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How Can Surgeons Hide the Stitches from a Facelift?

Is there any way that the surgeon can put the stitches from a Facelift inside the ear? You can always tell someone has had a lift from those tell-tale incision scars in front of the ear.

Asked 28 months ago by caesarboy in southn Florida

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incision scar stitches

Facelift Scars

With very rare exceptions, the scars are placed within the ear. I feel the only reason for placing the incision in front of the ear is that it is easier for the surgeon. In men , where the sideburn hair could be pulled into the ear, the underlying follicles can be destroyed at the time of surgery or later with the use of electrolysis or laser hair removal.

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Richard W. Fleming, MD

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Hiding Facelift Incisions

Indeed face lift incisions can be placed inside the ear. The post tragal incision is commonly used. With this approach the Facelift incision begins in the temporal hairline and continues along the edge of the upper ear and behind the small cartilage projection, (tragus), which is in front of the ear canal. This incision then continues around the ear lobe and up behind the ear. This type of incision is used by many plastic surgeons and helps prevent the straight vertical scar in front of... more

James H. Schmidt, MD

Sarasota Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Facelift Incisions

The planning for a facelift incision is a critical step in scar concealment. Some steps for scar concealment: location and placement of the incision keeping the hairline intact and avoiding hair loss keeping ear position and alignment avoiding excessively wide scars by avoiding tension on skin (lift should be on deeper tissues) see video

Anil R. Shah, MD

Chicago Facial Plastic Surgeon

Making facelift scars inconspicuous

The incision for a facelift is placed along the tragal edge of the ear, as it is very well camouflaged in this area. Other techniques performed during a facelift to minimize scaring, are to not place any tension along the incision lines so that the incisions do not fall apart and leave wide hypertrophic scars. Another technique is to remove the sutures quite early, day 4 or 5 after the surgery, to prevent railroad tracking along the incision lines.

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William Portuese, MD

Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

Ways to hide facelift incisions

Good facelift incisions are placed in areas where the scar will be camouflaged or hidden from view. We like to place the temporal incision within the temporal hair region. The incision behind the ear is placed such that the ear and the hair behind the ear will cover the scar. The incision in front of the ear is placed in a skin crease and goes behind the tragus ("inside the ear") in women and in front of the tragus in men. The reason we don't like to place the incision behind... more

Corey S. Maas, MD

San Francisco Facial Plastic Surgeon

Facelift Sutures Hidden Scar Line

Question: How can surgeons hide the stitches from a Facelift? Answer: All incisions should be closed meticulously and without tension. I always place temporal incisions with closure within the anterior temporal hairline. A number of surgeons place these incisions in front of the hairline (in front of the side burn); I disagree with this placement as I feel that it too often presents a conspicuous scar line. Despite my placing the incisions and performing a closure within this hair... more

Sigmund L. Sattenspiel, MD

Freehold Facial Plastic Surgeon

Surgical skills are the most important

Regardless of whether the incision is behind the tragus ( inside the ear) or in front, if it is closed meticulously and without tension there will be no visible scars. All being equal the most important factor is the surgeons surgical skills.

Amir Moradi, MD

San Diego Facial Plastic Surgeon

How can surgeons hide the Facelift scar?

The Facelift scar is but one component of a well executed procedure. The LENGTH and LOCATION of a Facelift scar depend on how many areas are treated and where the excess skin laxity will be the most obvious. In mild cases, the scar can stay on the anterior face but as skin excess increases, we need to extend the scar to behind the ears to better redistribute the skin. After sagging face structures have been raised and repositioned in a more youthful location and the excess skin is... more

Peter A. Aldea, MD

Memphis Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Posttragal incision in a male is possible but with caution

I think all of the previous respondents are correct in their assessments.In summary - you can place a facelift incision 'in the ear' but in a male you should be careful. I would make the same assumption as Dr. Jafri that you are questioning a male facelift. If you notice just in the front of the ear there is a 'no man's' land. The beard stops about a centimeter in front of the ear. If you bring this back all the way to the ear and onto the tragus, this can look unnatural. In some cases,... more

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D.J. Verret, MD

Dallas Facial Plastic Surgeon

Only if you are Ok with your beard on your ear

Hello Caeserboy, I am answering this with the assumption that you are a male patient (if not so, my apologies!). As you have read there are indeed many ways and reasons for placing facelift incisions. One fairly universal approach is to try and avoid moving a male patient's beard onto the front of their ear. This is for cosmetic reasons as well as functional concerns if the beard starts to grow back in towards the ear canal (not good for wax accumulation, irritation, infections). That being... more

Kamran Jafri, MD

New York Facial Plastic Surgeon

Individualization is the key to non-visible facelift scars in male patients

Virtually all men of an age to have a face lift have a low spot or wrinkle in front of the ear that may separate the hair-bearing skin from the non hair-bearing skin. If the incision is placed in that area and the side-burn is allowed to grow down before surgery, the scar is never seen even immediately after surgery. The longer side burn becomes a shorter but normal side burn after surgery but especially the hair covers the incision. There are no sutures in the skin because we close the... more

Nathan Mayl, MD

Fort Lauderdale Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Hiding facelift scars

Dear Ceasar The goal with scars in a facelift is to place them in a very inconspicuous spot and to do a meticulous job of skin closure to minimize the scar. This means taking extra time to align the skin edges and often hiding the scars inside the ear to prevent a straight line scar in front of the ear as Dr. Rand and Dr. Mayer discussed. Keeping the tension on the deep sutures and less tension on the skin is also necessary to achieve the best result. I find the best source of information... more

Steven Schuster, MD

Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Yes there is.ar to almost always

For more than 30 years we have placed the scar inside the ear so that it does not show. We, like you, found this scar in front os the ear to be objectionable. Find a surgeon who does it this way.

Toby Mayer, MD

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Hiding the incision around the ear in a facelift

Part of the art form that is facelifting is creating inconspicuous scars around the ears. This requires careful design and technique, a post-tragal approach in women, closure under no tension, and a respect for the "aesthetic units" of the area. Simply put, not all surgeons are alike and this area is one that separates them.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Tell tale scars

It is common practice to camouflage the scars in front of the ear by having them conform fo the ear. Scars should be discreet and imperceptible. However for male patients, this maneuver recruits beard bearing skin onto the cartilaginous part called the tragus. If my male patients understand that they may have to shave or seek laser hair removal of this part, then I will plan the incisions accordingly. No one likes to have something they weren't expecting. On the back side, the scars are... more

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