3 months ago, I had a facelift. Both sides of my face are hard. It feels firm and waxy to the touch. Is this normal?

Thank you for your question.  Congratulations on having a facelift, it is a wonderful procedure! I would certainly discussed your concerns with your surgeon.  However, it sounds as if you are having normal postoperative swelling after your facelift.  This can give you the tissues under the skin a very firm texture.  With time this should resolve on its end.  It can take anywhere from 6 months to one year for all the swelling to resolve from this procedure.I hope that this helps!-David Gilpin

The firmness after a facelift 3 months following surgery represents deeper tissue still healing.Although the skin and incisions heal early on after facelifting, the underlying tissue plane continues to soften at its own rate.  Often weekly  lymphatic massage can facilitate softening of the tissue.If there are any other concerns with your postoperative course of healing, it is best to followup with your surgeon.

After a surgery, in the first days after, there is swelling and inflammation, later on about 2 to 3 weeks after the procedure, there is scar tissue formation and the scar tissue works as a glue, so all the tissues afected by the surgery get hard, like wood and that is a normal part of the healing. The scar tissue usually get softer within 3 to 6 months after the procedure. Also there are some numbness on the operated area, that makes the tissues feel waxy. It is a matter of time for the swelling and the scar tissue to get soft.