Skin Quality and Post-op Results

Steven H. Williams, MD answers: Can "bad skin elasticity" cause poor cosmetic surgery results?

I had a face lift and neck lift 7 years ago that did not turn out well either. My neck is lumpy. I have extra skin below my left ear. I had to have revision surgery because the skin on my right ear lobe was pulled down. My surgeon's response was that I have bad skin elasticity. It wasn't his fault. Do some people really have bad skin?


Steven H. Williams, MD
10 months ago

There can be different issues with "skin quality" and the effect on post-op results.

The first is any tendecy towards scar problems.  This would include patients that tend to heal with keloids or hypertrophic scars.   Interestingly, patients that are older tend to have finer scars than people who are younger but this tendency can be overridden by people who have scarring problems.

The second has to do with skin elasticity.  Depending on the the amount of collagen (and the type) in your tissue you have a certain elasticity.  Patients with less elastic skin tend to be more challenging to achieve good results.

There are also a subset of patients with collagen or inflammatory disorders where cosmetic plastic surgery is actually contra-indicated.

I'm sorry you're disappointed with your results.  Try getting a few opinions from board certified plastic surgeons in your area.

I hope this helps.

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