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Absorbable Sutures Broke?

I had a facelift 3 weeks ago and I am still swolen and my neck and skin near my ears is very stiff. Today I needed to blow my nose and i heard and felt something that kind of broke inside; it hurt, in all my neck at first and now in my ear. So I guess that some of my sutures broke? Should I do something about it?

Doctor Answers 8

Absorbable Suture Broke?

August 8th, 2013
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With any pain, discomfort, asymmetric swelling, etc., the first thing to do is to get in touch with your surgeon. An examination of the area in person is required to make sure that things are healing ok.

Web reference: http://www.sanfranciscofacialplasticsurgery.com/facelift.php

Evan Ransom, MD


Bay Area Facial Plastic Surgeon
4.9 out of 5 stars 92 reviews

Absorbable Sutures Broke?

August 1st, 2013
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Dear Touz,

Thank you for your question.  There is nothing to be done about a broken internal suture at this point.  if you are still swollen, however, you may benefit from a compression garment.  Follow up with your plastic surgeon and let them know what happened.

Best wishes,

Pablo Prichard, MD

Pablo Prichard, MD

Pablo Prichard, MD
Phoenix Plastic Surgeon
4.9 out of 5 stars 40 reviews

Absorbable Sutures Broke?

July 22nd, 2013
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A broken absorbable suture will more than likely not affect your outcome. The best thing you can do is follow-up with the surgeon whom preformed your facelift and/or their medical staff.  Depending on your individual case and the technique used, they will best be able to advise you on how to minimize the pain you feel in your neck and ear. “Dr. D”

Edward E. Dickerson, IV, MD

Edward E. Dickerson, IV, MD
Fayetteville Facial Plastic Surgeon
4.7 out of 5 stars 101 reviews

Failure of an absorbable suture three weeks after facelift should have no effect on the outcome.

June 5th, 2013
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Three weeks after facelift most of the translocated soft tissues are well cemented in their new location. Failure of a dissolvable stitch should not affect the outcome.

Web reference: http://www.zubowicz.com/subpag,23-atlanta-facelift.htm

Vincent N. Zubowicz, MD

Vincent N. Zubowicz, MD
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon
4.9 out of 5 stars 31 reviews

Absorbale suture broke after face lift

June 2nd, 2013
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Thank you for your question about face lift healing.

  1. Your description suggests that you had a MACS lift and that sneezing tore the neck suspension suture of your MACS face lift.
  2. Healing tissues have 70% of their final strength 2 weeks after surgery so your results should be stable. Nothing needs to be done.
  3. Let your face lift surgeon know what happened. S/he may want to check you to be sure all is well. Hope this helps. Best wishes.
Elizabeth Morgan, MD, PhD

Possible suture pop 3 weeks after a facelift

May 31st, 2013
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There are many reasons you may have felt like a suture popped from your facelift but it is unlikely that any permanent damage occurred.  If you are unsure then it would be best for you to follow up with your plastic surgeon as soon as possible.  

Jeffrey Zwiren, MD

Jeffrey Zwiren, MD
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon
4.5 out of 5 stars 16 reviews

Sutures Broke??

May 29th, 2013
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Since multiple sutures are used in a facelift, it is unlikely that any damage was done.  Follow up with your Plastic Surgeon for an exam as soon as possible so that he can confirm you are healing properly.  Best wishes!

Robert E. Zaworski, MD

Robert E. Zaworski, MD
Atlanta Plastic Surgeon
4.9 out of 5 stars 55 reviews

Postop Broken Sutures?

May 29th, 2013
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Since you cannot see the sutures tightening your face and neck, it is usually

Since you cannot see the sutures tightening your face and neck, it is only by your historical account that a dignosis can be made and it sure sounds like you "tore" a suture. Whether the suture was absorbable or permanent is not pertinent. The good news is that most surgeons use multiple sutures to do important things like tighten your neck. If you see no changes in the symmetry of your lift then there is nothing to do. If it should become obvious over the next month or so then a corrective procedure would be indicated to replace the suture and retighten your lift.

 

 

 

 

 

Paul S. Howard, MD, FACS

Paul S. Howard, MD, FACS
Hoover Plastic Surgeon
5.0 out of 5 stars 7 reviews

These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.