5 weeks post surgery, should I be worried about the way my facelift scars are healing? (Photo)

It is very common to have periauricular (aka around the ears) small lumps and bumps a month or so after a facelift.  As a general rule, most of these settle down over the first few months.  At times you can have little "skin tags" that are produced (especially behind the earlobe and back ear crease).  These can be snipped off by your surgeon at any time (no stitch required).  As far as the redness of the incisions, sometimes it is just best to leave them be and not treat them topically with anything for a while (so long as they aren't getting hard in texture).  In the short-term, I would suggest effective makeup for behind the ears and complete avoidance of sun (UV) exposure.

After a facelift, incisions can be red and raised and there is the possibility of these areas, left untreated, could translate into raised or red scars. The therapy of the steroid cream prescribed is one good option. Here are some others:1. The use of silicone gel, sheets or other variations are very helpful 2 weeks after surgery. The product we use is made by a pharmacy called prescribers choice, and it contains .5% hydrocortisone, .025% tretinoin, and 6% kojic acid, which can be very effective with reddened scars.2. After 6 weeks, if there is evidence of the scar remaining raised, we will consider triamcinolone (kenelog) injections, which we use from 20-40 mg. Some surgeons will use 5-FU as an injection for this type of scarring.3. Finally, we will laser scars as early as 6 weeks to gain improved collagen in growth and force scar turnover. Here, we will use pulse-dye, thullium, and sometimes fractional Co2 frequencies to improve the scar disposition. We also have used platelet rich plasma or amniotic biologics injected into the scar with the laser to get the optimal result.The best advice is to continue on some regimen, and then pivot if it is not working.  

It is takes about a year  for scars to fully mature. In the meantime, there are a few things that may help to reduce your scar. The most proven modality is simple scar massage with topical steriods. Applying pressure and massaging the well-healed scar has been shown to improve the appearance as it breaks up the scar tissue, hopefully producing the finest scar as possible. Other things that have been shown to add some benefit are silicone sheets. If unsightly scars are still present after approximately after two months, other things that your surgeon may consider are intralesional steroid injections, laser, or just surgical revision of the scar itself.