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Normal to Have Bilateral Numbness After Facelift?

asked 3 years ago by stiff eye lid in atlanta ga
Latest answer by Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS
Question viewed 8,057 times
Tags: ears, face

After a Facelift, is it normal to have numbness bilaterally near the ears? Will it go away?

25 answers to Normal to Have Bilateral Numbness After Facelift?

+5

Some numbness is normal, some is not normal but is foreseeable.

Dear Stiff Eyelid The side of the face is commonly numb after a facelift. This is related to the surgical dissection to elevate and lift the facial skin that is part of many facelifts. These sensory nerves tend to regenerate over time. During this time frame of 6 weeks to 6 months, it is not uncommon for patients to experience patching numbness on the sides of the face. An awarness of a pins and needles sensation heralds the return of the sensory innervation. However, this numbness can... more
Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD

Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon
+5

Temporary cheek numbness is expected after facelift

After a facelift it is normal to experience numbness in the skin right in front of the ear extending out about an inch. Sometimes this is called a cotton sensation by our patients. Also in response to the healing the skin will feel dry and flaky as the repairs proceed. Our aesthetician will clean up the cheek skin after three weeks with very light microdermabrasion. The numbness subsides after several weeks and is not a problem for most. We do caution our patients about hairdryers to prevent... more
Peter E. Johnson, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+4

Skin numbness is normal but may take up to a year to improve.

When we lift the skin from the underlying muscle we cut tiny nerves that provide the sensation to the sides of the face. It is a normal process and in most cases the nerves regenerate on their own. The return of sensation takes from 3 to 12 months and occasionally longer. Some patients report a "zinging" sensation when the nerves wake up. At this time there is no treatment that will facilitate the healing of the nerves, however having proper nutrition with adequate protein... more
Boris Volshteyn, MD, MS

Reno Plastic Surgeon
+4

This is normal and will take time to get better.

Numbness after a facelift is unavoidable and will get better in time. When you do a facelift, your skin has to be elevated to expose the structures that need lifting. This invariably will interrupt the nerves that bring sensation to your skin. The nerves will take some time to regenerate as they grow at most 1mm a day in the best conditions but are hindered by infection, inflammation, age, genetics, health, nutrition etc. One thing that could be considered is that a larger nerve is... more
Philip Young, MD

Bellevue Facial Plastic Surgeon
+3

Ear numbness after facelift

Numbness around the ears is fairly common after a facelift. Anytime an incision is made in the skin, small peripheral nerves are cut. It takes time for these nerves to "reconnect" after a facelift. Feelings such as tingling or slight burning are signs of these nerves "reconnecting". Expect full return after 6 to 12 months.
Etai Funk, MD

Houston Facial Plastic Surgeon
+3

Numbness After A Face

Temporary loss of sensation after a facelift is common and is a result of small nerves which traverse the incision site.  Expect sensation to return within 3 months to a year. There are other sensory nerves in the face which are named nerves such as the great auricular nerve which can be affected in both a facelift and other procedures.  In other procedures where this nerve must be cut, patients did not detect a longer course to "feeling their face" than when the... more
Anil R. Shah, MD

Chicago Facial Plastic Surgeon
+3

Numbness is temporary

It is normal to have temporary numbness in front of and behind the ears after a facelift/neck lift surgery. This is the result of cutting the microscopic sensory nerves around the ears. 99% of the time these will all grow back without any complications as long as the main nerve was not cut. This takes two to three months for the numbness to settle down and go away.
William Portuese, MD

Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.seattlefacial.com

+3

Numbness is normal after a facelift

Yes, this is a normal consequence of the healing process. It will improve over a period of months. Sometimes it will take and entire year. Pinkness of the incision lines, numbness, and areas of firmness or small lumps and bumps are part of the healing process. Anytime we rearrange human tissue the patient will experience these normal consequences of healing.
Phillip Langsdon, MD

Germantown Facial Plastic Surgeon
+3

Temporary numbness around the ears normal after facelift

During a face lift several small branches of the posterior branch of the Greater Auricular Nerve are damaged. Usually sensation returns but it can take up to two years. In some cases, these nerve branches are cut and the numbness is permanent. As the nerves heal expect taht you may feel funny sensations--small electric shocks or sensation of "worms crawling under the skin." These sensations are actually a sign that the nerve is healing and are called dysesthesias. If deep sutures... more
Brooke R. Seckel, MD

Boston Plastic Surgeon

www.drseckel.com

+3

It should resolve completely over time

Yes, numbness around the ears is expected to occur after facelift surgery. The skin around the ears is completely elevated, which removes the sensory nerve input to the overlying skin and makes it feel numb. The nerves must regrow, and they do so rather slowly, so be patient.. You will notice the area of numbness getting smaller and smaller until you regain full sensation. The nerve that supplies sensation to the ear, the Great Auricular Nerve, can be injured during a facelift. Even if... more
Theda C. Kontis, MD

Baltimore Facial Plastic Surgeon
+3

Typically normal after Facelift

With a facelift, the skin is lifted off the underlying structures of the face. It is reasonable to expect some sensation change initially because tiny sensory nerves are injured. However, for the vast majority of patients, the sensation returns in time as the nerve fibers regenerate. It can take a year or more in some cases. I would not focus on it as there is little you can do to change the process. Good luck.
Manish H. Shah, MD

Denver Plastic Surgeon
+3

Depends...

