Use of Prednisone after deep plane facelift - does it really make a lot of difference in recovery?

Question

What is your opinion of using steroid pack after face/neck lift surgery? Does it really make a lot of difference in recovery? I am a bit hesitant to use such strong drug

Mansher Singh, MD, FACS · Answer

We do lots of Deep Plane Facelift in our practice. Our patients always get a medrol pack which is a tapering dose of steroids over a week. It does help with their swelling and does not affect wound healing negatively since the steroids are being used for short term.

Stephen Prendiville, MD · Answer

Steroids are frequently used after many facial procedures to help minimize and reduce postoperative inflammation; a medrol dose pack is a low dose steroid treatment.  However, it is not absolutely essential to use them.  I have personally performed over 1500 facelifts over 23 years, with the vast majority of patients receiving steroids. I would raise your concerns with your "real" Facial Plastic Surgeon.

Berke Ozucer, MD · Answer

Its evidence based medicine, it expedites edema resolution and improvement in swelling. But its not a must. I use it in my practice as a routine (after discussing with the patient) when not used it just takes longer. Another option would be to use 3/4 amount or 1/2 amount for instance instead of using the full dose. Please discuss throughly with your surgeon these are very minute innocent doses with less probabilty of adverse effects (my personal level-5 experience: seem none in the last 15 years)
Hope this through answer helps with your concern Good luck :) Doctor Be+ Clinic

Gianfranco Frojo, MD · Answer

Yes, I find that it is extremely helpful in pain control, decrease inflammation, and limiting swelling. I would recommend finding A REAL PLASTIC SURGEON with experience in facial procedures. This means that the person completed 6-7 years of actual plastic surgery training (not a "facial plastic surgeon"). Best of luck!

Brian Bassiri-Tehrani, MD · Answer

This is an excellent question. Steroids after a facelift can help dramatically reduce the swelling and recovery overall. It is temporary, and is not meant to be used long term. Therefore, the risks and side effects from using steroids is minimized.

Maribel Belmontes Castillo, MD · Answer

In our patient preparation protocol, we apply a long-acting steroid injection. This helps our patients reduce inflammation and recover much faster

Alan B. Brackup, MD, FACS · Answer

As a standard we use a medrol dose pack after our deep plane facelifts. Within our practice I find that it greatly reduces swelling and helps the healing process. My website describes the deep plane approach in more detail.

Andrew Miller, MD · Answer

Steroids are not necessary after facelift surgery and can cause stomach discomfort and other problems. As long as you had a well performed surgery by an experienced facelift surgery, the dissection should not be overly traumatic. Anyone can experience bruising and swelling and these issues usually resolve for the most part over two weeks.

Jacob Tower, MD · Answer

Hello, that's a great question. I typically provide patients with relatively short steroid taper after deep plane facelift surgery (and other procedures) because the risks/side effect profile is minimal and the benefits are substantial. Having said that, there are other ways to facilitate recovery, including naturopathic modalities. In my practice, certain comorbidities and medical history are contraindications to steroid treatment. Your concern about using "strong" medication is taken, but, like pain medication, it's the appropriate dosage that is important to have therapeutic effect without unwanted side effects. So steroids can be helpful, but must be weighed against potential risks on an individual basis.
Best Regards,Dr. Tower

Ronald J. Edelson, MD · Answer

Many surgeons use steroids after surgery to reduce swelling. It’s pretty harmless and works well. Risks and side effects are minimal

Use of Prednisone after deep plane facelift - does it really make a lot of difference in recovery?

Answers (11)

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