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Much Numbness and Lips Dont Work Right!

asked 1 year ago by jsgreen in Boston MA
Latest answer by Sam Naficy, MD
Question viewed 515 times
Tags: numb

After midface lift and infraorbital rim placement, will all this numbness of face, nose (even inside), lips & teeth resolve? i cant pucker, whistle or talk normally. Will my normal lip function return? the surgery was through my mouth with entry points on each side. ive been having paresthesia since 24 hrs after surgery but no noticeable improvement. what gives?! thanks for your reply.

15 answers to Much Numbness and Lips Dont Work Right!

Not out of the ordinary

Any procedure that involves the mid face works around an important sensory nerve called the infra-orbital nerve. This is a very hearty nerve and quite hard to injure. That being said - the manipulation of these areas often do cause temporary numbness. If you can feel anything at all on your cheeks and lips then you will be fine. It is more worrying if you have complete numbness (e.g. where you could stick a pin in your lip and not feel it) that would be more concerning for the nerve... more

Benjamin C. Marcus, MD
Madison Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.uwhealth.org

After midface lift and infraorbital rim placement

You don't mention how far after surgery you are but midface surgery does have a high incidence of swelling and a higher (than face lifts) incidence of nerve weakness. Most likely your symptoms will improve over a few months

Sam Naficy, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

Numbness and facial weakness after mid face lift

The Mid Face Lift is performed at a very deep layer and as such places the sensory nerve branches at more risk, IMHO, than traditional Face Lifts or the less invasive minimal incision Face Lifts. Because the inferior orbital rim may have been used for tissue suspension, the infraorbital may have been injured that would lead to numbness of the upper lips and teeth. Facial movements are controlled by motor nerve branches of the facial nerve and if weakened or injured during a Face... more

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

Numbness and loss of lip function after Mid Facelift longer than 6 weeks may indicate nerve damage

If you are over six weeks post Mid Facelift and the numbness and lip function have not improved there may be a component of nerve injury. If the nerves are just stretched and not significantly damaged much of the feeling or sensation and normal motion should return by 6 weeks. It is important to see your doctor for an assessment. If lip motion remains a problem after 2-3 weeks many would start Direct Current Electrical muscle stimulation to keep the muscles healthy while the... more

Brooke R. Seckel, MD
Boston Plastic Surgeon

www.drseckel.com

Phases of Healing

Your problem may be normal if you are now in the very early phase healing, however, you did not mention how long ago your operation was. You should always see your surgeon as soon as possible. Only he/she can address your concerns and take the appropriate action. see video

Ivan Thomas, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Numbness after Midfacelift?

I need to know how long post op you are. This seems a little extensive but may be normal early. After the first week you should have substantial and progressive return of function and sensation. In a month all sensation and movement should be normal or well on the way to normal. So all depends on the timing. We need some more info to say much of benefit. Good Luck.

George Commons, MD
Palo Alto Plastic Surgeon

www.pacfps.com

Numbness after facial surgery

Without knowing how long yo are from your date of surgery, its hard to answer your question. If its within a few days from your surgery, this should get better. However, if your symptoms are not improving with time, then there may have been some injury or brusing to the infraoribtal nerve. If it is bruising to your nerve, this will take several weeks to resolve. Please talk to your plastic surgeon. This warrants medical attention from your surgeon. more

C. Bob Basu, MD
Houston Plastic Surgeon

Midface lift and nerve problems

You don't say how far out you are from surgery so I can't say too much. The infraorbital nerve sounds like it was injured and this can either be permanent if it was cut or can take months to years to fully recover if it was just bumped or stretched. What does the doctor say?

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Midfacelift and numbness

If you are only a day or two after the midfacelift, It si fairly common to have some numbness afterwards. Some movement issue may be due to swelling as well. If concerned speak with your surgeon.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Lip numbness and difficulty moving after mid face lift

The mid face lift is performed along the bony location where the nerves to the lips exit the skull and facial bones. The surgical intervention can result in interruption of nerve activity as well as profound and prolonged swelling producing the symptoms you describe.

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Numbness after facial surgery

You didn't say how long after the surgery this is. Are you one week postop or one-year? Normally it takes about six months for nerve injuries and nerve stretching to resolve. Discuss these issues with your plastic surgeon and if you're still concerned get examined in a second opinion.

Andrew Kaczynski, MD
Sacramento Plastic Surgeon

Midface Lift: Numbness

Ideally it would be best to know how long ago you had your surgery. Post-operative swelling and numbness are common issues with a midface lift. If there is swelling then motion can be impaired. Surgical stretching of the nerves can also cause numbness and, rarely, impaired motion during a midface lift. You should review your concerns with your physician as I am certain he/she would appreciate and be able to specifically answer your question as it relates to you. Be well, JMR more

James M. Ridgway, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

Numbness after facelift

You should talk to your surgeon who can answer this question best for you. Likely. the infraorbital nerve has been stretched and should improve with time.

Samer W. Cabbabe, MD
Saint Louis Plastic Surgeon

Numbness and weakness after midface lift should not last long

Dear jsgreen, There are two issues going on: numbness and weakness. These are caused by two different processes: (i)trauma to sensory nerves, and (ii) trauma to motor nerves or the muscles they serve. The key question is: How long post op are you? Numbness from your facial procedure could be prolonged if the nerve was traumatized during the procedure, and it could take a week to a number of months to FULLY return. If you are early (less the two weeks) from surgery, you... more

Lawrence Tong, MD
Toronto Plastic Surgeon

Facial numbness after midface lift

An important sensory nerve that exits the facial skeleton below your orbital rim (infra-orbital nerve) was likely stretched during the mid-face lift procedure. Sometimes these sensory changes take a few days to resolve. Check in with your plastic surgeon if the numbness persists beyond a few days.