Do your ears look different after a facelift?

Question

I just looked on Wikipedia and am now afraid of one more thing! Wikipedia said my ears could look different & could possibly be at a strange angle. Is this common? I will be having a lower face & neck lift & don’t want my ears to look strange or different. Getting really scared the more I read things! Any opinions are helpful!!

Sanjay K. Sharma, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question. While swelling after facelift surgery may initially cause a bit of distortion in your face that may make your ears appear to look “off,” the reality is that no, your ears will not look different. This has obviously happened to people, and the reason for it is because they did not get a GOOD facelift. A GOOD facelift is performed by a board certified plastic surgeon who is experienced in facelift procedures. They use incisions hidden in the contours of your ears and along your hairline so there is no visible scarring. The underlying tissues are skillfully adjusted and the skin is carefully redraped, leaving you looking refreshed and natural, not windblown and pulled tight. If you are considering a facelift, schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon. They will be able to answer your questions and address any concerns you might have. Good luck!

Myung Ju Lee, MD, PhD · Answer

A good facelift means a good dissection without leaving a visible scar. If the ears stretch down or leaves a bad scar, that means that the dissection is not done well and the skin dropped down again. A skillful surgeon will not change the shape of the ear nor leave a incredibly visible scar.

Juan Carlos Fuentes, MD · Answer

A face and neck lift done well, under artistic concepts and an excellent surgical techinque, should deliver natural results, with scars minimally detectable. The stigmas of a face lift are many, from noticeable scars, hairline displacement, loss of the tragus, or displacement of the earlobe, pulling lines across the face, etc. But none of them should appear after a face and neck lift. It is very important to check many of the before and after photos of the surgeon you are considering for your surgery, so you know you are in good hands.

Farhad Rafizadeh, MD · Answer

During a facelift an incision is made around the ears, sometimes going over the cartilage in front of the ear canal, and then it goes in the crease in front of the earlobe, behind the ear in between the cartilage and the bone and across the bone into or in front of the scalp hairline. Meticulous attention to details is required to prevent changing the position of the earlobe and avoiding it being pulled down. Some times the earlobe needs to be set slightly back to compensate for any future forward movement as the tissues relax. Placing no tension on the skin will also make this less likely. As you can see the skill of the surgeon and his or her experience can make a big difference. Look at before and after pictures with special attention to the ears.

Michael Kulick, MD, DDS · Answer

You should not have a significant impact on your ear appearance.I have had to do re-d procedures and can understand you concern. See revision case # 0035 below. Of course no one is symmetrical and after a surgical procedure, patients often focus on this. In fact, ones ear appearance may look better after a facelift. I have performed revision facelift procedures and patients are much happier with their ear appearance after this revision procedure - look at the web reference and go to the actual case numbers. After you click on the weblink, you would need to go to the gallery. Once in the gallery, you can scroll to the case numbers. Click on the actual case number (#) and you can see the up close ear pictures of these patents.  - you need to click on the actual case number to see the close up of the ear appearance  case # 0033, revision case # 0035. These pictures give you are timeline of the healing process as it relates to the ear scars and hairline position.Hope this helps,Michael Kulick MDSan Francisco, Ca

Michael P. Morrissette, DDS, FACS · Answer

A good surgeon knows how to reposition the ears so that earlobe remains in its' presurgical position. You may be referring to a "pixie" ear when the earlobe is placed in a stretched position. I would recommend that you discuss these concerns with your surgeon and look at the photos of some of his patients.

Michael I. Echavez, MD · Answer

It is possible for the ears to appear different or even somewhat distorted after a facelift, but I would say that this is almost always technique dependent.  A facelift can definitely be done without changing the appearance of the ears.  It is also possible for the ears to look somewhat different just during the recovery process, due to swelling.

Evan Ransom, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello and thank you for the question. The changes that some patients see in their ears occur in the shape and angle of the earlobes. This is typically due to excessive tension on the closure in this area or overly-aggressive skin removal. The result is sometimes referred to as a pixie or satyr’s ear. A well-planned incision and a lift that includes the deeper connective tissues will avoid this problem. Thank you and good luck!

Michael Zenn, MD · Answer

A tell-tale sign of a facelift is improper ear position or shape after facelift.  Discuss this with your Board Certifed Plastic Surgeon and see what they plan on doing to keep yours as natural as possible.  On the other side, we can often improve the appearance of ears during the facelift as well!Dr. Zenn

Joshua A. Halpern, MD, PA · Answer

Unfortunately there are no pictures. When you look at some plastic surgeons before and after pictures you may notice that after surgery the earlobes are stretched and the angle of the ear has changed. Other surgeons employ certain techniques that minimize and prevent this. In my opinion, it’s important to be evaluated by a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who has been  trained in this procedure and to look at their before and after pictures before making a decision. For more information please look at the enclosed video.

Do your ears look different after a facelift?

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