Why Are my Ear Incisions Still Not Healed After 16 Days Post Lower Facelift?

Thank you for your question. The lower ear and posterior ear areas heal slower than the anterior ear area. This is just the way a face heals. Also, edema settles in the lower face area and this will take longer to heal. I hope this helps.

Thank you for your question.  It is typical for this to be the case.  Patients differ in their healing time, some do take a little longer than others.  Therefore the incisions taking a little longer, residual swelling still being present, but do be patient and make sure you are having regular follow ups with your surgeon to ensure healing is going well.  All The Best 

The #healing process in general can take up to one month for the majority of swelling to subside, incisions to close, sutures to come out, and for bruising to completely go away. #Recovery time from a #facelift varies from person to person, but patients can generally expect to be presentable within three weeks from surgery. Patients should expect swelling, bruising, and discoloration of the skin during this phase of recovery (swelling normally goes down after 48 hours; most bruising will go away within two weeks). Some degree of firmness or #lumpiness under the skin is normal after surgery and will resolve with time. Local #massage will speed resolution of this problem, which normally takes 2-4 months to disappear completely.The marks from a facelift can easily hidden with “camouflage” make-up which you can learn how to apply.The scars from a facelift mature within six to twelve months from the surgery date. It is during this time that the rejuvenating effects of the facelift will become apparent and the real result will be seen. If you have certain concerns about the procedures and #healing process, it is recommended to call your board-certified surgeon or their medical staff and discuss those #concerns.

Barring all other problems, it is still ok for the last remnants of your incision to still be healing. I would discuss your concerns with your facelift surgeon. Raffy Karamanoukian Los Angeles

At 16 days post op from a facelift, it is still normal for ear incisions to not be entirely healed. Generally, these incisions should be healed after one month, so you still have some time before you'll notice a full recovery. If you're overly concerned with their appearance or if they do not seem to be healing correctly, it's always a good idea to schedule a follow up appointment with your surgeon to make sure no infection is present.

In most cases, the incisions after a facelift are not completely healed at 16 days. It may take 3-4 weeks for the incisions to heal, plus 3-4 months for remodeling. During this process, the texture and color of the skin may change. Generally, the results of facial aesthetic surgery are not considered "final" until 12 months post-op. Thank you for your question!

    Incisions may take several weeks to completely heal.  Even after the scar is solid, scar maturation may take up to one year for it to lighten.

Different patients will heal at different rates based on the type of procedure performed, the amount of tension placed on the wound, the presence or absence of smoking in the peri-operative period, and the patient's intrinsic health. It takes a full year for incisions to reach a steady state in the collagen remodeling process.  Incisions can remain red for up to several months, and appear somewhat swollen for weeks.  The one area that typically takes the longest to heal after a Facelift is the incision behind the ear.

Dear claudie1,


It depends on what you mean by "healed"

Scars continue healing for months, constantly getting lighter in color and smaller in size

At 16 days out, your incisions may still be a little red, a little swollen, that is normal

If they are looking better and better each day, that is a great sign

If they are starting to look worse, go see your PS for a check up

Fat injections can also slow drainage of the face which can lead to prolonged swelling


Best regards,

Nima Shemriani

At 16 days after surgery, the incisions are still new.  It will take several months to a year for the incisions to mature.