Recommendations To Fix Ear Deformity After Facelift? (photo)

Question

I had a facelift last year. My concern is the unnatural appearance of my ears. It is like the skin has been stretched to the front of my ears, then possibly not enough skin removed, leaving my lobes looking inset and an obvious face lift line which I think is an immediate "tell" my PC is going to repair in his office but has not done before so unsure of results. If you have any suggestions for this procedure it would be appreciated.

J. Jason Wendel, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question and the photos.

	This is a tell-tale sign of a facelift. To correct this, you will need a pre-auricular scar revision in which the skin that overlies the tragus is defatted and redraped. It is a relatively minor procedure and can be done as an outpatient under local anesthetic.

	To be sure, see two or more board-certified plastic surgeons in your area for a full and complete evaluation to make sure you are a good candidate and that it is safe for you to have surgery.

	I hope this helps.

Ronald J. Edelson, MD · Answer

Distortion of the earlobe is not uncommon following a facelift.  The earlobes can look stretched out or like like they are being dragged down.  This is easy to avoid as well as fix, but many plastic surgeons ignore this very important part of the facelift.  The earlobe has to be properly shaped as part of the lift and sometimes even reduced.  When correcting the problem it is pretty straightforward but usually includes redoing much of the lift to get everything fitting properly.

Philip Young, MD · Answer

You can do this but I would go to a facial plastic surgeon that can more accurately approach this situation. The skin in front of your ear is thicker and needs to be thinned in that area. A careful reclosure and elevation of skin in the area will help as well. But there are many things to know in this area or you could have more serious issues like facial nerve damage etc.

William Portuese, MD · Answer

According to the photos shown, there are multiple issues that are present.  The temporal hairline has been shifted unnaturally upward and a loss of the temporal tuft and sideburn has occurred from the previous facelift.  In addition, the angle of inclination and axis of the ear has been brought too far forward, causing the earlobe to be more anterior and stretched.  The earlobe has also been elongated significantly and there is blunting of the tragus. 

	The surgical repair for this type of problem is complicated but in experienced hands is relatively straightforward.  First, it is impossible to bring down the temporal hairline without hair transplants.  Second, blunting of the tragus can be repaired by thinning down the dermis over that area and re-draping the skin.  The entire skin area in front of the ear and a portion behind the ear will need to be re-draped.  The earlobe will need to be reduced, reset, and the entire axis of deviation of the lower portion of the ear will need to be set more posteriorly to restore normal orientation and axis to the ear.  Dermal thinning of the area in front of the earlobe will also need to be performed.  Some undermining of the anterior portion of the skin in the cheek will have to be performed to gain enough traction on the skin to stretch the earlobe posteriorly.  This can be all done under a local anesthesia if needed.

Darryl J. Blinski, MD · Answer

ONLY let a boarded PS repair this ear lobe issue NOT a PC! Why take that risk? And why not the original PS.

Recommendations To Fix Ear Deformity After Facelift? (photo)

Answers (11)

Answer: Defatting and proper draping of the pre-auricular skin prevents this look.

Answer: Defatting and proper draping of the pre-auricular skin prevents this look.

Answer: The earlobe and facelifts

Answer: The earlobe and facelifts

Answer: Face lift incision and unwanted ear appearance

Answer: Face lift incision and unwanted ear appearance

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Everything you need to know about Ear Surgery

Answer: Correcting ear deformity, a the "tell-tale" sign of a facelift

Answer: Correcting ear deformity, a the "tell-tale" sign of a facelift

Answer: Recommendations To Fix Ear Deformity After Facelift?

Answer: Recommendations To Fix Ear Deformity After Facelift?

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Recommendations To Fix Ear Deformity After Facelift? (photo)

Answers (11)

Answer: Defatting and proper draping of the pre-auricular skin prevents this look.

Answer: Defatting and proper draping of the pre-auricular skin prevents this look.

Answer: The earlobe and facelifts

Answer: The earlobe and facelifts

Answer: Face lift incision and unwanted ear appearance

Answer: Face lift incision and unwanted ear appearance

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Ear Surgery

Answer: Correcting ear deformity, a the "tell-tale" sign of a facelift

Answer: Correcting ear deformity, a the "tell-tale" sign of a facelift

Answer: Recommendations To Fix Ear Deformity After Facelift?

Answer: Recommendations To Fix Ear Deformity After Facelift?

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