Not unusual to approach a neck cyst with a face lift incision but this is not a facelift

Dear Atoric

There are a number of reasons that facelifts can cause "disfigurement." Permanent injury to one of the branches of the facial nerve is just one of the causes. However, a cyst along the jaw line is not a medical diagnosis. Cysts can have various causes. A significant concern with these cysts is their relationship to branches of the facial nerve.  When these structures are in close proximity, removal of the cyst can cause permanent damage to the motor nerve and long term or permanent facial weakness in the distribution of the nerve.

If the cyst is the primary reason you are having surgery, then you are not in fact having a facelift, you are having cyst removal with possibly an incidental facelift. My best advice is to be most concerned about the ability of the surgeon to resect the cyst. Performing a facelift does not place as high a demand on the anatomic skills of the surgeon as does removal of the cyst. As facelifts involve standard planes, one might find a well established surgeon with a good reputation who may not have the skills needed to resect such a cyst.

Conversely, it is propable that a surgeon with the skills to resect the cyst and avoid nerve damage is likely to have  the necessary skills to perform a facelift.  I would look for a surgeon with a large body of experience operating in the neck for lymph node dissections, tumors, thyroid abnormalities etc rather than say a famous facelift surgeon.

Hope this helps.

With an experienced facelift surgeon performing a facelift, the chance of a permanent nerve injury is probably around 1% or less.  If a small superficial cyst is removed in the process, this risk should not increase.

If your doctor is removing a parotid tumor, the chance of a nerve injury is higher, particularly if the tumor is malignant or widespread.  The parotid gland has two lobes which are literally separated by the facial nerve, so great skill is involved in removing parotid tumors successfully.

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In experienced hands nerve injury causing facial asymmetry after a facelift is very rare. The risk of nerve injury with cyst removal depends on the location of that cyst on the face and the depth of the lesion. Your surgeon will give you a more specific answer.

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