How to Manage Facelift Complications | Plastic Surgeon Advice 

You are very welcome. I am always here to help! If you ever want to book a virtual or in person consultation with me you can book easily from my website drkopelman.com

Glad it was helpful!

You're exactly right about the hearing. No one really talks about this issue. I had a lower facelift and necklift on April 11, 2024. In my initial consultation with my doctor, the recovery process was made to sound very easy. I was told that I'd be driving in 2 weeks and back to lifting weights and fully recovered in 6 weeks. None of that was true. I'll be 7 weeks post-op this coming Thursday, and I still can't move my head from side to side, so of course, this stops me from driving, like I was told I'd be doing 2 weeks post-op. However, what bothers me the most is the swelling in front of my ears, below my earlobes, down to the back of my jaw. This swelling seems to be at a stand still. It never dissipates. My glands in these swollen areas are definitely swollen as well. This swelling by my ears definitely has effected my hearing. When I asked my doctor about my concerns regarding the swollen gland areas and muffled hearing, all I get is, it's all normal. Easy for the doctor to say because he's not living with what I'm going through. I do not believe that the swollen glands in front and below my ears, and my muffled hearing is normal. My doctor has never spent a lot of time with me before and after my surgery. He always seems to be rushed to get to the next appointment. I should have paid more attention to the red flags that I had before my surgery. If your doctor that you're consulting with doesn't seem to want to spend time with you explaining your recovery process, then he, or she isn't the right doctor for you. I don't believe that my doctor has spent a total of 20 minutes with me, not counting the 3 hour surgery when I was put out under general anesthesia. Had my doctor not sugar coated the recovery process and just simply been truthful about what I was in for during my recovery, I may have opted not to have the surgery. I'm not a depressed person, but depression set in by the end of my 1st week post-op. This is quite normal, however doctors should at least warn their patients that depression can set in for a while. I was pretty badly depressed for about 3 weeks, and it was not fun. Facelift depression is a real thing. Look it up. My depression had nothing to do with the way that I looked, or looking in the mirror. It was an uncontrollable depression, probably stemming from not being able to move around; as I'm usually very active. I'm over the hump now, and if this swelling around my ears and muffled hearing would just go away, I'd feel so much better. My advise to anyone who is contemplating have any facial and necklift surgery, choose a doctor that only does facial and necklift surgery, and nothing else; and by all means, choose a doctor that is willing to spend time with you to answer all of your questions. Remember, your surgery is about you, not your doctor/surgeon.

@@garytafolla2845I hope you share an update. Any improvements yet?

Honesty and letting patients know about all the benefits and risks of plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures is what I believe in.

Glad it was helpful!

If you are having trouble smiling after one year then the chances of having a full recovery are unlikely

Could be small collections of blood or just swelling -hard to say without seeing the problem

I really can't say what the "lump" represents without seeing and feeling it. It could be swelling, a seroma?, hematoma? or somthing else

From what I understand, some doctors call a SMAS lift deep plane.

@@Corrans a SMAS is a different procedure. It is not a deep plane. Seems like it would be dishonest if someone called a SMAS procedure “deep plane”.

That is true. 5FU is sometimes used as chemotherapy agent. It happens to work really well to soften scars and it is very safe to use.

How are you now? Two weeks out and lots of swelling behind ears and on neck

@@louferguson7048 still swealing understand the chin….

@@louferguson7048 still swealing

@@louferguson7048 have you ever seen a case of chronic swealing?

Mycobacterial infections can occur from many sources.Facial infections are rare from these organisms. Tap water for instance sometimes harbor mycobacterium and can contaminate wounds.I have seen a few cases in my career from suspected ice that was applied directly to their wounds that is why I insist that patients apply ice inside a plastic bag to act as a barrier to their surgical sites to prevent these rare complications.

If a facelift is done incorrectly or complications are not handled well in the correct hands, yes. But more than a majority of people have truly unbelievable results.

I hope I can choose a good facial plastic surgeon in the Indianapolis area.