Facelift Q&A
85%
WORTH IT RATING
"Worth It Rating" shows the % of consumer reviewers
that stated the procedure was "Worth It" or not.
See more RealSelf Worth It Ratings
or Add Your Review

View Before and Afters
Average Facelift Cost: $11,225
Learn about Facelift
1,210 people and 808 doctors are talking about Facelift
Get Free Email Updates
Will Post- Facelift Staple Removal Improve Skin Tightening?
asked 1 year ago by rosemarie44
Latest answer by Sam Naficy, MD
Question viewed 367 times
Tags: removal, stapling
Will Removeable of Staples After a Facelift Improve the Tightness in my Face
17 answers to Will Post- Facelift Staple Removal Improve Skin Tightening?
+1
Tightness after facelift
Most patients experience less tightness once the clips are removed.
It does not, of course, affect the tightness of the face.
+1
Staple removal after a facelift will not make it tighter.
Staple removal after a facelift will not make it tighter. It has no bearing on the end result of your surgery.
+1
Staple removal
The tight feeling you describe is unrelated to the staples and will only improve with time - it can take months
+1
Face Lift
That would depend entirely on where the staples are, and the tension on them. I doubt the improvement will be substantial, but there are too many details missing to know for sure.
Vivek Bansal, MD
Danville Plastic Surgeon
Danville Plastic Surgeon
+1
Facelift - Will Post- Facelift Staple Removal Improve Skin Tightening?
I think you're asking if the feeling of tightness you have after a facelift will be improved (relieved) once the staples are out? If so, then the answer is - not really. It feels tight because (1) it IS tight, (2) swelling under the skin contributes to the tightness, and (3) some of the small nerves that go to the skin were cut as a part of the facelift and, as a result, you have some loss of feeling in the area. For reasons that are unclear, that often translates into...
more
+1
Staple removal after Facelift will not improve skin tightening
The staples were used to close the skin and if used properly were not used in a way to tighten the skin during closure. The tightening was most likely done with sutures placed under the skin in the SMAS layer.
Hopefully there will be no change is skin tension after staple removal. If anything, if the staples were placed under tension, the skin could become looser.
Discuss your concerns with your surgeon
+1
Removing staples won't tighten skin after Face Lift
No, removing the staples won't have any effect on the degree of tightening after a Face Lift. It's just a quick way to close the incision and by itself offers no advantage or skin tightening proiperties. Staples were used primarily for closure, within the scalp, but have been replaced with suture closure, in many instances, for a more aesthetic scar.
+1
Staples are you're friends
No, don't worry. they don't hurt coming out. and remember if its not tight now, when the swelling goes down you may feel too loose. hang in there.
Rafael C. Cabrera, MD
Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon
Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon
+1
No, unfortunately removing staples will not improve tightness
No, unfortunately removing staples will not improve tightness. The tightness will continue to improve as you heal and the swelling goes down. Good luck1
see video
+1
Staple Removal and Skin Tightness after Facelift
By "improve skin tightening" I assume you mean reduced skin tightness. Staple removal will have no effect. The skin tightness will decrease as swelling resolves. Some of that tightness is secondary to the temporary loss of skin sensation.
+1
Removing staples will not tighten face
Removing your surgical staples won't produce further tightening of you face. This early from surgery you still have some healing to do in addition to swelling that will subside.
+1
Removal of skin clips after facelift should not change "tightness" of face
Removal of skin clips after facelift should not change "tightness" of face. Time, reduction in swelling and relaxation of tissues will result in some relaxation of the face and neck tissues that typically eliminates the overly tight sensation that some people have after undergoing facelift.
Stephen Weber, M.D., Ph.D., Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1
Staple Removal after Facelift
Staples can be uncomfortable for the patient (which is one of the reasons why I do not use them). Tightness is most likely not related to the staples or sutures and should not change dramatically. Rather, tightness is a common temporary experience after facelifts related to tightening of the platymsa and SMAS.
+1
Staple removal after facelift
In general, once sutures or staples are removed after a facelift, the skin does not tighten because of their removal. However, as the healing process continues, there may be some additional tightening as the swelling in the skin decreases and the scarring under the skin contracts. I have a number of patients who continue to experience a small amount of skin tightening for the first six months after surgery.
Gregory J. Vipond, MD
Pasadena Facial Plastic Surgeon
Pasadena Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1
Staple or suture removal will not tighten facelift
The removal of staples or sutures for that matter will not tighten or improve facelift results. You will certainly be more comfortable without them, but the look will be the same.
Best of luck,
peterejohnsonmd
Peter E. Johnson, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon
Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+1
Staple removal has no bearing on skin tightness.
Ultimately skin tightness is controlled by how much skin was removed from you face at the time of your facelift. Like most things in cosmetic surgery, this is more art than science. Too much skin removal and one has the windswept look. Too little skin removal and disappointment is the result. Following the facelift, the result is not likely to "tighten" as it heals. If this is an issue, it is possible that your surgeon was conservative with your...
more
+1
Face tightness after facelift surgery
The tightness will improve, but not due to suture removal. The tightness will improve as the swelling subsides. Typically, after the first two weeks patients feel less tight in the face.
Maurice M. Khosh, MD
New York Facial Plastic Surgeon
New York Facial Plastic Surgeon

