Is head pain following a lower SMAS lift (8 days ago) normal?

Question

I had a lower SMAS lift 8 days ago, my swelling is reducing and everything is fine except for the pain in the left side of my head during the day and behind my head at night. This can be very intense and does not respond to medication. Is this normal?

Michelle J. Place, MD · Answer

Being so soon after surgery you will certainly experience some pain especially around the ears and the scalp.  As the nerves come back to life you may get some electric shock like feelings on the lower face and scalp.  The sides of the face can heal at different rates and you may have pain on one side and not on the other.  As long as there is no excesive swelling or bruising on one side of the face versus the other, it sound as though you are having a normal course.

Christopher S. Verbin, MD · Answer

Most facelifts involve lifting and tightening the SMAS, the foundation layer of fascia beneath the skin. When setting the many sutures suspending the support net lying beneath the skin, some tension and pain can flare early on the first few weeks. As tension and sutures relax and swelling resides, the tissues normalize and heal and with that the pains and discomfort. In most cases this resolves quite quickly.

Robert M. Freund, MD · Answer

As part of a facelift recovery, i ask my patients to limit the turning of their head and to sleep on their back for the first ten days. Motivated patients try very hard to follow the rules. Their efforts to limit head movement quite often results in tightness in the muscles of the neck and subsequently lead to headaches. Check with your doctor to find out when you can stretch the neck muscles and then things should improve.Good luck!P.S. There is a new feature on Realself, which is the "Follow" button. It is similar to the "Like" button on Facebook. If you like my response or any of the doctor responses while you research on Realself, you should "Follow" them. You will get email updates, when the doctors you follow post any new answers to questions, post new photos, or have any new reviews.

Laxmeesh Mike Nayak, MD · Answer

It is common to still have discomfort for up to a couple weeks after surgery. Any significant differences from one side to the other, however, should be reported to your surgeon to rule out a problem. If the physical exam is normal, the pain will resolve on its own.

Brooke R. Seckel, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

Yes you are very early after your SMAS facelift and discomfort especially around the years and the lower scalp is very common.Please see her plastic surgeon and ask if he compresses might help.  Typically this discomfort diminishes over the next 3-4 weeks.

Is head pain following a lower SMAS lift (8 days ago) normal?

Answers (5)

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