When can I wash my face, wear makeup and exercise after a thread lift?

You can gently wash your face and wear makeup from the day after your thread lift, once 24 hours have passed. The usual guideline is to skip strenuous exercise that leaves you out of breath for about two weeks, avoid alcohol and smoking for three weeks, and avoid facial massage for a month. The individual instructions the clinic gives you on the day of treatment take priority over this article.

Why the Timeline Matters

In a thread lift, the barbs on dissolvable threads placed under the skin grip and support the tissue. The first few weeks are when the threads and tissue settle in, and rubbing your face hard or making big movements can shift the threads. Activities that raise heat and blood flow can make swelling and bruising worse.

(Evidence: expert consensus statement on dissolvable threads, 2021)

Day-by-Day Schedule

This schedule combines DAYONE's aftercare instructions with the expert consensus statement.

Day of Treatment

• Skip face washing and makeup.
• Don't press or touch your face.
• Sleep face up with your pillow slightly raised.

From the Next Day (After 24 Hours)

• You can wash your face gently. Splash water on rather than rubbing.
• You can wear light makeup. Don't rub hard when removing it, either.
• You can take a light shower.
• Many patients go to work wearing a face mask.

First 2–3 Days

• Keep your head slightly raised when you sleep.

Weeks 1–2

• Most people are fully back to their normal routine in a week, two weeks at most.
• Skip strenuous exercise that leaves you out of breath for about two weeks.
• Avoid strong sun and tanning for about two weeks.

Up to Three Weeks

• Alcohol and smoking can trigger inflammation and swelling. Avoid both for at least three weeks.
• If you can, schedule anything that keeps your mouth open wide for a long time, such as dental work, after this point.

Up to One Month

• Avoid facial massage, firm pressure and Korean meridian massage (gyeongrak).
• Avoid saunas and hot baths.

(Evidence: DAYONE guidance, expert consensus statement 2021)

Getting Back to Exercise

Ask your doctor first when light walking is OK. When you start again, we recommend this order:

• Start with light walking that doesn't make you sweat much
• If your face gets hot or the soreness increases, stop for the day
• Save strenuous exercise that leaves you out of breath until two weeks have passed
• Avoid Korean bathhouses (jjimjilbang) for a month, just like saunas