My Ear Canals Feel Weird After Surgery, Will This Go Away?

healing after these procedures sometimes takes a while.

swelling around the canal may occur with tightening of the smas layer and sometimes feels as though the ears are plugged.

this will improve with time

 

The tragus is an area that can be effected from a standard facelift.  The tragus can have thick scar tissue, or it can have tension and distortion from the skin being pulled to tight.  In addition, it can still have mild residual swelling if the procedure was only one month ago.  Based on your time from procedure, you probably don't have thick scar tissue leaving you with the possibility of the skin being pulled too tight or having mild swelling.  Both of these should resolve over the next month or so.  Obviously check in with our surgeon to keep an eye on your progress.  Regards, Dr. Lanfranchi, Las Vegas.

   The ear canals should be examined.  With regard to the other concerns, this may be technique related and could be expected to improve.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

You are in the early stages of healing.  The tightness wil relax and the jawline will slowly improve as the swelling resolves  The tragal incision to the ear can alter the shape and other issues can arrise.  However, it sounds like you are doing well for a month.

It is common for sensory changes to occur around the ears following a face lift. Usually those changes improve with time.

I strongly encourage you to discuss your concerns with your plastic surgeon.  The ears need to be examined to determine if any impacted material is present in the ear canal contributing to your discomfort.  One month after surgery is generally when the face feels the tightest.  This sensation begins to subside after 6 to 8 weeks following surgery.  Numbness over the ears can be related to compression of the great auricular nerve.  This may or may not full resolve over time.   Resolution can take 6 months or more in some cases.

What I always tell patients is that results take time; especially after a face lift. Our body has to go through an inflammatory response and this will take several weeks. You will see swelling and bruising for a while. A far as your ear, you should go back to the physician who did the procedure to take a look at your ear. You probably just have fluid in the ear from the procedure. The numbness that you have should go away over a period of time. This is normal for most patients to have this.

It is very common to have plugging, tugging, and pulling sensations around the ears following a facelift. Most of the time these sensations gradually subside over a couple of months. I would follow up with your surgeon to ensure that you don't have an old blood clot in the ear or an external canal infection. It is very normal for your ears to feel numb for several months following surgery.

The most unexpected feeling after a facelift for many patients is how it initially feels on their ears. With the incisions running into and around the ears, they will have some discomfort, tightness and numbness. For some it is initially more uncomfortable than others. The ears, by far, offer the greatest source of discomfort after surgery as the rest of the facial skin is largely numb. Much of this should have subsided however by one month after surgery, particularly the pain. You should have your ears checked by your surgeon to be sure that your canals are not occluded with dried blood or prep solution as well as to rule out an external otitis.