It depends on what was done.

Toby G. Mayer, MD answers: Concerns after Brow Lift, Midface Lift, and Eyelid surgery

I am a 37-year-old male in pretty decent shape. It is my 24th day post-op from an endoscopic Brow Lift / Midface Lift (I have 4 incisions in my hairline). The doctor pulled/tightened my droopy cheeks and put some fat injections at the cheek bone. I also had upper and lower Blepharoplasty. He only removed the fat from under my eyes (bags), no cuts on lower eyelids.

One side of my eyebrows doesn’t move at all, and the other I can begin to detect SOME movement. The night of surgery, I had a small emergency due to a hematoma needing cauterized on one side of the hairline area (the eyebrow movement problem side). I had to go back into surgery that night to stop the hematoma in my forehead. He drained most of the blood. That part was a horrific experience.

I felt a lot of blood was left in the forehead. It still feels squishy and swollen. Also, my forehead stitches still have not dissolved and there a couple of serious holes/depressions in the hairline where he did the work on both sides. They are still a little painful. I don’t brush my hair there yet. It feels so weird. It is still numb on top of my head; I still feel some tingling in the brow area too. I feel like I need to go see a neurologist just to know what is going on up there.

Will I ever have my eyebrow movement back on that side? I have read that it could be permanent and it is a rare complication. Will the swelling go down more in my forehead? It seems so slow and inflated. Will the holes in my hairline smooth over? When will stitches dissolve?


Toby G. Mayer, MD
5 months ago

 Usually the swelling takes a few weeks to go down after a hematoma. The dents will go away. Usually the forehead paralysis will resolve in several weeks to months.

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