12 Weeks After my Face Lift and Rigth Eyebrow/ Forehead is Still Paralyzed, Will this be Permanent?

The condition you are describing is from damage to the frontal branch of the facial nerve that gives the signal to your forehead muscle to lift your eyebrow.  Be patient, since any of these injuries improve with time and can take up to 6 months.  Botox to the normal side may help with asymmetry until function returns on the affected side.

Thanks for the question. First 24-48 hours after the operation face will be swelling. After 48 hours swelling will be decreases. Scalp area stitches are taken from the day 10. Final results may take 1 month. Patients can return to work after 1 week. The effect of gravity varies according to the aging speed and lifestyle but it provides an average permanent effect of 10 years. I wish you all the best.

Nerve injuries after facelifts take at least 9-12 months to regenerate, be patient while the nerves are trying to repair themselves.

Thank you for the question. It is possible to bruise the nerves of the face during a facelift. It sounds like your frontal (temporal) branch was either bruised or cut. Mimetic function may return. Exploration is not indicated.

Dear patient, it may take up to one year for your nerve to recover and for movement to come back. If the problem does persist, you may be a candidate for a brow lift. Botox may also help but it is best you consult a professinoal. Best of luck. 

 

 

 

It is difficult to say if your nerve will return. I have seen this branch of the facial nerve, on occasion, be very very slow to return. In 23 years, I have seen 3 patients take 6 months to return. I actually have never seen one not return, although it certainly can happen. 

I wish you the best and I sincerely believe there is room for hope. If you still have no movement at the 6 month period, then unfortunately you may have a permanent problem that is difficult, if not impossible to totally correct. 

I wish you the best. 

You should start to see improvements if the nerve is intact. If the nerve is cut, you need exploration and attempt to repair the damaged nerve( very hard but possible). Your surgeon would  know where to explore. 

I'm obviously very sorry to hear this.

It is not unheard to have weakness of muscle areas for several weeks to months after surgery such as this (ie, a facelift).  Fortunately, most have a functional return on their own.  This process often takes several weeks to months, and can easily take from 3-6 months.  Beyond that, though, the likelihood of full return diminishes, though there are reports of it taking up to a year.

It is difficult to correct a "permanent" loss.  If recognized clearly and early, a direct repair is the most appropriate course.  If not, a nerve graft may be required, and this increases the complexity of the surgery required and decreases the expectation of success, since the nerve then has to grow across two connections.

You should ask your surgeon to help you obtain a referral to someone who can try to asses the status of the nerve (neurologist, have an MRI, etc) and then try to make a decision on the best course to take at this time.

Again, I'm sorry...and I hope that it has resolved on its own by now,

Dr. E

In the medical literature there are reports of nerve recovery up to 1 year after nerve injury. I suggest you have a consultation with a neurologist. Your surgeon is the best person to answer your question because he/she knows the exact technique and the level of dissection used in your surgery. Unfortunately, little can be done at this time. 

 I have performed Face Lifts for over 20 years and I'm so sorry to hear this.  You should speak with the plastic an cosmetic surgeon that did your Face Lift because you may need a referral to an opthalmic doctor to check for dry eye and corneal ulcerations.  The temoral branch, of the facial nerve, if damaged regenerates at 1mm per day, so technically it could still come back for up to 1 year however, the chances are quoted in the litearture (I believe) at 10%.  There are no surgeries to re-attach the cut nerve but a neurologist may be able to recommend stimulation exercises for the nerve if damaged.  Hope this helps.