Crooked Mouth and Numb Lip 13 Months After Facelift - Is Recovery Still Possible?

When you have a nerve injury, it can be due to traction (pulling) on the nerve or cutting the nerve.  If the injury is a result of traction, you should see improvement within a year - subtle improvement can occur even longer.  Given that it's 13 months and still have significant symptoms, I would recommend getting a second opinion.

Dear Annie,

thank you for your question.  It sounds like you have a traction or transection injury on your infra-orbital nerve.  This is the nerve that emminates from under the eyeball socket through the cheek and then provides sensation to the side of you nose, the front part of the cheek and the upper lip.  This nerve can be pulled on with the lift, or can be cut during the dissection   It would be unlikely that the nerve was cut as you are not stating you have numbness to your nose or cheek, mainly the lip.  Therefore, I have to assume that is is a traction injury, or pulling on the nerve.  This usually recovers by a years time, but improvements have been seen up until 2 years time.  If it continues to slowly improve, then you and your plastic surgeon may elect to continue to watch it.  If it is stagnant, then you may opt for an exploration or not.  As far as the facial movement, this is a completely separate issue.  This is related to muscle disfunction, or a different nerve (buccal branch of the facial nerve).  Again, if this is improving, you may elect to continue to watch it.  massaging the area along the cheek may also improve things. 

Best wishes,

Pablo Prichard, MD