Significant tightness one year post-op facelift. What can I do and will this end?

Hello, facelift surgery is typically a painless procedure. Particularly, after a year has passed, experiencing pain is not a common occurrence. Swelling may occur in the early stages, but it is unlikely to persist after a year. The majority of my practice consists of facelift patients, and most of them experience a sensation of tightness in the first few months. However, over time, this tightness tends to diminish, and complaints about tightness after a year are rare. Your pain threshold may be low, or you may perceive tightness and pain differently from others. Don't worry, as this is likely to continue because the healing process for soft tissues can sometimes take over a year; we see this in rhinoplasty patients as well. Unless there is an active infection, we do not expect swelling or pain at the surgical sites. During the surgery, cutting small nerve endings while lifting the skin flap can lead to localized numbness, but constant pain is not a commonly described condition. I recommend discussing these described conditions with your doctor for proper management. Remember, time heals everything, and this rule applies in surgery as well.

Hello @Hindsight98, thank you for your question. It's always important to remember that healing is a unique process for each individual patient and it can take some time for results to be fully visible. You should definitely consult with the surgeon who performed your procedure as he would best be able to provide detailed information on what may help you in terms of the tightness and numbness still present after 12 months post-op. Best wishes!

Alan Gonzalez MD. American Society of Plastic Surgery Member (ASPS),International Federation for Adipose Therapeutics and Science Member (IFATS), American Society of Plastic Surgery Member (ASPS), Colombian Society of Plastic Surgery member (SCCP).

At one year post-op your recovery is nearing completion. How an individual experiences any surgical recovery is unique to that person, but your experience in feeling extremely tight at the one year mark is not typical. More typically, patients experience tightness and numbness of the face early in the recovery, and both of these things get better over time. My advice is to express these concerns to your plastic surgeon, as only he or she knows exactly what was done at the time of your surgery. More surgery at this time is unlikely to be of benefit. Instead, swelling and tight internal or external scars can be treated with corticosteroid injections to "soften" the scars, relieve the tightness, and reduce the residual swelling. Ask your surgeon if he or she recommends this course of action for you. Best of luck!