Do the stitch marks around the ear become unnoticeable in time?

Question

I'm debating between a neck lift w/ incision behind the ear and complete lower face lift with incision in front and behind the ear. My only concern right now is that the stitches that outline the front of the ear are going to be visible. How noticeable will they be, say, one year post-op ? How close does somebody have to be to notice them ? Thanks

Raymond E. Lee, MD · Answer

One important note is that a neck lift WITH a facelift will get you a better lift in the neck than a necklift alone. That is because a bigger lift can be performed in the neck when there are incisions in front of the ear to lift the muscle and remove the excess skin. This additional incision should heal very well with an experienced surgeon.

Paul Lanfranchi, DO, FAOCOO · Answer

Many factors determine how well facelift incisions heal (regardless if they are behind or in front of the ear).  The most common factors are the thickness of one's skin, the tension on the wound closure, how long the sutures are kept in place, how well the incisions are kept clean after the procedure, and personal healing history to name a few.  Having performed thousands of facelifts over the past decade, in my experience I can say that you should have less than a 3% chance of having any noticeable scarring after your lift.  My best piece of advice would be to find a dedicated facial plastic surgeon (or a general plastic surgeon who focuses his/her practice on facial procedures) who has years of experience performing facelifts on patients of all shapes, sizes, and color.  Best of luck on your rejuvenation journey.

David Hansen, MD · Answer

It is very difficult for anyone to see the incisions place inside the ear rather than in front of the ear at 6 months when it is done by a skilled surgeon under local. cost is only $9800 on special and so worth it.

Jonathan Kulbersh, MD · Answer

The incisions for a lower facelift are well hidden in the creases and shadows of the ear.  During a properly performed lower facelift, these incisions heal wonderfully and are difficult to see.  I have never had a patient upset regarding the appearance of the incision in front of the ear.  I hope this helps

Alejandro J. Quiroz, MD · Answer

In this point in time you should no be
concern about the scars around your ears. 
If you have a skillful board certified plastic surgeon in experience in
face lifts and you follow his instructions the incisions should heal almost
invisible with no marks particularly aound the ears

Edwin C. Pound, III, MD · Answer

The nice thing about doing surgery on the face is that the face has excellent blood supply and the scars tend to heal very nicely.  The scars from a facelift may be a  bit red initially but they tend to fade well over time.  Still, no one can guarantee how a scar may heal or how visible it may be.

Barry L. Eppley, MD, DMD · Answer

A necklift that only uses incisions behind the ear produces a more limited effect (inferior result) than one that adds the incision in front of the ear as well. The front of the ear incision actually goes inside the ear so there is no visible incision in front of the cartilaginous tragus. (which would be the most visible part of the incision anyway) Thus I would not recommend sacrificing a better result to avoid a scar line which is not going to be visible anyway.

William Portuese, MD · Answer

In our practice, a neck left is only performed to remove fatty deposits in the neck and tighten the muscles. We do not remove any skin when performing a neck lift. Most neck lift patients are less than 50 years of age. When there is extra skin the neck, a lower face and neck lift is performed with incisions in front and behind the ears. It's important not to place excess tension on the skin, which will create wide scars. In our practice, we remove the sutures at day 4 to help prevent stitch marks.

Jawed Tahery, FRCS · Answer

Depending on how you heal, best way to hide the cut (incision) would be to go behind the tragus!!bwJTaheryENT/Facial Plastic SurgeonChester,UK

Robert E. Zaworski, MD (retired) · Answer

In general, facelift scars heal very well.  Discuss scar management with your surgeon for the best result.

Do the stitch marks around the ear become unnoticeable in time?

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