Some numbness is not unusual but completely numbness of the ears is. There is a sensory nerve to the ear that can be injured, temporarily or permanently, when doing a face/neck lift. There can be associated electric type shock when touching or tapping the area of injury below the ear. This can be annoying but usually not disabling although it depends on the nature of the injury. Most numbness will lessen over time. Discuss this with your surgeon.
Robin T.W. Yuan, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon
+2

Postoperative Numbness after Facelift

Numbness around the ears after a facelift can be temporary or rarely permanent. Temporary numbness is due to cutting of the microscopic nerve endings that feed into the skin that is lifted. Temporary numbness can also be the result of swelling over the postauricular nerve behind the ear. Both types of numbness resolve over 6 weeks to 6 months, depending on the patient. Permanent numbness can result from injury to the post-auricular nerve but is much less common. In this case, the nerve does... more
Anita Mandal, MD

Palm Beach Facial Plastic Surgeon
+2

Face Numbness After Facelift

It is normal to have numbness around the ears and cheek area. It will go away unless the greater auricular nerve was damaged or injured which is infrequent, but it’s the most commonly injured nerve in a facelift. However, the key element is that there is numbness in the cheek area and around the ears for up to 6 – 8 weeks or longer. This usually returns without a problem.
Rod J. Rohrich, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon
+2

Numbness after facelift is normal and likely temporary

Rest assured that the numbness you are experiancing is normal.  The numbness results from very small nerve endings being cut when the skin is elevated during a facelift.  These nerve endings will usually reconnect during the healing phase of the facelift and the sensation to those areas will likely return.  This may take as short as a few weeks, to up to a year.  Areas of permanent numbness are possible though rare.
Jeffrey M. Darrow, MD

Boston Plastic Surgeon
+2

Numbness is normal and expected

Standardly after facelift surgery there is numbness around the ears. This is generally due to disruption of the nerve endings that innervate the skin. The skin is separated from the deeper structures and so numbness is present generally after facelift surgery. Also the larger sensory nerve, the great auricular nerve, that innervates in and around the ear can be manipulated or become swollen after the surgery causing persistent numbness. Numbness is normal and expected. It does go away... more
David Q. Santos, MD

Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon
+2

Numbness after facelifts are normal

Numbness is expected after any type of facelift in the operated areas and the ears. This is generally temporary though may last several years and in small areas may be permanent.
D.J. Verret, MD

Dallas Facial Plastic Surgeon

innovationsfps.com

+2

Numbness after a facelift

Numbness in the ears and cheeks is very common after a facelift and almost always returns to normal after weeks to months. Nerves re-grow slowly and this is what takes place as the feeling returns.
Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS

Seattle Plastic Surgeon
+2

Numbness around the ears after a Facelift is temporary

In a face lift, lifting the skin starting around the ears deadens the nerves supplying the ears. As they wake up and grow back into the skin the sensation will return. In my experience this usually takes 3 months but in some patients can take up to a year.
Andrew Jacono, MD

New York Facial Plastic Surgeon
+2

Numbess around ears and even cheeks is normal and will improve

The numbness nearly all patients experience after face lifting procedures is from the disruption of the skin nerves when performing the lift.  This is a necessary part of the procedure and normal senation will return in the upcoming weeks.  
Richard Gentile, MD

Cleveland Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.facialplastics.org

+2

Numbness is very common and will improve after facelift.

This is absolutely normal and commonly last for 6 months. Although the vast majority of the sensation will return, it is not unusual to have small areas of permanent numbness. It is rare for patients to complain about this.
Otto Joseph Placik, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+1

Numbness is normal after facelifts

Numbness is normal after facelifts.The reason for this is that when skin is undermined the microscopic plexus of nerves is divided but in just about all cases reattach over several months up to a year or more and normal sensation is returned. After this period of time may represent an injury to an underlying named nerve.
Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS

Orange County Plastic Surgeon
+1

Numbness following a Facelift

Some numbness of the cheeks and in front of ,or around the ears, is completely nomal after facelift surgery. This is due to the fact that the microscopic nerve endings that provide sensation to the face are divided when the skin is lifted. The nerve endings will regrow and sensation will return, however this can take weeks to months and it can be six months or longer before sensation fully recovers.
Braden Stridde, MD

Federal Way Plastic Surgeon
+1

Numbness after facelift

It is very normal to have facial and neck numbness after facelift. The amount of numbness depends on the extent of surgery performed and the amount of skin that had to be repositioned. In general, the numbness returns starting at the chin or midline and gradually coursing towards the ear. This can take as little as a few weeks to several months but almost always recovers. Good luck.
Mike Majmundar, MD

Atlanta Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Numbness after a facelift

A facelift quite commonly causes some numbness around the ears and cheeks. This usually gets better over a 6 week or longer period.
Steven Wallach, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

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