Facelift 1 month ago. Chin incision doing well. Big hard crusty leaky scabs formed behind ears. Why did this happen? (Photo)

You have had some skin die off behind the ears.  This can occur due to the tension on the wound - the skin is too stretched - and the blood flow is not adequate to keep it all alive.  The skin will turn dark and then fall off leaving you with a scab.  The scab will often start out dark, and then become yellow and moist as it heals.  You should keep it moist with antibiotic ointment.  It will heal, and often you can't see any residual scar.  If you do get scarring there are lasers that can be  used to improve the scars.     

is likely to have caused this. The scab is at the margin of the incision and likely to represent necrosis of the flap periphery. Keep it clean and use bactoban, bacitracin or fucidin ointment. It will heal and may not be noticable. It is possible however that the scar may need resurfacing should it be problematic. This is a simple local anaesthetic procedure. Your PS will have a preferred laser. I would use fractional CO2.

The area behind the ear of the facelift is commonly understood tension and has relatively poor blood supply. Difficulty healing is not uncommon. Fortunately most the time the results are quite good with just good care of the one. I only assist the patient's keep the skin clean and covered with a good emollient.

Thank you for your picture.  It appears that you have had some skin loss.  This is a result of too much tension in that area.  The wound needs to be cleaned and it can be treated a variety of ways to allow it to heal.  Your operating plastic surgery will guide you concerning that.Best wishesEarl Stephenson,Jr, MD, DDS,FACS

I'm sorry to hear about your scabs after your face lift.  As difficult as it may be to realize, I'll bet that your scabs continue to shrink and will likely leave minimal scarring in the end.  Try not to worry, allow your body to continue to heal, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

The incisions may have been closed under tension and are not healing ideally. However, with proper wound care, they may be ok in the end. Seek the advise of your surgeon in this matter. If worst comes to worst, you may require a scar revision after the healing is complete.

Dear josh, thank you for your question.Swelling after a facelift may persists from
weeks to months, causing bumps or asymmetries to appear. In San Diego, we monitor our patients closely
for one year to address any issues. Follow up with your surgeon to check if this
is swelling versus something else and if treatment is indicated. Best of Luck.

Follow up with your Plastic Surgeon so that he can guide you through the healing process.  You should be washing the area with soap and water.  It is very important to keep the area clean, so that it will heal.  At this point, you should not have scabs and drainage.  See your surgeon to discuss wound healing as soon as possible.  Best wishes!