Why would a scar be done in front of the ear when it can be hidden behind the ear?

Question

I see a lot of facelift photos with the scar in front of the ear and some with the scar behind the ear.

Richard Baxter, MD · Answer

Scars from a full facelift are both in front and behind the ear, connecting around the earlobe. When placed properly they become very inconspicuous.

Jonathan Kulbersh, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. While one goal of plastic surgery is to minimize visible scarring after the procedure, the surgeon also has to gain sufficient access to the treatment area to make the necessary corrections with the most natural result. In the case of a facelift, incisions in front of the ear are often necessary to allow for this access. I always place incisions carefully within the natural creases of skin whenever possible and use special suturing techniques to keep any visible signs of the incision to a minimum. In most cases, the scars fade almost completely over time. Always work with an experienced, board-certified facial plastic surgeon who has the skill to achieve the best possible results regardless of incision placement.

Timothy M. Greco, MD, FACS · Answer

This depends on what area of the face needs lifting. f it is primarily the neck, the incision can be made behind the ear. If the jowls and midface need lifting, the incision would be made in front of the ear.

Guy Cappuccino, MD · Answer

All facelifts need to remove some skin from in front of the ear (as opposed to behind the ear, under the ear).  I'm not sure if you are referring to incisions placed behind the tragus (by the ear canal) as opposed to in front of the ear on the cheek.  These may be surgeon dependent, or dependent on the patient's anatomy.  Also, incisions are placed in different locations so as not to move the sideburns back in men especially.  Either way, well done incisions/ closures should yield cosmetically acceptable scars which are well worth the results of the facelift.

Jack Zoumaras, MBBS, FRACS (Plast) · Answer

It all comes down to vector and what you are trying to do. In essence a Facelift will lift the lower jawline, cheek and in particular jowl area (just lateral to the lips which inckudes the marionette lines). The only way to lift the anagtomy in thhis area is to approach it from above and the side and subsequently lift it. The physics of this vector means you must place an incision in front of the ear.An incision behind the ear only allows access to the lateral neck and lower jawline and none of the jowl.
But there is no need to worry about scarring as a goof Facelift surgeon will conceal the incisions in the ear and you will not see anything.

John J. Martin, Jr., MD · Answer

For women, most of the scars are placed inside the ear tragus.  For men, the incision is done in front of the ear so that the sideburn is not moved on top of the ear tragus.

Yadro Ducic, MD · Answer

Hi Honeybird1978,Thank you for your question. The skin has to be pulled from the cheek, and only to get rid of excess skin is a scar in front of the ear.- Dr. Yadro Ducic, MD

Patrick Flaharty, MD FAACS · Answer

A full lower face and neck lift requires incisions both in front of the ear and behind the ear. If these incisions are designed carefully in the natural creases they blend in very naturally. The incision in front of the ear can actually be placed just behind the tragus (small tuft of cartilage in front of the ear) so there is no visible incision line in front of the tragus.  This is the ideal way to reduce the visibility of the anterior incision lines. Discussing this issue with your surgeon prior to surgey is important. Experiened face lift surgeons will use the best techniques to hide your incisions making them very discreet.