Itchy scalp and ears after facelift over a year. Is this normal?

Their may be several reasons why you have itching of your incision lines. From a surgical point of view you may be a type of patient who has a tendency to develop hypertrophic or keloid type scars. These wounds can really itch. Also significant skin pulling and tightening and cutting across nerves at the time of surgery can sometimes lead to this condition. You need to speak to your surgeon about these concerns. Other wise your dermatologist needs to help you through this process.

Occasional patients complain of long-term itching particularly after a brow lift. Almost always this is self-limited. If particularly annoying peripheral nerve drugs such as Neurontin may be of benefit.

An in person exam is necessary to evaluate your case. It may or may not be due to previous facelifting surgery. The posterior hairline incision may develop hypertrophic scars and cause itchiness months to even a year later. If this is the case r can be treated with steroid injections to the incision. Please also follow up with your surgeon for evaluation.  

Itching around the incision linesone-year post facelift surgery is unusual. Hypertrophic scaring or keloid formationusually causes discomfort and itching sensation. I recommend you visiting yoursurgeon for an advice. Topical or injectable steroids can subside the symptoms.

You are doing the right thing seeing a dermatologist. This may be nothing to do with the surgery although if the itchiness is just on the scars then I would first avoid or change the hair products you are using. I would recommend massage and seeing your PS to advise on other scar management treatments. Even at a year facelift scars can improve and itchiness can be a sign of healing. Nerve endings can take 1-2 years to completely recover. Good luck

Numbness around the ears and itching at the incision sites are fairly common after facelift surgery.  Typically most of those symptoms will resolve by one year but sometimes they last longer.  A follow up appointment with your surgeon would be helpful to examine the incision sites.  The symptoms will likely continue to improve over time.

Its common for scars to itch during their healing and maturation phase and this is particularly common if your scars have become keloid or hypertrophic scars. Alternatively, if you had a brow lift as part of your procedure, you may have experiencing some numbness after surgery and the itchy sensation maybe be the nerves healing and retiring.  You mention that you have already seen a dermatologist and she diagnosed dermatitis - continue to follow her course of treatment and your symptoms should resolved.

This can be a very normal response to recovery especially if a brow lift was also done. Most patients say this leaves after one year. But there could be another unreeled process going on you r dermatologist could identify.

Thanks for your question. It is common for scars to itch during the early healing process- say the first couple of weeks. It is not normal to have itching this far out, but anything can happen, I guess. If your scalp is itching, the only way it would be related to your lift is if you also had a brow lift at the same time; coronal and hairline incisions will lead to scalp numbness. As the nerves grow back you may have itching. Otherwise, common things are common, and seborrheic dermatitis is very common. As long as the medicine you were prescribed works, you're good to go either way. Good luck!

Itching of the scalp (incision site) one year after facelift is most likely not related to the procedure. Facelift scar will itch only if it develops into a keloid. Itching may be cause by different factors such as allergic reaction from the dye or an allergic skin condition for which you should consult your dermatologist.