Lumps and pulls!? I just had a facelift, brow lift and neck lift 9 days ago. (Photos)

Question

Right side is healing perfect, left side is not. Looks like two different docs operated on me. Lumps the size of peas are showing up between upper cheekbone and temple. On my neck, a deep indentation with a pull shows. What are these, normal and would they resolve themselves? I have seen dozens of my friends work done and never seen anything like this. Sending photo to my doc, but interested in other professional opinions.

David Gilpin, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question.  I am sorry you are having these concerns.  At 9 days post-operative, you will still have quite a bit of swelling in the areas of flap elevation. In addition, you will have some irregularities or 'puckers' in the skin, as well.  This is all part of the healing process and will resolve with time. It can take anywhere from 4-6 months for all swelling to resolve.  Be sure to keep in touch with your surgeon, as he/she knows exactly what was done during your surgery. I hope that this helps!-David Gilpin

Mark Karolak, DO, FAOCO · Answer

Bruising, swelling, lumps, bumps, and asymmetry are common during the early recovery after a facelift. Continue to follow up with your surgeon. He or she will know best how your healing is going based on the procedures performed.

Stephen Prendiville, MD · Answer

I want you to remember that 9 days postop is far too early to make judgments about your final result.  It is very typical for patients to have some degree of exaggeration especially for the 1st two weeks.  Despite your friends' experience, every individual heals differently.  The reason I am saying this is that every Surgeon posting here who performs a lot of facelifts has had a patient with the same concerns as you.  Stay in close contact with your Surgeon for reassurance.

Dilip D. Madnani, MD, FACS · Answer

You are still early in the healing process and I tell all my patients that it can take 10–14 days for the areas to settle initially.  Also, two sides of the face will heal differently as they are separate areas, you can get more swelling that develops and more bruising on one side than the other- which will affect the early healing results.

Brian K. Machida, MD, FACS · Answer

You are still early in your healing. However lumps and pulls in the neck could be indicative of residual blood or fluid. Follow with your doctor for evaluation.

Daniel Kolder, MD · Answer

Hello, and thank you for sharing your photos. It looks like you’re already healing nicely. Even though there are some bumps and bruises, it looks like you’re experiencing a relatively small amount of bruising and swelling, which is a good thing. At just nine days after your procedure, you’re still early in the recovery process and can expect some bumps and differences in terms of the healing rate of each side of your face. You’re right to voice your concerns to your plastic surgeon, but you will most likely see improvements with some time and rest. Good luck!

Michael Olding, MD · Answer

Each side of the face is different.  The left side of the face is usually less elastic (and therefore more saggy),and usually requires more lifting because of the sun damage (from driving the left side of the face gets more sun damage) .  So it is not unusual to look different in the early months.

Nicholas S. Karter, MD · Answer

It is very normal to be swollen, bruised, puckered, and pulled less than two weeks out from your facelift surgery. It is also very common for the two sides to have differing degrees of each of these. Each side seems to heal at its own pace, but typically both get to the same place in the end. I would expect all of the things you mention will resolve in the upcoming weeks, but sometimes it does take a bit longer. It will take a full year before you see your final results. I would recommend continuing to share your concerns with your surgeon, and follow-up as scheduled so they can monitor your progress. It is never easy, but most of the time patience is all that is required. I hope this helped, good luck!!

Jeffrey Thaxton, MD FACS · Answer

Thank you for the photos and question.  At 9 days out it looks to me that you are healing just fine.  The lumpiness that is seen in the photos I would expect to take care of itself.  I suspect you will have a very nice result.  Be patient and keep in touch with your surgeon.  It is not uncommon for one side to appear to be healing a little different than the other but even out with a little time.Jeffrey Thaxton, MD FACSCertified, American Board of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Plastic SurgeryMember, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Jonathan Zelken, MD · Answer

Adriana,
For 9 days out I am impressed with your overall lack of swelling. The high SMAS facelift is an elegant procedure and it takes a skilled surgeon to perform it. The incisions are healing nicely and were well executed. I see evidence of a pretrichial browlift. I've seen botched facelifts, and this does not appear to fall in that category, not yet, so congrats on choosing a safe surgeon.
I do see some wrinkling in your neck and a few bumps in your midface and brow. So many things can cause these bumps. In the brow, the bump may have resulted from cauterizing a blood vessel near the skin that caused localized swelling. In the midface, it's possible that a the stitch was not cut short enough and maybe something is poking. In the neck, maybe some ligaments were not released enough over a neck muscle causing that pleating.
I'm just guessing. These could be caused by any combination of events. However, all the scenarios I described resolve with time. I can recall one patient who had a palpable stitch poking behind her ear. By a month, it was gone. When the swelling in your neck goes down, the puckering should improve as well. If these doe not seem to be heading in the right direction at 4-6 weeks, please revisit this forum. And of course, you surgeon should be the first to know about any concerns you may have. If you are unsatisfied with his or her response do not hesitate to seek a second opinion by a board certified plastic surgeon.
Hope this helps,
Dr Zelken

Lumps and pulls!? I just had a facelift, brow lift and neck lift 9 days ago. (Photos)

Answers (11)

More Facelift Questions

WE SEND PRETTY
EMAILS

Answers (11)

More Facelift Questions

After facelift, which type of soap should I use on my face?

Could dry mouth be a result of neck lift/facelift?

Can I still have facelift surgery if I have an infected tooth?

Why do I have more loose skin on one side under my chin? (Photo)

Is 7 weeks enough to recover from lower facelift, neck lift, plasmiaplasty and upper eyelid surgery?

Facelift on 12/20/17; left with red, ropey scars, ear deformities; itching at the incision. Advice? (photos)

WE SEND PRETTY EMAILS

WE SEND PRETTY
EMAILS