How Long Should It Take to Witness the Final Results of a True Facelift

While it is true that healing from a Facelift takes time, healing that takes longer than 6 months is unusual.

It does take time for swelling and tightness to resolve after a Facelift, but I have NEVER seen recurrent swelling or lax skin or recurrent jowls or neck laxity  tighten up after they have been seen to be lax or sagging soon after a Facelift.

Most likely from your description, what you are seeing is herniation of the Submaxillary Gland, a gland that produces saliva in the mouth.

This is a very common problem after a Facelift and is very hard if not impossible to correct. As Plastic Surgeons we try to tighten the tissues around the Submaxillary Gland to lessen their appearance, but frequently these efforts fail.

Revision may be possible, but ask your surgeon or seek a second opinion. I am sorry to say but it is not likely that more time will resolve this issue.

Facelift
recovery varies from patient to patient and depends on a large number of
variables. Just as every patient is unique, the chosen procedure is unique as
well. The differences in wound healing characteristics and the types of
procedure performed account for variations in facelift recovery.Most patients feel pretty good in
about four to five days, but their primary concern is when they will look good
enough to go out in public. Recovery following facelift surgery may last for
months, but most patients feel they can go out in public in about two weeks. At
this point, most of the swelling and bruising have resolved. Many patients
adjust their hair style to hide their incisions and use make up as well. It’s
important to emphasize that recovery periods are variable and depend not only
on the patients wound healing characteristics and the surgical technique
utilized, but also on the patients tolerance for changes that may occur
following the facelift surgery. The drooping glandular tissue that
seems to be your primary concern won’t get better with the passage of time.
This condition is probably related to the sag of the glands that produce
saliva. Over the course of time these glands tend to drop because of gravity
and loss of soft tissue support. When loose facial skin is present these glands
are well hidden. Following facelift surgery the skin is tightened and the
glands become more apparent.This is a very difficult problem to
treat. In some cases surgeons have resected these glands, while in other cases
they have re-suspended them. If you’re concerned about these glands, it may be
appropriate to re-discuss the issue with your plastic surgeon. Your surgeon
should be able to formulate an appropriate treatment plan.

This is a great question and brings up an interesting but difficult point. After 12 months, you should be seeing pretty much a final result. In some cases, particularly in older patients, the submandibular glands (salivary glands) are very low in the neck.  Elevating the skin, muscle, and soft tissues of the neck will not lift these glands... and in some cases, it can make them seem more prominent.  There are some suture suspension techniques that can be used during a facelift to help lift the glands, but that is not possible at this point in your case. It is possible to use Botox or other neurotoxin treatment to reduce the size of these glands, but there are risks -- including weakness of one of the muscle used in moving the lower lip.