My Ear is Detaching After Facelift is This Common?

One of the ways to create a natural curvature the earlobe is to leave the bottom in sutured to the cheek skin. When this heals over a week or so a normal lobe forms.

In a recent study 65% of patients had some ear related issue after facelift surgery but almost all resolve in time, so its very common

Dear Blueashworth,


I agree with the other surgeons and this will heal well

If there are any issues, it is very easy to correct in the office

There is nothing that should be done now other than local care for the wound


Best,

Nima Shemirani

No it's not common but it will heal fine on its own. Not to worry. If left alone it might take a week or two for it to heal. 

This is fairly common and generally not a problem.  Many surgeons, including myself, will not suture the earlobes really tightly to avoid a "pixie ear" deformity.

This is seen every once in a while in my practice and should not be a problem.  Your surgeon did the right thing (nothing) and I would expect your aesthetic result to be as good as if it never happened. 

Undoubtedly you surgeon had earlobe supported with suture.  Low grade infection or other mechanical issues can delay healing.  Sewing this back together at this point can be ok or it can lead to a focal incision infection.  For this reason it is often best to allow these to heal on their own.  If a repair is necessary, it can be done once things have healed more.  In many cases the area heals well on its own without additional work.

 Dear Blueashworth,

thank  you for your post.  This is not common, but not unheard of.  With the seperation of the lobe from the face skin, there will be a contraction that occurs (i.e. the 1/4 inch separation will grow smaller with time) but there will probably be a thicker scar in this area.  This can be revised once it is healed.

Best Wishes,

Pablo PRichard, MD

It is not common for the ear lobe to separate from the face after a facelift, but it can happen.  Follow your Plastic Surgeon's post operative instructions.  If needed, he may have to do a minor revision surgery under local in an office setting.  Best wishes for a fast recovery!

Thank you for your question.  Fortunately your surgeon most likely secured the ear to the face with deep sutures and the opening below the year closed by itself with healing. 

Detachment of the ear following facelift can occur but is relatively unusual.  The important point is that your surgeon handled this issue properly and you did heal.  In over 30 years I have never seen an ear detachment after facelift that required re-suturing or corrective surgery severe experience is normal.