Sudden Eyebrow Paralysis After Face Lift and an Upper Blepharoplasty - 1 Month Post-op.

asked 7 months ago by MariaF1
Latest answer by Robert Brueck, MD
Question viewed 319 times
Tags: droopy, 1 month post-op, paralysis, worried

I had a face lift and upper blepharoplasty at the same time and everything went very well - no bruising, I am healing well and very happy with the result so far. However, suddenly after 1 month, one of my eyebrows has lost all movement and is slightly lower than before. There is some sagging of the upper eyelid as well. I am very worried but my doctor believes that this will heal on its own. Why did this happen all of a sudden?

9 answers to Sudden Eyebrow Paralysis After Face Lift and an Upper Blepharoplasty - 1 Month Post-op.

Eyebrow drops

I would sit tight.This should go away in time.Time could be several months so relax.i guess he could do botox on the other side to equalize it.

Robert Brueck, MD
Fort Myers Plastic Surgeon

Sudden Eyebrow Paralysis After Face Lift and an Upper Blepharoplasty - 1 Month Post-op. (photo)

Thanks for the posted photos. It is quite obvious your VII faciaL NERVE FRONTAL BRANCH on your right side has paralysis. Causes are: 1. Surgical injury, 2. Un noticed weakness prior to surgery, 3. Post op Bell's Palsy. Best to be seen immediately.

Darryl J. Blinski, MD
Miami Plastic Surgeon

Nerve injury after facelift

Maria, there are several causes for an isolated nerve injury, but the time of the noted finding may be very important in making a decision about this. If this was a consistent finding directly following surgery and has persisted, one may need to think about a temporal nerve injury. This could be a direct result of a surgical nerve injury, but this does not mean that it is permanent. It could be from localized swelling or inflammation, and may very well get... more

Francis (Frank) William Rieger, MD
Tampa Plastic Surgeon

www.riegercosmeticsurgery.com

Sudden Eyebrow Paralysis After Face Lift and an Upper Blepharoplasty - 1 Month Post-op.

I have performed Face Lifts for over 20 years and your photo shows paralysis of the temporal branch of the facial nerve on the right side. The question is was this evident immediately after the Face Lift? It you were able to move your eyebrows and forehead, on the right side up until 1 month after the surgery, the Face Lift and Eyelid Surgery are unrelated, IMHO.

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

Unexplained weakness

Dear Maria, my major concern would be a Bells Pa;lsy if this occurred only on one side. It might be worth seeing a neurologist as well as discussing your concerns with your plastic surgeon. Since this occurred one month out and until then all was fine, I would doubt it was related to the surgery. I am sure this will resolve.

Steven Schuster, MD
Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon

Delayed nerve weakness after facelift

It would be highly unusual for this delayed paresis or paralysis of the forehead muscles or the frontal branch of the facial nerve to be directly attributable to the facelift or upper bleph procedure you had one month prior. There may be scar bands that are compressing the nerve but I would be more concerned with a process or pathology affecting the upper branch of facial nerve since the rest of the face is moving properly and you describe no change in sensation of the face or visual acuity.... more

Edwin Ishoo, MD
Boston Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.bostoncosmeticsurgerycenter.com

Droopy

I think the most likely explanation is that the weakness of the brow went unnoticed at first. Other causes could explain this. You may need to see a neurologist

David A. Bray, Sr., MD
Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

The most likely explanation is that you only now recognized this issue.

Maria It is certainly possible that this did suddenly develop one month after your facelift and eyelid surgery. This would be very unusual. If this is actually correct, then I would be concerned that this might be a form of Bell's palsy. There are some other potential causes. However, they are all pretty unusual. Another possibility is that you had an injury to the right temporal branch of the facial nerve at the time of surgery and it was not noticed... more

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD
Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon

Sudden Facial Paralysis

Loss of motion in the forehead 1 month after a Facelift is very unusual. If the entire hemiface was involved it could be attributable to a viral etiology as in Bell's palsy. Although the frontal branch of the facial nerve is theoretically at risk during a Facelift, sudden loss of motion in the forehead 1 month after surgery is hard to explain. However, your Surgeon is correct that motion is likely to return. If you were my patient, I would probably place you... more