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Will I Need a Revision Facelift and when Can It Be Done? (photo)

I am 6 weeks postop and extrememly disappointed with the results of my facelift. I had a lot of swelling appear a week postop but now most of the swelling and fluid have subsided and I am left with close to the same issue I had prior to surgery. Very lax skin under under my chin. One side of my face looks pretty good while the left side is horrible. My PS said that once all the swelling and fluid was gone the skin should shrink up. I am 53 years old with not a lot of elasicity in my skin.

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age 45-54 uneven 6 weeks post-op results revision second opinion timing unhappy

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11 Doctor Answers | Asked by kls mn in Minneapolis

Doctor Answers (11)
Community Comments (1)

6 weeks post op and not happy after a face lift

I see all the skin in your neck. That would be pretty hard to see that get taken up with some extra healing. Usually you should have pretty tight neck around 6 weeks time and it will only get more loose with time. You might need a revision. If there is fluid in there I would suck it out and apply more pressure dressings but I think it looks like extra skin. Don't worry though this can be changed for you.

Philip Young, MD

6 reviews

Bellevue Facial Plastic Surgeon

Facelift revision

Although you are only 6 wwekks out, I am not optimistic that the skin ecxess under your chin will contract and smooth out without surgical intervention. In my opinion, you weill need a redraping of the neck skin laterally, behind the ears. Correction of this much skin excess through a midline approach may leave an unacceptable vertical scar. I'm not certain if a true neck lift was also performed with the lower face lift or the the surgeon attempted to correct the excess neck skin through a... more

Revision Facelift

I would wait at least 6 months and revise if necessary at that time. Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Is a revision facelift necessary?

6 weeks is still very soon after your procedure and you are still healing. There are a few things to consider regarding your current condition: 1) Do the photos show improvement from your pre-operative status? 2) Was the area under your chin specifically addressed during your procedure, and did you communicate with your surgeon regarding this problem area? Overall, it is difficult to predict how you will heal without having additional information about your... more

Facelift - Will I Need a Revision Facelift and when Can It Be Done?

It's hard to say from the photos alone and, of course, each result can reasonably only be judged when compared with the pre-op appearance. That being said, if there is still skin remaining after your surgery (as appears to be the case) you may well benefit from a revision. The timing depends on exactly what was done. Did the surgeon lift up the skin all the way across the neck? Was it a SMAS only? These are questions that need to be answered before deciding... more

Excess neck skin

I would wait .. It is obviously still swolen. It may surprise everyone and contract. The again it may need a revision no sooner than 6 months.. Ride this out with your surgeon

What to expect 6 wks after facelift

Thank you for the photos. It is still early to be thinking about a revision as there will e continued changes to your face over the next several months. If its the lax skin in the mid line neck that bothers you a minor revision to remove this through a small T shaped incision under the chin can be helpful. Discuss it with your surgeon at your next visit but be patient as your skin may continue to improve.

Thomas Buonassisi, MD

28 reviews

Vancouver Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.8west.ca

Revision to a past facelift

I am uncertain at this time as to wether the skin below the neck will shrink down or not. Didi the neck look tighter when the bandages were first removed, and do you know if the submental area of the neck was surgically opened up during your surgery? Were there sutures placed under the neck after the surgery? I might suggest waiting for several months after the procedure before you make a decision about ths, but I also would want you to continue to use the judgement... more

Neck fold post op face lift

I am not sure that this skin fold will shrink up at 6 weeks post op on its own. I am assuming that your neck skin was totally undermined across your neck where both sides of your face dissection communicated. Perhaps using a laser such as slim lipo under this skin to facilitate skin retraction and then wearing a neck elastic garment for a while might help. Otherwise I would probably reopen the face lift as much as needed to redrape the neck skin to... more

Robert E. Zaworski, MD

4 reviews

Atlanta Plastic Surgeon

6 weeks post op from facelift

Post operative recovery varys greatly from patient to patient. We often tell our patients that we do not look for final results for at least 6 to 9 months, as it takes many months for all the inflammation to subside. Swelling can affect symetry as well as skin laxity and give the appearance of a less than satisfactory result. If you progress to final healing and feel that you require or desire a revision, your plastic surgeon should be able to provide you a suitable plan... more

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Comments (1)

seekinginformation 10 Oct 2012

I would like to know how you are doing now that it has been 6 months or longer. Do you still require a revision? I had a SMAS facelift 3 weeks ago and am very disappointed with the results. I never realized that only doing a lower facelift would result in numerous wrinkles at the outer edges of each eye. I feel like I traded a problem for a problem....actually I still have lax skin and NOW have wrinkles around eyes also.

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