Five months post op, my ears do not look normal and I cannot wear my hair up. PS is no help...he says they look fine. I want to get rid of the pleats in front of the ears (which I never had before), make the earlobes look normal without the pinch and weird line in the lobe, reattach the left lobe, and restore the smooth contour of the ear cartilage that has disappeared at the tragal notch. Is this possible? What would the procedures be to meet these goals? Thank you so much for any advice.
September 21, 2018
Answer: "Distorted ears after neck lift: how to fix???" Did you only have a "neck lift" as opposed to a proper face and neck lift which is what most patients need to re-drape facial and neck skin properly and to avoid strange skin folds around the ears???If you only had an incision behind the ears, it is not unusual to see this type of folding around the ear.If you did have incisions in front of the ears and behind the ears, then the direction of re-draping of the skin and deeper tissues would be responsible for these changes.Answer to your question: yes these can be fixed. Most surgeons will wisely wait six months or more so as to not create new scars if they are not needed.Every sensible surgeon takes proper preoperative photographs using a macro lens so that there is no distortion of the face and the related anatomy. It is best to have another set of photographs and clearly show the surgeon your concerns. Again, most surgeons will listen to you carefully, review said photographs, and, at the appropriate time (more than six months after surgery), correct the changes you see.Again, if you only had incisions behind the ears for a "neck lift", this should be a salutary lesson to everyone above a "certain age" who is seeking a neck lift that to get a beautiful result, it is USUALLY necessary to make proper incisions in front of and behind the ears. When one tries to have their cake and eat it, one usually ends up with egg on the face!If, in the off chance that your surgeon is not willing to repair this (very unlikely), then a second opinion will soon sort this out. We always ask patients coming to see us for second, third (and fourth!) opinions to bring their operation reports and preoperative and postoperative photographs.Good luck!Prof. Bhupendra C. K. Patel MD, FRCS
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
September 21, 2018
Answer: "Distorted ears after neck lift: how to fix???" Did you only have a "neck lift" as opposed to a proper face and neck lift which is what most patients need to re-drape facial and neck skin properly and to avoid strange skin folds around the ears???If you only had an incision behind the ears, it is not unusual to see this type of folding around the ear.If you did have incisions in front of the ears and behind the ears, then the direction of re-draping of the skin and deeper tissues would be responsible for these changes.Answer to your question: yes these can be fixed. Most surgeons will wisely wait six months or more so as to not create new scars if they are not needed.Every sensible surgeon takes proper preoperative photographs using a macro lens so that there is no distortion of the face and the related anatomy. It is best to have another set of photographs and clearly show the surgeon your concerns. Again, most surgeons will listen to you carefully, review said photographs, and, at the appropriate time (more than six months after surgery), correct the changes you see.Again, if you only had incisions behind the ears for a "neck lift", this should be a salutary lesson to everyone above a "certain age" who is seeking a neck lift that to get a beautiful result, it is USUALLY necessary to make proper incisions in front of and behind the ears. When one tries to have their cake and eat it, one usually ends up with egg on the face!If, in the off chance that your surgeon is not willing to repair this (very unlikely), then a second opinion will soon sort this out. We always ask patients coming to see us for second, third (and fourth!) opinions to bring their operation reports and preoperative and postoperative photographs.Good luck!Prof. Bhupendra C. K. Patel MD, FRCS
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
June 2, 2015
Answer: Distortion of the earlobes after facelift I often tell physicians that I train that the most difficult thing about facelift surgery is getting the earlobes perfect. They are not "stable" to any surrounding structures and are at the whim of any tension from redraping the skin while tailoring the skin during face lift surgery. I always spend extra time to get it back exactly as it was.There appears to be a relatively simple solution to correcting your issues. Elevating the skin in front and at the lower border of the lobes with minor tailoring should solve the irregularity. John Standefer MD
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
June 2, 2015
Answer: Distortion of the earlobes after facelift I often tell physicians that I train that the most difficult thing about facelift surgery is getting the earlobes perfect. They are not "stable" to any surrounding structures and are at the whim of any tension from redraping the skin while tailoring the skin during face lift surgery. I always spend extra time to get it back exactly as it was.There appears to be a relatively simple solution to correcting your issues. Elevating the skin in front and at the lower border of the lobes with minor tailoring should solve the irregularity. John Standefer MD
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
