Swelling 14 Days After Lower Face Lift - Should I Be Concerned?

14 days after lower face lift the left side of my face remains swollen. On waking from the anaesthetic I had difficultly closing my left eye which still causes me problems. I have no conrol to the left side of my nose or left side of upper lip.As I talk my mouth becomes very twisted. I have severe bilateral muscle pain when talking or eating. My PS prescribed prednisolne 2.5mg twice daily and valium 2.5mg three times daily. Is this unusual and should I be concerned as my plastic surgeon is not.

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8 Doctor Answers | Asked by milly59 in Hartlepool, F5

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Swelling after facelift

I would be concerned. Sounds like a motor nerve injury. May improve with time and steroids but may not.

Face lift swelling 14 days later and trouble moving face on left side

This is not uncommon after 14 days. At this point you likely have around 20-40%% of your healing. We usually tell people that they will have 60% of their healing / recovery complete by 6 weeks, 80-90% by 6 months. 100% can take as long as 2 years. This is based on wound healing studies and tensile breaking strength of a heal wound. You have a while to go for complete healing. The left side and the trouble with moving your face here could be some stimulation of your facial nerve. If you... more

Philip Young, MD

6 reviews

Bellevue Facial Plastic Surgeon

Swelling and facial asymmetry 2 weeks after facelift can signify a problem.

After every facelift patients can experience asymmetric swelling, bruising, and numbness, and in rare cases may note weakness in some branches of the facial nerve that control facial animation, such as smiling, blinking, or raising one's brows. Your surgeon has prescribed steroids, which will help with swelling and inflammation, and may in fact help any motor nerve weakness to resolve more rapidly than it would with no treatment other than "tincture of time." It is quite... more

Swelling 14 days after a facelift is normal; weakness is uncommon

Residual swelling 14 days after lower facelift is normal, as is some mild asymmetry. The degree of swelling and discomfort you report is not normal, and the nerve-type weakness you report seems to involve multiple facial nerve branch distributions. Your surgeon's treatment of choice - steroids - makes me think that he, too, suspects nerve injury. I would consider a follow-up opinion from a facial plastic surgeon if possible. Good luck!

Post facelift issues

Prolonged swelling is a possibiblity after surgery and you should follow closely with your doctor to make sure that your post-op goes smoothly.

Steven Wallach, MD

12 reviews

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

What to do with an unusual swelling after a lower facelift surgery

Dear milly from Hartlepool, Regarding your question with prolonged swelling on the left side of face 14 days after lower face lift surgery; this could be a post operative hematoma. The accumulation of dry blood may have resulted in extensive swelling and neurosensory irritation. Wait a week and see how the results of steroid treatment help you. If no improvement is seen, you may need a second opinion. Ask your surgeon what he thinks of the cause and what his long term plans are. Good... more

Facelift aftermath - what to do...

In seems as though you are having some prolonged issues after your facelift. These problems need to be treated and followed. Be certain to discuss with your plastic surgeon and if you are not satisfied with their answers, please seek a second opinion.