I have a had a sweet taste in my mouth since Lower Facelift procedure - Possible nerve damage?

Question

I had a lower facelift in 2018 when I was 53 years old - I had great results and would definitely have the procedure done again. However, I have a had a sweet taste in my mouth since the procedure could that be caused by possible nerve damage since there's many facial nerves that control taste, etc? The sweet taste isn't constant it comes and goes. I have visited ENT, dentists and my family DR and was even tested for Pylori.

Cory Bovenzi, MD · Answer

Facelift surgery is highly unlikely to change your sense of taste since the nerves that control your sense of taste are in a much different plane than where facelift surgery is performed. You were right in seeing an ENT and dentist since a change in taste could come from tartar between teeth (when starchy food is broken down by enzymes in your mouth into simple sugars), or from changes to the nerve that controls taste which courses from the brainstem through the middle ear down into the neck before reaching your tongue. The other thing would be to make sure it is not a change in your sense of smell since those are intricately related and effect each other. An ENT would be the right doctor for this as well.

Brian K. Machida, MD, FACS · Answer

In looking at the location of dissection for any facelift, it is unlikely that your problem is due to nerve injury. All nerves responsible for taste are in a different location. However, depending on what was done to the SMAS or parotid, salivation could’ve been affected but I know of no way to directly test for this.

I have a had a sweet taste in my mouth since Lower Facelift procedure - Possible nerve damage?

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I have a had a sweet taste in my mouth since Lower Facelift procedure - Possible nerve damage?

Answers (2)

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Everything you need to know about Lower Facelift

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.