Lumps & deformities near eye & upper cheek 1 year post-op deep plane facelift - can his be fixed? (Photos)

I'm sorry to hear about your concerns following your surgery. It's important to address any post-operative issues you're experiencing, ideally with the surgeon who performed the facelift. While I cannot provide a definitive diagnosis or treatment plan without a physical examination, I can offer some general insights.
Lumps, depressions, and asymmetries can occasionally occur following facial surgery. It's possible that these issues are related to scar tissue or other underlying tissue changes. The numbness you're experiencing is also a common side effect after surgery, but are usually back by 1 year, although some areas can be left numb longterm.
In many cases, these concerns can be improved through revision procedures or non-surgical treatments. Kenalog (steroid) injections and/or 5-FU injections can help reduce scar tissue formation. What may be contributing is heaviness of the lateral brows, too. Undergoing a browlift would help lift and redistribute what looks to be some skin redundancy in that area. Otherwise, revising the skin/scar/incision in that area may be warranted.

HI, its hard to tell exactly, however, posting pictures before to compare both at rest and smiling will help see exactly whats going on. Did your surgeon have any advice for you? Some options would be combination of botox and or filler depending on exactly whats going on and an exam would be most helpful

Hello,
Thank you for your question and for providing clear images. At over one year post-op, the appearance of a dynamic depression or line extending from the lateral canthus toward the temple—along with cheek asymmetry and palpable nodularity—may indicate post-surgical changes such as scar tethering, fat displacement, or uneven soft tissue healing. This kind of contour irregularity, especially visible only when smiling, often results from tethering of the SMAS or subcutaneous scarring, and in some cases, from volume loss or disruption of the malar fat pad. The numbness you’re experiencing suggests lingering superficial nerve irritation or injury, which can accompany fibrosis in the surgical plane. Fortunately, revision options do exist. Treatments may include subcision to release tethered scar bands, fat grafting or filler to soften contour depressions, and in some cases, scar excision or microneedling with RF for surface irregularities. A consultation with a facial plastic surgeon experienced in secondary facelift revisions or facial fat contour correction would be the best next step to assess your tissue dynamics and determine the most conservative yet effective treatment.

These are not actual lumps but indirect ones; I strongly doubt you really got a deep-plane facelift, and if you did it was son "cautious" and scare-conservative that lead to your current situation.

Pay attention to your photos, you could perfectly draw the line separating the area of your face that was facelifted and the zone that was left, improperly, untouched; the whole cheek and face has to be treated! however many surgeons suffer from nerve-damage panic, fear to produce injuries to parothid/Stenon, feel exhausted by the physical and psychological endurance of this challenging technique, etc, or maybe they try the unwise idea of doing the deep-plane or subcutaneous facelift under local and sedation (always general anesthesia!).

All the former make sadly common cases like yours: part of the face smoothened and rejuvenated... and the reset saggy and aged, leading to this double age effect, like someone ironing only half of a blouse, that's not nice, you have to smoothen all of it. This gets different names: windseep, lateral sweep, vertical sweep, patched lift, incomplete facelift, etc, and the unsightly effect is much aggravated when smiling or expressing, making patients even more aware/concerned with their facial looks than before surgery.

Sorry for the bad news, you need a revision facelift, a real well done complete and deep plane facelift totally re-done, treating the entire face and equalizing the rejuvenating effect so that a comprehensive and homogeneous result is achieved.

If deep-plane face-neck lift wouldn't be challenging enough... a revision for cases like your requires an additional plus of resistance, experience, knowledgeability and self-surgical-confidence from the practitioner. Do research well and carefully.

It can be certainly be fixed in a revision of the upper portion of your facelift. Possibly an upper bleph could help you as well. I would recommend talking with your original surgeon to see what your options are as well as getting a second opinion. Hope this helps!

Hello. Thank you for your question. Early on after a facelift lumps and bumps are normal but at a year mark they should be gone. Sometimes it is from scar tissue that formed after the facelift. This can be from previous fillers or if you had a small fluid collection (seroma) in that area while you were healing. Also, it is important that if fat was injected too superficially this can also happen. All this can be better determined upon examination and by palpating the area. In the vast majority of cases a revision facelift procedure should take care of this and solve it.Hope this helps!
Paul D. Durand, MDFacelift ExpertMiami, Florida

Hello and thank you for your question. Generally speaking, swelling following a facelift would have settled down by this point. It is hard to know what the appearance of the area you have mentioned was prior to surgery without comparing photos. Often times, a small amount of volume added to the area via injectable filler or fat transfer can aid in gaining the improvement it sounds like you are hoping to appear. A detailed in person consultation with the surgeon who performed your facelift may be of benefit to you.

I am sorry for your concerns and issues following your surgery. It is difficult to answer your question without knowing what was exactly done at the time of your surgery. Your surgeon would be best to address these problems. In general, most deformities can be corrected with repeat surgery, fillers, and laser therapy. I would reconsult with your surgeon and discuss further correction.

Most sensory deficits after facelift surgery will return eventually. With regards to contour irregularities, however, generally a year of healing is sufficient time for any residual swelling or edema to subside. The presence of the depressions and bumps along your temples and cheeks may be due to the way the SMAS and/or skin flap was re-draped, though if it is only apparent when you smile, it may be a bit more involved. In person evaluation by an experienced surgeon would allow for the most accurate diagnosis and discussion of treatment options.

Hello @rounditrosie, thank you for your question and showing your pictures! Several factors can influence the healing process following surgery. These factors include the surgical technique used by the surgeon, the type of procedure performed, and the level of recovery the patient is experiencing. To make an informed recommendation, we need more information. A consultation is vital to establishing a surgical plan that meets your needs, meets your expectations, and takes into account what is possible. Best wishes!

Alan Gonzalez MD, FACS. American Society of Plastic Surgery Member (ASPS),International Federation for Adipose Therapeutics and Science” Member (IFATS), American Society of Plastic Surgery Member (ASPS), Colombian Society of Plastic Surgery member (SCCP)

Hello rounditrosie! My name is Jessica, I am a physician assistant, and one of the providers at Shah Facial Plastics. This is a great question. I highly recommend scheduling an in-person consultation in order to better assess your areas of concern and discuss an appropriate treatment plan to help achieve your aesthetic goals. Our office phone number is: (312) 944-0117. I hope this helps and best of luck!