After Facelift 2 weeks ago, I have 'pleat' or pucker along one ear. Will this go away? If so, how long should it take? (photo)

Thank you for including the before-and-after photos along with your question. As others have mentioned, the puckering seen at the ear appears to be a slight irregularity that will gradually fade over the coming months. This is something you can ask your plastic surgeon about at a follow-up appointment. With your surgeon's approval, regular, gentle massage can also be helpful for expediting the healing process. If your ear's appearance continues to bother you, a minor scar revision procedure would be an appropriate treatment.

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). When the skin is separated from the underlying tissues during surgery, small sensory #nerves are cut. Varying degrees of numbness will be present after surgery and will improve gradually as the nerves reconnect to the skin. This process can take from 2-6 months for face, neck and cheeks, and to 9-12 months for the forehead and scalp. Muscle weakness may also be present around the mouth especially if liposuction is used. This typically recovers fully in the months after surgery. 

As the nerves regenerate, the itching, burning, tingling and shooting #sensations will occur. Ice, moisturizers and gentle #massaging are helpful during this phase of the #healing process. Frequently there is a tight feeling in the neck, jawline and cheek after a facelift. During surgery, not only the skin but the underlying muscles are tightened to create a better and longer lasting result. Additionally, the #swelling will move downward in the first week and the neck will feel even tighter. Do not be alarmed: the sensation will decrease during the first month. 

Some degree of firmness or lumpiness under the skin is normal after surgery and will resolve with time. Local #massage of the areas may accelerate the 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.

The pictures are helpful, but the angles are not the same. This makes it a little difficult to determine exactly what is going on. To me, it appears that the inner rim which you refer to has a little swelling extending to the ear lobe creating a pleat or bunching of the skin in front of the ear. Even though you are 2 weeks out, there is like still some healing that will continue to occur.  There still appears to be some edema (swelling) in the skin that was elevated during the procedure which is not uncommon. The best person to help guide you as to what to continue to expect in your healing process as well as things that can be done to speed up healing will be your surgeon. 

Thank you for your question. Patients experience a lot of swelling and bruising in the first two weeks after surgery. including around areas where the incision was made. You can massage your ear, as most likely recommended within your surgeon's recovery guidelines. Please continue to monitor the incision area around your ear and write down all recovery and other questions for your surgeon to address in your next consultation. Best wishes,

Dear Hello10001Thank you for your question and photo!  Your concerns are noted- the scar looks a little firm- start to massage a few times a day and follow up with your Plastic Surgeon.With Warm RegardsTrevor M Born MD

Hello,SMall little scar irregularities are common after a facelift. My best advice is to give it some time as scars take up to 12 months to mature. Worst case, you could have a minor scar revision to make it look perfect!Dr Bonaparte

Its difficult to tell without an examination and the area almost looks like scar formation.Its best to give it more time and follow up with your surgeon.

There are sometimes subtle changes to the contour of the ear following facelift surgery. You are still very early in the healing process, so some of the irregularities you are noticing will likely improve. And, fortunately, if small problems persist, a touch-up revision can easily be performed under local anesthesia. Good luck!

The appearance of your ear and behind your ear will continue to improve as your healing continues.  At 2 weeks after your surgery, you seem to be healing well.  As the skin settles down, both the issue at the front of your ear and behind your ear will improve.  It will take a matter of months however, until you can see the final result.    

The incision around the tragus seems to be what you are likely noticing the most.  The tragus is the small somewhat triangular-shaped cartilage area just in front of the ear canal.Many surgeons will design their facelift incisions to be "behind the ear" so that the incision is more hidden.  All that really means is that the 1-2 cm of incision around the tragus is "hidden" on the rim at the ear canal side of the tragus.  Everything else is exactly the same.One additional potential problem is that the relatively thick cheek skin then gets pulled onto the tragus which blunts the appearance of that once very well-defined part of the ear.Most will say my technique is "old school" or outdated but more often than not I design my facelift incision to follow the natural creases and contours in front of the ear which means going in the small crease or concavity just in front of the tragus.In your case, you should see continued improvement.  Given time, the post-tragal incision placement looks great in the vast majority of cases, but I suspect you are seeing some of the potential problems with that incision placement technique because you are still early in the healing process.