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If Nerve Was Cut During a Face Lift, Do I Have a Chance of Nerve Regeneration?

asked 6 months ago by MariaF1
Latest answer by Sam Naficy, MD
Question viewed 264 times
Tags: nerve damage, regenerate

The right eyebrow and right side of forehead got totally paralyzed since a face lift done 10 weeks ago. I don’t know if this is only a nerve damage or if this branch was severed. I am doing therapy with muscle stimulation so the muscle get some activity until the nerve regenerate, if so. I can close my eye normally, the only part that doesn’t move is eyebrow and same side forehead. I would like to know if even if the nerve was really cut during surgery, do I have a chance of nerve regeneration?

13 answers to If Nerve Was Cut During a Face Lift, Do I Have a Chance of Nerve Regeneration?

Nerve regeneration if cut in face lift?

You have already received much great advice. But no one on this forum can determine if your nerve was cut or just stretched during your recent surgery. But I am writing just to say that the odds are certainly in your favor. Keep doing what you are doing, maintain a positive outlook, and realize that in 6-12 months the odds are good that you will have a complete recovery. Good luck!

Lawrence Kass, MD
Saint Petersburg Oculoplastic Surgeon

www.kassmd.com

If the nerve was actually cut, it is very unlikely to regenerate.

Many of these injuries are stretch injuries. The nerve sheath is intact and some degree of recovery can be seen. What was injured was the frontal branch of the right facial nerve. Where your nerve was injured the nerve fibers are actually very fine. It is probably amazing that we do not see more of these injuries. I would say that after about 6 months it is unlikely that recovery will take place. Surgical repairs for nerves this peripheral are not very reliable.... more

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD
Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon

Frontal Branch Paresis

You are describing effects of paresis of the frontal branch of the facial nerve. Usually this is temporary and function with return, but you must be patient as it can take up to a year to recover. In the interim, there are treatments that can be done to achieve symmetry while you wait for the nerve function to return. There are other exercises that you should be doing to help this recover. The good news is that you are able to close your eye. If the function... more

Kimberly Lee, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Nerve Injury During a Facelift

In most cases, the nerve is just stunned and can take 6 to 12 months to improve. Keep working on your therapy and see how things go.

Karol A. Gutowski, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

If nerve was cut, surgical repair is needed

Hi Maria, Just wanted to add on little more information to the excellent answers you have gotten. As has been noted if the nerve paralysis is due to nerve swelling, traction (pulling on the nerve) or bruising a partial if not full full recovery of the nerve can be expected with time (this may take up to a year). However if the nerve was cut then surgical repair of the nerve is required in most cases. Even with surgery there is a recovery time for the repaired nerve to regain... more

Kamran Jafri, MD
New York Facial Plastic Surgeon

Usually Bruised but...

The frontal branch of the facial nerve can be traumatized during a facelift. This can range from a bruise to complete severing. The vast majority are bruised and do return over a period of weeks to months. If the nerve is cut, the nerve will obviously not work and you will be left with permanent brow paralysis. Good Luck

Brian Klink, MD
Sacramento Plastic Surgeon

Nerve regeneration

If the nerve was totally severed you will have minimal recovery unless it is repaired. That said it may take several months for a "bruised" nerve to recover. Give it more time and if no improvement, discuss nerve repair with your surgeon. Donald R. Nunn MD Atlanta Plastic Surgeon.

Donald Nunn, MD, DDS
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

Hard to say...

If a frontal nerve is severed, it is unlikely to regenerate. Most nerve injuries ARE temporary, and you still have a chance of function returning. Nerves regenerate at a very slow rate, about a centimeter a month. So if a nerve is damaged 6 cm from the muscle, it will take six months to recover. You may want to try botox on the non-injured side to improve symmetry while you are waiting. Good luck!

J. Charles Finn, MD
Raleigh-Durham Facial Plastic Surgeon

Nerve injury after a lift

I believe you have asked this question before. As stated by others you need to wait and hope for a full recovery

Sam Naficy, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

Facelift - If Nerve Was Cut During a Face Lift, Do I Have a Chance of Nerve Regeneration?

If a nerve (anywhere) is truly cut, it is extremely unlikely that you would have regeneration. In extreme cases (ie, when someone knows for sure that a nerve was cut or can figure it out with a very high likelihood), it may be advisable to undergo additional surgery and to re-attach the ends of the nerve. Even then, there is no guarantee that the nerve will be able to grow across the connection, or that function will return. That, however, is probably the best course if... more

Alan Engler, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Nerve Injury after a facelift

The incidence of permanent nerve injury following a facelift is very rare. A facial nerve can regrow for as long as 2 years after surgery and the vast majority of nerve weakness following facelifting is a temporary nerve palsy that represents either bruising, swelling or stretching and is not really a division of the nerve.

Joseph Hunstad, MD
Charlotte Plastic Surgeon

www.hunstadkortesiscenter.com

If Nerve Was Cut During a Face Lift, Do I Have a Chance of Nerve Regeneration?

To specifically answer the question, you asked. No, if the temporal branch, of the facial nerve, was cut during your Face Lift the nerve will not regenerate on it's own. If the nerve was injured, it may recover at 1mm a day from the point of the stretch or injury. This would mean that somewhere between 3 and 6 months, you would see some movement in the forehead. If no movement occurs at 1 year, the nerve will most likely not re-grow and the forehead will... more

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

If Nerve Was Cut During a Face Lift, Do I Have a Chance of Nerve Regeneration?Answer:

Most likely your nerve was stretched or bruised and should make a full recovery. One thing you might do is a little Botox or Dysport over on the other side to even you out until the nerve wakes back up!!! It works really well for this...