Is It Normal to Have the Skin in Front of the Ears to Be Hard and a Discolored (But Not Very Swollen ) 3 Days Aftert a Facelift?

 

Hardness, swelling and or bruising are all normal responses of the body at an incision site. Be sure to follow your post op instructions carefully and watch for any change in colour or size of the area.

 

My patients are all provided with a fact sheet of post op instructions and what to expect after surgery. It is important to be just as prepared for the healing time as you were for the actual surgical procedure. Should anything unusual occur, or if you are just unsure, call your surgeon’s office for advice and/or an appointment.

 

    This may be a normal variant, but you should be examined to determine if blood flow is compromised or if there is a hematoma.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Depending on the technique, what you described can be perfectly normal following a facelift 3 days ago. Most important is to have regular check-ups with your plastic surgeon to make sure you are on course with the expected healing from your procedure.

You need to be examined. This is most likely postoperative edema and nothing to be concerned about but I'm sure your surgeon would much rather have you come in for an exam than worry about you until your next scheduled visit. If you have a small hematoma or are starting to have an infection it's best to start treatment right away.

It sounds normal what you describe. If one side should be noticeably more swollen or painful than the other I side, I would recommend that you contact you surgeon right away just to make sure that you do not have a hematoma.