Distressed about facelift scar behind my ear. Any suggestions? (photos)

At this time, as mentioned by others, you will need time to
heal. A considerable amount of healing occurs during the first 90 days after
surgery. As far as your concerns with regard to what was shown to you and what
is seen in the photos – I can see the point you are making and I think it is a
good point to review with your surgeon.

Be healthy and be well,

James M. Ridgway, MD, FACS

Plastic surgery scars require attention after surgery so that they remain cosmetically-appealing and barely noticeable. In our office, we use a protocol for scars that minimizes their activity in the 6-8 weeks after surgery. If you have late plastic surgery scars, you may also require laser and RF therapy to help reduce the longterm effects of the scarring. Keloids, hypertrophic scars, widened scars, red scars, and hyperpigmented scars all require scar modulation with topical creams followed by lasers and RF therapy. Topical skincare should be directed to a specific need, whether for pigmentation or hypertrophy and our office can guide you through the process to obtain the correct Plato’s Scar cream or Melarase cream for hypertrophy and discoloration. In terms of lasers, we would employ the vbeam laser for redness, Venus Viva RF, PRP microneedling, chemical peels, and Morpheus 8, fractional erbium, or fractional co2. All of these have their individual benefits. Most of all, we recommend you visit a solid plastic surgeon who understands surgical scar revision, laser therapy, and RF therapy for scars.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Thank you for submitting your question.  You have  small ares behind your ears that are healing and have associated swelling. Wait for the healing and swelling to subside.  Scar placement is discussed before surgery. There are many ways to perform the post auricular incision. Discuss your concerns with your surgeon.  Best Wishes.

Thank you for your question.  It would be best for your to address your concerns with your operating surgeon.  If you are concerned with the healing of your scars, you can ask to have scar treatment ointment.All the best,Dr. ResultsMiami, FL

Consistent follow up with your surgeon is the best way to communicate all concerns after any surgical procedure.  Five weeks is very early in the healing phase so try to be patient.  Dr. Mac

It does appear that your incision may not be exactly where was discussed. That said, you are still early in the healing process. Give things a full year to heal. There are options for revising the incisions if they are not satisfactory. Be patient, keep close follow up with your surgeon, and let your surgeon know your concerns.

All facelifts will result in scars.  A good facelift is one that has the incisions placed within the hairlines and follow natural curves around the ear to maximize the scar's camouflage.  While your scar is not ideal at this time, I do think 5 weeks is too early to make any conclusions about the final result.  Scars continue to mature and will soften.  The important thing is to continue to practice good wound care and have close follow up and communication with your surgeon.  Take care.

The conclusion first: you do not have a major problem. I wouldn't compare your incisions with those of your wife's previous facelift for many reasons (age, sex, changes, etc, etc). However, the following apply:1. Skin and soft tissue remodeling occurs over several months and up to a year. This remodeling is always going to be in your favour when you start with the photos you have put up (taken, I understand, just 10 days after surgery).2. Simple moisturizing and massage help enormously. No doubt you have already been told to do this by your surgeon.3. Scar revision would be reserved as an option, ideally, only after six months. I would predict that this won't be necessary for you.4. Multiple laser modalities can be combined to make the scar much less visible: a combination of resurfacing and vascular lasers have given us excellent results. If the rest of your facelift has given you a nice result, my suggestion would be to follow your surgeon's advice and enjoy your facelift results. This particular issue will be minor when viewed in the rear-view mirror!Good luck.Prof. BCK Patel MD, FRCS

Thank you for your question.The healing process can take some time and I
know it is concerning to you.The scar
should flatten out and be significantly better in another 6 weeks.Worst case a scar revision can be
performed.I am sure you are still
following up with your surgeon, so be honest and let him/ her know what is
bothering you about the incision.Remember you are still healing so be patient and know there are other
options in terms of revision if it does not finish healing to the expectation
of both you and your surgeon.

As my colleagues have mentioned you are very early in the healing process. Your scars will improve significantly. You are correct though that the ideal incision darts backs into the hairline at a higher point where the ear covers all, or most, of the scar. If this continues to be an issue you will likely be a candidate for either laser resurfacing or scar revision to improve the appearance of the incisions. I hope this information is helpful for you.Stephen Weber MD, FACSDenver Facial Plastic Surgeon