Downtime, honestly counted

Downtime is the single most under-described part of aesthetic treatment, and the vagueness is not accidental — a precise answer costs bookings. We would rather you plan properly, so here is what recovery actually looks like, counted in days.

Treatments with genuinely no downtime. A medical facial leaves you pink for about twenty minutes. Radiofrequency body work leaves a flush that fades within the hour. Focused ultrasound lifting leaves nothing visible at all, though the jaw may be tender to the touch for a day or two. You can book any of these at lunchtime.

One to two days. Skin booster injections leave small raised bumps where the fluid sits; these settle overnight for most people and over two days for some, with the occasional pinpoint bruise. Muscle relaxant leaves tiny marks that disappear within an hour, though you should stay upright for four hours afterwards. Filler is the variable one — some patients bruise not at all, and some need four days and a concealer.

Three to four days. Injectable body contouring swells, noticeably, for the first two to three days, and the treated area looks larger before it looks smaller. Plan it around a weekend rather than a presentation.

Five to seven days. Fractional resurfacing is the real one. Day one and two: red, hot, swollen. Day three and four: drying into a fine bronzed texture. Day five and six: shedding. Day seven: presentable, usually with makeup. This is not a treatment to have the week of a wedding, and any clinic that tells you otherwise is not counting the same days we are.

A week, but socially rather than medically. A thread lift produces swelling and a tight sensation rather than a wound. Most patients are physically fine within days but self-conscious for about a week, and the settled result takes four weeks to appear.

One general note: the first forty-eight hours determine most poor outcomes we see from work done elsewhere. Bland moisturiser, no actives, no heat, no sun, no picking. Boring aftercare is the most reliable predictor of a good result.