Black Eyes After Facelift Surgery

Black eyes after a face lift are related to iron from blood bruises that deposit in the dermis of the skin. They usually can hang around for 3 to 6 months. While this does not happen tto everyone, it occurs in a good 15% of patients.

It’s not
unusual for patients to experience bruising following facelift surgery. When
more aggressive facelift techniques are utilized this bruising may even involve
the eyelids. In most cases bruising resolves in 2-4 weeks following surgery. Unfortunately
when discoloration last for longer periods of time, other explanations are more
likely.Under these circumstances,
hemosiderin deposition may be a more likely explanation. This problem occurs
when patients experience bleeding following face lift procedures. This can
result in red blood cells permeating the soft tissue in the involved areas.
Over the course of time, these red blood cells and their hemoglobin are broken
down and degraded. One of their by products is hemosiderin.Hemosiderin can stain the soft
tissue. Although this staining isn’t permanent it can take years to breakdown,
resolve and disappear. Unfortunately there’s no treatment that can accelerate
the process.

Two month afterfacelift surgery most of bruising, swelling and numbness should be resolved. Initialhematoma or seroma formation can lead to distortion of lymphatic drainagecausing prolonged tissue edema beyond two months period, leading to prolonged discoloration of tissue. Warm compress followedby deep massage, as well as anti-inflammatory medications will help to reduceedema and bruising followed by facelift surgery. Sometimes hydroquinone can be helpful to reduce the darkness of skin. If it is bruising and not just dark circles I think you just have to let it subside on its own.

It is unusual to see black eyes after a facelift.  In select patients, in particular those with dark eyes already, patients can have some prolonged pigmentation issues post procedure.  Seek advice from your surgeon in ways to expedite the healing.

I agree that its been quite a long time since your surgery to still have bruising. It's impossible to give a real answer without pictures before and after. Please follow up with your surgeon.

Thank you for your question. It is somewhat
unusual for patients to have black eyes after 2 months, even with genetics,
medications, and all other factors considered. Problems with drainage
post-procedure may be to blame, but exercise and massaging (warmth as well)
could also be used to help treat these various conditions.

This will subside over time. It will also go through a few shades of color as it heals. Just give it time. It could take 6 months and you should not fear that it will last forever. 

While most black eyes will resolve in about a month, it can take longer in some cases. At this point you can consider using topical arnica montana or talk to your doctor about laser treatments to try to dissipate the color if you are really concerned. Otherwise, I would suggest giving it a little more time before doing anything drastic.

Any cosmetic surgery, procedure, or product has the potential to result in bruising, and skin discoloration. Luckily, most of this bruising is temporary and fades away in a few days or weeks. More extensive procedures may take longer to recover. What can one do to proactively minimize the bruising after cosmetic plastic surgery? To help have the best outcomes after plastic surgery, follow the basic guidelines below.
Avoid Blood ThinnersMakes sense, correct? But we are sometimes unaware that normal medications or herbs may cause bruising. Stop all aspirin and aspirin-like products such as ibuprofen for at least 2 weeks prior to your procedure. Avoid any herbal teas or medications which have blood thinning qualities such as St. John's wort, ginkgo, ginger, garlic, ginseng, kava, vitamin C, and vitamin E. Your plastic surgeon will let you know when it's ok to resume taking these products.
Elevate Your HeadAvoid lying flat or prone. Positioning your head on top of a few pillows, or elevated mattress top, will help reduce bruising, swelling, and pooling of blood in the area. Let gravity play a role in the healing process.
IceCrushed ice or cool compress help constrict the blood vessels and help prevent a bruise from spreading. Ice should not be directly on the skin. Use a soft cloth to help distribute the cooling effects of the ice to the skin. Ice and cool compresses are especially important within the first 2 days after cosmetic surgery.
No Strenuous ActivityAny activity which elevates your blood pressure or causes Valsalva effect may exacerbate and cause bruising, at worst even frank bleeding. Strenuous activities to avoid include, but are not limited to running, exercise, weight lifting, pilates, aerobics, cycling, climbing, and sex. Yoga should be avoided too. Patients should even avoid straining on the toilet! Your plastic surgeon will inform you when you can resume normal activity.
Arnica MontanaA homeopathic or alternative medicine approach to bruising, Arnica is available without prescription. Arnica helps alleviate dark, swollen bruises by apply a gel containing arnica every few hours over the affected area. Arnica has traditionally has been used for muscle aches, sprains, and bruises. Some may have a reaction to arnica. Discontinue use if the treated skin becomes red, itchy, or inflamed. Speak to your plastic surgeon before starting arnica, as it is not allowed at all for some cosmetic procedures.

Sometimes, black eyes are due to many factors that can thin your blood or make you bleed more during surgery and afterwards. Genetics, medications, technique of the surgery, etc can all play a part.
When you ooze more during and after your procedure, you will tend to develop more bruising. Two months is rather a long time to resolve this, and it may be due to your circulation and general health. Also, with a facelift, the lymphatics that drain your eyes and the pathways from eyes to your general lymph system and circulation are sometimes impeded due to the area of the facelift. Your eyes drain towards the angle of your jaw, below your ear. This is the exact area that is manipulated during the facelift and can impede the drainage of your black eyes.
Exercise and sometimes massage and warmth can help. Black eyes can also be due to iron deposits from blood where your bruises where located. This is harder to treat but can be the same treatment as with persistent bruising, i.e. exercise etc. Sometimes, people also attribute prominent veins to the appearance of black eyes. If these are veins or blood vessels, time will improve them. Sometimes lasers can help decrease the appearance of these vessels. The only way you can find out is by having someone look closely at it.