Pinching pain behind ear after facelift?

HI emma,It is not uncommon at all to have this type of pain post suture removal behind the ear. It is a sensitive area and you may have a bit of nerve irritation. Please discuss this issue with your PS at your next visit.Best,Dr. Christine Rodgers

This can be typical after a facelift. There may also still be some swelling present, which will gradually resolve. I recommend following up with your surgeon, if you remain concerned. 
Sincerely, 
Philip J. Miller, MD, FACS
Double Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon

Thank you for the questions and congratulations on making it through the hard part of your transformation! Some tenderness or even an occasional sharp pain around the ears is quite common after facelift. In many cases, this is related to the nerve endings here "waking up" after being bruised or stretched during the procedure. In other cases, it is related to the position of the underlying sutures. For the overwhelming majority of patients, this goes away in a couple months. If it does not, or if you develop redness, swelling, or drainage, please see your surgeon for a complete exam. Take care!

Facial  rejuvenation to remove excess skin and sometimes fat from the face can often utilizes incisions in front of the sideburns and then along the front aspect of the year and then wrapping up behind the ear. Frequently the most significant amount of tissue redraping is in the contour area behind the ear. This may result in a pulling sensation in the area behind the ear. Certainly evaluation to ensure that the wounds are healing well is important . However once evaluation has been performed and postoperative recovery appears to be progressing as expected. The resultant discomfort can be improved upon with certain headrest pillows for the postoperative period. As well as muscle relaxers. Continued follow up with your surgeon is important as is following all the instructions for postoperative care. 

Healing after a facelift takes time. As you heal, you may experience a variety of sensations along and around the incisions, from numbness, tingling, electrical shocks, sharp pain. These are called “paresthesias”. This may occur for weeks, sometimes months, but do get better with time. Of course follow up with your PS. Good luck!

It would not be unusual to still have some pain in spots one week after a facelift.  In general, pain should be improving over time though, so if you feel it is getting worse, you should contact your surgeon.  The pinching pain behind your ear may just be due to the removal of stitches and staples.  

Thank you for your question. It is not uncommon for there to still be some discomfort such a short time after your procedure. Pain should be subsiding, not getting worst at this point. If the discomfort does not get any better, you should schedule a follow up with your plastic surgeon. 

The discomfort you are experiencing sounds typical and should improve over time.  You are still in the early recovery time. It is common to experience areas of sensitivity at this point after surgery.  People often experience some tightness and even areas of numbness. The muscles and tissue under the skin have been tightened, so certain movements can cause some discomfort while everything is healing. This should improve over the next few weeks.

Thanks for the great question. The pinching or pulling you're experiencing is likely from some deep sutures which were placed by your surgeon underneath your skin. As everything starts to relax from the surgery these sensations should diminish and go away. Congratulations on your surgery!Best,~Dr. Sieber

Thank you for your question.The pinching pain could be related to the removal of the stitches or an area where the skin may have been closed a bit too tight. I would suggest you discuss your symptoms with your surgeon, and maybe consider some gentle massage therapy over the area where you are experiencing the pinching. But do discuss your symptoms with your surgeon.Kind regards.