7 weeks post comprehensive facelift. Will this mild form of pixie ear improve without a revision? What can I do now? (photos)

Hi Affectionate937,You are correct in that you have a mild pixie ear on your left side.  Immediately after surgery it was probably fine, but as the healing occurred the earlobe slightly pulled down.If you do not want to have a limited revision surgery to help support the earlobe and keep it from pulling down, you could consider a V-Y repair, which can be performed under local anesthesia in the office.  It would involve making an incision around the pixied earlobe (the V) and then sewing the bottom part of the V to turn it into the bottom part of the Y.  The earlobe is no longer pulled all the way down to the bottom of the V and can be sewn to the top of the Y which should solve the problem. The main drawback of the V to Y repair is that there will be a small scar under the earlobe.  If this is possibility is worth the trade off of having a mild pixie ear then you could consider it.Best,
Dr. Yang
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Hello,Pixie ears will not improve within time following facelift operations, you can benefit from  a V-Y correction, it can be performed under local anesthesia. You will have an incision around the pixie earlobe  which is the V and then sewing the bottom part of the V to turn it into the bottom part of the Y. Following your 12 weeks post op you can consider to have it performed.

Yeah you have some degree of pixie ear.  The reason pixie ear develops is that the earlobe is not properly fetched and reshaped at the time of the facelift.  It is extremely common because many surgeons don’t pay enough attention to the earlobes.  It is simple to fix if the surgeon has a plan.  The lobe needs to be detached from the cheek and rounded out.  Sometimes it needs a facelift revision as well.  Your could be done with just some simple rearranging  of the skin around the earlobe.

Thanks for posting your photos.  A pixie ear deformity following a facelift will not resolve on it's own.  If it continues to bother you, a simple procedure can be performed   (V-Y repair) in the rooms to correct this.  Best wait 6 months following surgery to allow complete healing.  Best wishes 

Judging by your pictures, you do appear to have some slight changes in the shape of your earlobes. However, seven weeks is still pretty early on in your recovery process. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can to do fix this issue other than time and healing. Most plastic surgeons recommend waiting 3 to 6 months before deciding on any type of revision. If by that time, if your ears are still having the mild pixie ear appearance, an in-office revision is usually enough to fix the issue. Contact your plastic surgeon so that they may examine and discuss your concerns and decide on a treatment plan if revisions are needed.


Good luck



Dr. E

I would allow things to settle in for 12 weeks and see if there is some  improvement.  Keep in close contact with your surgeon so your progress can be carefully monitored.

The simple answer is that the pixie ears will not improve with time.  This finding is related to excessive skin removal and the way a weaker structure like the earlobe conforms to the pull of scar contraction. This will need to be corrected in the future, but I would recommend waiting at least 6 months.  

There are many potential “tell tale” signs after a facelift, and unnatural earlobes is one of the most obvious.  A talented and experienced facelift surgeon will make sure that the facelift results are dramatic and yet very natural.  In your particular case, it is somewhat early in recovery phase to determine if you could benefit from a minor touch up surgery.  Discuss your concerns with your plastic surgeon.  

Dear Patient,
From the photos that you kindly provided, it does not appear that this would improve. However, it is best to allow it some more time (3months) before making a final assessment. This is correctable. I would recommend contacting your surgeon.  Best wishes.

Thank you for your photos.  I do see from the photos that you do have a mild pixie ear.    This can be easily fixed under local anesthesia in the office.  Your surgeon can best tell you when this revision procedure can be done.