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Could Health Problems Have Been Caused by Facelift Trauma?

asked 1 year ago by BobbiGlass
Latest answer by Sam Naficy, MD
Question viewed 213 times
Tags: causes, damage, health problem

A few years ago, my mom had a face/brow lift that caused bruising and swelling for months , and - about a week after surgery - her cheekbone implants slid down into her jaw, and she had to have them removed. A year later, she developed burning eyes and mouth, facial pain with temperature changes, and tinnitus. Doctors have suggested it might be Sjogrens, though her autoantibody tests are negative and her eyes and mouth aren't clinically dry. Could her problems have been caused by the surgery?

16 answers to Could Health Problems Have Been Caused by Facelift Trauma?

+1

Health Problems Caused by Facelift?

What you are describing is very unlikely to be all due to the surgery. Some pain, burning, or numbness - perhaps yes Burning eyes and mouth, fever, tinnitus - very unlikely
Sam Naficy, MD

Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Facelift

This in my opinion is unlikely caused by surgery. Thank you for your question and good luck with everything.
Vivek Bansal, MD

Danville Plastic Surgeon
+1

Facelift - Health Problems Caused by Facelift?

I'm obviously very sorry for what your mother's gone through, and is going through, but I think it's very unlikely that her problems are related to the surgery. A facelift is a fairly straight-forward procedure in that it doesn't introduce any foreign bodies of any kind, etc., so even in the rare case that an auto-immune condition were diagnosed (which it hasn't been), one couldn't even ascribe it to that. So while it's disconcerting and the timing is... more
Alan Engler, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon
+1

Ongoing symptoms after face surgery adventure.

We all hope (patients and doctors) for an eventless post-operative course after surgery.  But what we hope will be an event (surgery) often turns into a process instead.  Like any process, it takes more than one simple step and one simple answer.  A specialist can evaluate her and probably come up with a differential diagnosis.  That's a list of all the  things it could be, and then you can help the doctor eliminate the wrong diagnoses until you get an answer.... more
Ritu Chopra, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon
+1

Symptoms after facelift

First of all, I'm sorry your mother went though all the complications she did.  I think it's unlikely your health problems, especially the tinnitus and burning.  I would recommend seeing an internal medicine doctor and perhaps a neurologist for a full evaluation. Dr. Cat Begovic M.D.
Catherine Huang-Begovic, MD

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Face Lift, Mini Face Lift, The Palmer Celebrity Face Lift, Beverly Hills Face Lift

It seems unlikely that the Face Lift and Cheek Implants caused these general health issues.  Movement of the Cheek Implants was directly related to having them put in but other than that, I wouldn't think so.  Internal medicine work up would seem warranted.
Francis R. Palmer, III, MD

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Symptom likely unrelated to previous facelift surgery

The symptoms your describe are quite complex.  It is unlikely they were caused by prior facial surgery over one year ago.  I would recommend a formal evaluation starting with your primary care physician to rule out other medical etiologies of these problems in addition to visiting with your plastic surgeon.  Best of luck.
C. Bob Basu, MD

Houston Plastic Surgeon
+1

Face Lift vs.Health Problems Lifting Facial vs. Problemas de salud

Is important a medical work-up for this problem ,since the surgery was a year ago.I think that no relation exist between the face lift and the health problems of your mother. Es importante una evaluación médica de este problema, ya que la cirugía fue hace un año.Yo pienso que no existe relación entre el face lift y los problemas de salud de su madre.
Enrique Pedro Gagliardi, MD

Argentina Plastic Surgeon
+1

Pain after a facelift

Your mother has a very complicated story.  I would recommend a pain specialist for further evaluation.  There are no easy answers in a situation like this. Best, Tal Raine MD FACS
Talmage J. Raine, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+1

Symptoms one year after Facelift

I agree with the other surgeons here that it is highly unlikely that the facelift surgery is related to the current symptoms your mother is experiencing. The cheek implant surgery however was a complication related to her facelift. I do a lot of Facelift surgery on patients with cheek implants and you must take them into consideration in your surgical planning. I hope your mother feels better in the near future and gets the proper medical attention she needs. Best regards! more
Michael Elam, MD

Orange County Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Symptoms 1 Year After Facelift Surgery

One year after the procedure, the onset of symptoms, although concerning, is very likely unrelated to the procedure that was performed.  If your Mother has lower eyelid surgery at the same time, and has lower lid retraction, there may be a relationship with her ocular symptoms, but the facial pain/tinnitus are unrelated.
Stephen Prendiville, MD

Fort Myers Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.drprendiville.com

+1

Various New Symptoms 1 Year after Facelift Surgery

Most of the symptoms your mother is experiencing cannot directly be associated with the facial surgery. Eye burning can be a sign of dry eye syndrom which could get worse after eyelid lift or browlift surgery. Facial pain and temperature sensitivity could be associated with facial surgery but I would anticipate this to be mostly gone after 1 year and not just start.
Frank P. Fechner, MD

Worcester Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.drfechner.com

+1

Health Problems Caused by Facelift

Movement of the cheek implants was a surgical complication, but it is unlikely her other health problems were caused by the facelift. She needs to have an evaluation by her internist who may recommend consultation with a rheumatologist or immunologist.
Richard W. Fleming, MD

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Facelift V. Health Problems

It is unlikely the health issues are associated with the procedure since the procedure was over a year ago.
Elliot M. Heller, MD

New York Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Symptoms likely unrelated to facelift surgery

Dear BobbiGlass, I agree with the previous surgeon that a facelift is unlikely to cause these syptoms.  I would definitely recommend a medical work-up for this problem.  It does sound like an auto-immune problem, so it's best to start with her primary care doctor. Best, Nima Shemirani
Nima Shemirani, MD

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Could Health Problems Have Been Caused by Facelift Trauma?

Sorry that your mother had such difficulty and problems after her surgery.  The fact that the symptoms started a year after surgery, it is highly unlikely that the surgery had anything to do with her symptoms.  On the other hand, if she had undiagnosed health problems, that could have contributed to her having slow healing with swelling and bruising for months after her surgery. The cheek implants sliding down to her jaw sounds like poor surgical planning.  more
Amy T. Bandy, DO

Newport Beach Plastic Surgeon

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