Facelift without bruising - What does this mean? Why does it happen?

Question

I would like to clarify the fact of facelift not resulting in any bruises at all. Does it mean that the doctor is competent or probably he did not perform the deep facelift including pulling of the muscles ?!!!

Stephen Prendiville, MD · Answer

Bruising after a facelift procedure is more a function of a patient's bruising potential, alcohol consumption, medications that promote bruising, and activity level after the procedure. The biggest issue after a deep plane facelift, which I perform, is swelling than bruising.  Medications such as tranexamic acid can minimize bruising. However, there is no technique or Surgeon that can honestly guarantee that there will not be bruising after a facelift

Ryan Rebowe, MD · Answer

The amount of bruising, or lack thereof, is generally no indication of the particular procedure performed. Some will be very bruised and swollen following the procedure, others will not notice much of a difference, it really just depends on the person. I typically counsel my patients that in terms of facial cosmetic surgery, the bruising and swelling resulting from a facelift is minimal typically and will resolve within 1-2 weeks usually.

Ajaya Kashyap, MD · Answer

Thank-you for your query. While some bruising is very common after facelifts, many of us have started using Tranexamic acid in our local infiltration prior to facelift procedures. This results in less or minimal bruising. Please discuss your concerns with your Plastic surgeon who will describe his/her techniques to minimise bruising. All the best!

Michael I. Echavez, MD · Answer

It is possible to get bruising with any surgical procedure or any injection.  Certain people may be more prone to bruise and there are certain areas of the face that may be more likely to bruise.  There are some things that can be done to try and reduce bruising though.  Certain medications can be stopped before the surgery to reduce bruising.  Certain medications can be used during the surgery to try and reduce brusing as well.  Using cold packs after surgery can also help.  I would not say that the presence of bruising after surgery would necessarily reflect on the competence of the surgeon.

Brian K. Machida, MD, FACS · Answer

After having performed numerous cases both ways, I find that bruising is worse with a widely undermined SMAS lift. In my experience, deep plane lifts have minimal to no bruising in almost all cases.

Ronald J. Edelson, MD · Answer

Bruising is variable from one patient to another.  Massive bruising means there’s a problem. No bruising occasionally  happens. One thing that reduces bruising tenendiudly is something called tranxemic acid which many surgeons give during surgery. You can look it up online. It’s very widely used and really works

Mehdi Balakhani, DDS, MD, FACS · Answer

Dear Moon7777, Bruising is not indicative of a good or bad facelift. Bruising has more to do with vasculature and really the after results will speak for themselves when compared to the before. All the best with your journey. Mehdi Balakhani DDS MD FACS

Jose Segura, MD, PhD - Account Suspended · Answer

Hello, bruises in facial surgery can be due to different causes, but that does not mean that if they do not occur the surgery is a failure. Current techniques aim to have no bruising or the minimum to avoid fibrosis in the surgical sites and this could mark the success of your procedure.

Facelift without bruising - What does this mean? Why does it happen?

Answers (8)

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