Facelift scars; how long does it take scars near ears to go away?

Thank you for your question. I understand you’d like to know how long it takes facelift-related scars near the ears to go away.

I can certainly help you with this concern. To give you a little information about myself — I’m a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and a Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, practicing in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years. Performing facelifts makes up a large part of my practice and I have a lot of experience in helping patients heal in the best and quickest way.



It is important to understand that scars or incisions do not truly and completely go away. Doctors make incisions in such a way to maximize its camouflage, but ultimately, some type of scar will remain. There is also a difference in perspective when it comes to scars - for a patient, a scar is an undesirable thing; whereas for doctors, a scar is simply an area where healing occurred, which we usually refer to as an incision line and not necessarily a scar.



In our practice, what I aim to do is to place the incisional line in the natural creases of the ear, and then decide whether there is a benefit in going inside the opening of the ear, or to use a natural crease that is in front of the ear. It is important to keep in mind that the technical aspects of facelifting all contribute to the outcome of the incision line, so we try to make sure that we minimize the tension on the incision line. Most of the time, people who come to my practice for scar rehabilitation have incision lines that have widened or stretched out due to tension. I try to avoid this situation by performing the other elements of the procedure in a way that exerts very minimal tension on the incision line.



To facilitate improved and faster wound-healing, I also use platelet-rich plasma, which is a concentration derived from your own blood, and Acellular matrix. Essentially, I try to do as much as possible to avoid the risk of problematic scarring such as wide scars or thickened, hypertrophic scars. I also try to optimize the healing process so the resulting incision line blends very well with the surrounding skin. I always tell my patients that I perform the procedure in such a way that if a woman wants to pull her hair back, it won’t be a problem because the scarring is not obvious. For those who need scar revision, I’ll sometimes use laser to try blending the scars.



I think it is very important that the surgeon also follows up with the patient after surgery, and sees them through the healing process to manage any undesirable healing as soon as it manifests. When we take the stitches out after about a week, they can usually go back to work. I usually tell my female patients to wear their hair down for a bit, and I’ll tell my male patients to grow out their beard for the meantime, just to mask the area that is healing; so in a couple of weeks, they can shave their beard and pull back their hair without having anyone notice that they had some work and healing going on in that area. There is some individualized and customized strategy there.



When it comes to wound healing, incision lines will continue to heal over the course of a year, so it will look quite good in about 3-6 months, and will continue to blend and fade over the course of a year. There are, of course, some variables to take into consideration, such as ethnicity, skin type, sun damage, the quality of the skin, sun exposure, environmental issues, tissue elasticity and the like, but this is where the art of facelifting and strategizing a customized approach comes in.

I hope that was helpful and I wish you the best of luck!

Everybody heals differently.  However, it typically takes a full 6-12 months for scars to mature (soften and lighten) although they will always be visible to some extent.  There are multiple silicone scar creams and/or tapes that can help to speed the process.  I suggest you ask your surgeon a brand they recommend.