Will Facial Nerve & Muscle Return to Normal? (Surgery Was 7 Months Ago)

Sorry to hear about the issue you experienced following surgery. What you describe are typical side effects of nerve damage. In general, nerve damage from a facelift can result in the following side effects:

1) Numbness of the face
2) Difficulty making certain facial expressions
3) Ear numbness
4) Drooping of facial features (mouth or cheek)

In general, most temporary nerve damage that occurs from a facelift will be resolve in anywhere from 6 months to a year. It may take longer for a complete recovery, but it depends on the patient and the circumstances of the issue. Typically, nerve damage to the buccal branch in the area of a midface lift is forgiving, and a most patients have a complete recovery. I would recommend speaking with your surgeon to see what he or she advises. Thank you and I hope this helps.

Hi @AnnieGirl,



Thanks for your question. I suspect you have nerve damage to the left buccal and possibly zygomatic branches of the facial nerve. At this point you should have improved or at the least been assessed or followed for improvement. Possibly BOTOX on the right to make it more symmetric while you recover.



The Buccal Branches are the most commonly injured nerve branches during a Facelift but they are usually the least likely to be noticed because there are so many Buccal branches that they compensate for one another.  



The Buccal Branches supply motor control to many muscles including those for flaring the nostrils (Nasalis Muscle), and lifting the upper lip (Levator Labii Superioris).



There is still hope for recovery because once a nerve branch is cut, the muscle it supplies can last 18 months before it can no longer be salvaged. And the nerve branches regenerate at an inch a month. There is still hope for you to recover and I would seek out a plastic surgeon with experience in Peripheral Nerve Surgery to evaluate you and walk you through your options.



Best Wishes,



K. Chopra, M.D.
Johns Hopkins Trained Plastic Surgeon

Face, Body and Breast Expert

This is a difficult situation to evaluate without photos. For one, it appears that your right side "over-activity" is a compensatory mechanism for the left sided injury.
I would review this with your plastic surgeon and neurologist. He may be able to do specific neurologic  tests to document where and, to what degree, the nerve may be injured.
Yes, there is hope! Try this...tap your cheek gently with your index finger, starting at your earlobe/face jct. and proceed towards the corner of your left mouth angle. See/feel if there is "tingling" at a certain spot- this may be the site of the injury to the nerve/muscle. Don't give up and get the neurologist  opinion. (There are some who deal with nerve injuries). Good luck!