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How Long Should Swelling and Numbness Last After a Facelift?

asked 2 years ago by dave1012 in tennessee
Latest answer by Philip Young, MD
Question viewed 7,927 times
Tags: face, nasolabial folds, neck

recently had a lower facelift, necklift, fat injections in nasafolds. 6 weeks postop still swollen and numb. Is this normal, and if so how, long before i am completely healed?

19 answers to How Long Should Swelling and Numbness Last After a Facelift?

Swelling and Numbness after Facelift

Numbness is a normal part of the recovery after Facelift and most will resolve in 6 - 8 months after surgery. Some areas of numbness, like the cheeks, fade more quickly. Others like the stitch lines themselves take longer, maybe 18 months or longer. Swelling will mostly dissipate within a few days to a couple of weeks, but some spots, like around the internal stitches in the cheeks and under the chin will take longer. Some of these areas of swelling are subtle in appearance,... more

Paul C. Zwiebel, MD
Denver Plastic Surgeon

Healing after a facelift

I usually tell patients to expect about 10 days to two weeks for bruising to resolve after a facelift. Many times it can be earlier, but I have heard so many patients say that "I am a good healer and will be less", and then it is still 10-14 days, that I want to be realistic and conservative. I have also experimented with different aspects of the lift, including bigger, bulky dressings, tissue glue, and/or drains and none of them have appreciably improved... more

Kevin Robertson, MD
Madison Facial Plastic Surgeon

Face Lift Numbness and Swelling

It is normal to have numbness around your ears after a face lift. Normal sensation typically will return within 3 months, but can take up to a year if not longer in a select few. As things return to normal, you may experience some sharp shooting pain, tingling, or even the urge to itch the skin. Return to normal will not be that far off if you start to experience these symptoms. Swelling may also take a while to resolve, but typically residual swelling may be confined to... more

Edmon Pierre Khoury, MD
Dubai Facial Plastic Surgeon

Swelling after a facelift

The swelling and numbness following a face lift typically are most notable for the first 3 months but may take up to 6 months prior to achieving a stable appearance. The numbness may continue to resolve over a period of 2 years.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Normal Swelling and Numbness After a Facelift

Recovery times after facelift procedures depend upon the extent of procedures performed and often takes up to a year before numbness and swelling completely subside. In patients with "thick-full faces" that undergo liposuction, often the recovery and swelling persists longer than in those patients with thin faces. Normal swelling and bruising that other people can see generally subside within 3-4 weeks, with most patients socializing at the end of two weeks.... more

Daniel Shapiro, MD
Scottsdale Plastic Surgeon

shapiroplasticsurgery.com

Swelling and numbness are two different things

Swelling is different with different techniques. Deep plane swelling is far worse and lasts much longer than a SMAS procedure. Numbness is a result of separating the skin from its nerves. The nerves regrow in 3-6 months after surgery.

Robert M. Freund, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Recovering from a Facelift

Swelling and numbness are both to be expected, of course, after a Facelift. Of the two, it is the swelling (and bruising) that keeps people out of work/circulation. Most of my patients are able to go back to work in about 7-10 days as 70-80% of the swelling will have resolved. The remaining swelling can take 6-8 weeks more to fully resolve. The numbness takes longer to totally resolve (even up to a year in some case), but in the majority of cases, the numbness is a non-issue after about... more

Haresh Yalamanchili, MD
Houston Facial Plastic Surgeon

Duration of swelling and numbness after facelift

Swelling and numbness typically lasts three to four months after a facelift procedure. The majority of numbness and swelling is gone in about four to six weeks, but it can take upwards of several months for all of it to completely subside and go away.

William Portuese, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.seattlefacial.com

Swelling and Numbness in Facelift

It really depends on the patient. The majority of the swelling resolves by around 6 weeks. But the ultimate result may take 4-6 months. As far as the numbness goes, it may take 6-12 months for complete return. Good luck.

Farbod Esmailian, MD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Numbness and Swelling After Facelift Can Last For Months

Typically the swelling goes down significantly in 3 weeks . Numbness can take up to six months to resolve. If a certain nerve is bruised in surgery that it can take up even longer. Rarely the nerve going to the ear can get injured and numbness can be permanent. Regards

Tanveer Janjua, MD
Bedminster Facial Plastic Surgeon

Swelling and Numbness after a Facelift

Hi, Depending on how extensive your facelift was, swelling time can vary from 7 days to 6 weeks. The numbness can go on for up to a year but usually starts to resolve at 3 months postop. Adding fat injections can extend your swelling for up to 3 to 4 months. Best, Dr. S.

Oleh Slupchynskyj, MD
New York Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.facechange.org

Swelling and numbness after a face lift

I usually tell people that most of the healing including swelling, numbness will be 60% complete at 6 weeks and 90% around 6 months. The nerves grow at a maximal rate of 1 mm per day. but is usually slower than that in my experience. Taping, pressure dressings, steroids orally or injections could work.

Philip Young, MD
Bellevue Facial Plastic Surgeon

Facelift post-op healing expectations

The majority of visible swelling typically subsides within a couple of weeks. You will likely feel swollen for a couple of months. The platysma muscle under the chin in the neck can be especially sensitive and you may feel firmness in this region for 2-3 months. Patients routinely feel swollen over the cheek bones for a couple of months as well. The fact that you had fat injections as well (which can create a beautiful result), can increase the healing time as well. Numbness... more

Todd C. Miller, MD
Orange County Facial Plastic Surgeon

Swelling after a facelift

Most people are ready to return to work and be out in public comfortably at about 10days. You can have minor swelling etc that can take 4-6 weeks to resolve. Numbness is most often very temporary and lasts about 2-6weeks. If there was a nerve injury ( which is very unlikely with a skilled Facelift surgeon like I am sure you went to) then the numbness can be permanent.

Jason B. Diamond, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Healing time from a facelift

In most of my patients, they look very presentable at 2 weeks after surgery. 80% of swelling is gone at 1 month and any numbness usually totally resolves over several weeks to months. The recovery is usually much easier than they thought it would be and they are back fully exercising and functional at 2 weeks.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Swelling reduced within few weeks, some cases couple of months

Swelling and numbness after a facelift is expected and normal. Usually, mostof the noticeable swelling is reduced within a few weeks, perhaps in some casesa couple of months. There may be minimal edema or swelling that lingers foranother couple of months or so. Depending upon the facelift technique performed,swelling will last for a longer or shorter period of time. Nevertheless, the swelling always goes away. Similarly, barring any unusual circumstances, the numbness gradually reduces... more

Sigmund L. Sattenspiel, MD
Freehold Facial Plastic Surgeon

Swelling and numbness after a facelift.

Recovery from these procedures will vary from patient to patient depending on which exact procedures you had. Typically, after about a week and a half, you should feel good enough to go into public places. After about three weeks, most of the bruising and swelling should have subsided. At the end of 6-8 weeks, you should be feeling back to normal. It can take up to a year for you to fully heal and your scars to mature. I would follow up with your doctor just to make sure everything is... more

Sam Speron, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Facelift Recovery Times

The initial bruising and swelling after a face lift lasts about 7 to ten days, with 80% clearing in this time frame. The last 20 % of the swelling can last up to 3 weeks. The numbness lasts about 3 months until it completely resolves.

Andrew Jacono, MD
New York Facial Plastic Surgeon

Face lift side effects

Nubness after face lift will come back to normal once the swlling subsides and the nerve endinds start regeneration, It will take 3-6 months to regain back all the sensation.