicly wrapped in a facial bandage on the way to a star-studded memorial at Lincoln Center just one week after a lower facelift. Here, she shares her best tips for a speedy recovery:
“I had two very anxious days before my procedure because I didn’t really schedule anything to do. Looking back, that was not the wisest choice. My first tip is to keep yourself busy leading up to your surgery to avoid the pre-procedure jitters.
On the day of surgery, I was so excited to get it over with that I didn’t even read the post-care instruction sheet beforehand. Make sure you read everything and follow it. It’s your doctor’s blueprint for how to heal the quickest way possible.
I decided to be cared for by nurses at home instead of going to a hotel. I have two cats, and I arranged for them to be fed and cared for, but my surgeon, Dr. Rosenberg, didn’t really want me around pets. Shortly after surgery, a blister formed under my chin. When I went in for a checkup, it was tested and they found there was bacteria present. I was quickly put on medication and the blister cleared up easily.
The doctor gave me medication to sleep, and my advice is, don’t refuse it. I have no memory of the first two days after surgery and that was fine with me. I used Aquaphor around my incisions along the sides of my face. I never felt any pain, but I did feel some tightening on the back of my head and my neck, which I expected.
It was just one week after my surgery that I found myself in the back of a taxi with Rita Hazan on my way to our dear friend Oribe Canales’ memorial. Swollen face and all, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. That day I saw people I haven’t seen in more than 20 years.
I really didn’t take much time off at all. The only time I ever felt slightly uncomfortable during healing was when a client began peering under my neck. I was still sore and just didn’t feel like being inspected. Although I had already shared with her what I had done, it still felt a little invasive. If I want to show you my scars, I will, but please don’t go looking for them without my permission.
Not even a month after my surgery, another client asked to take a photo with me. I said OK even though I knew I wasn’t ready for my close-up, but it’s a hard request to refuse. Of course she posted it on Facebook, and I hated it. Recovery isn’t easy!”
XO,
Sandy
