Motor nerve damage after fat injection?

Question

I had fat transferred to cheeks 10 wks ago during jaw surgery. Immediately after waking up I noticed lips asymmetry (mild). Doctor said he saw it already @ operating table and must be from hooks keeping my mouth open. EMG showed nerve incompetence (nerve 7) (eye and mouth branch). Doctor now says that in this case it must be from cannula he used to inject fat in cheeks.Is this permanent? what can I do? how to asses if it'll get better? any tests to see whats causing it and how big the damage is?

P. Daniel Ward, MD · Answer

Hi annastine,In my opinion, the jaw surgery is much more likely to have caused the nerve injury than fat injections. I would advise you to see a doctor who specializes in facial nerve disorders. I treat many patients with facial nerve issues and would be happy to evaluate the face to see what is going on.

Dallas Buchanan, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. I would agree with the expertise of Dr. Lambros on this question. It would be exceedingly rare for someone to obtain a permanent nerve injury from a procedure such as this. That being said, sometimes the nerve can take several months to recover. I would recommend having the EMG done at 3 months post-op to see if there has been progress.Best of luck!

Val Lambros, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

I have been doing fat grafting for 25 years and have never seen a permanent motor nerve out from a blunt cannula. The nerve might be bruised but it does not tear.  Be patient

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