3 months post neck and lower facelift and my smile is crooked. (Photos)

Question

How can I determine if my smile will return to normal? I have both pain and numbness in my right ear as well as my neck. I also have lumps from drains on each side of my neck. Also, my Dr. cut my jugular and told me I almost bled out. This caused him to make another incision on my neck. I had this surgery to look better but now look significantly worse. Is there anything I can do?

Summit Kundaria, MD · Answer

What you are describing could represent damage/injury to the marginal mandibular nerve, which depresses (pulls down) your lower lip.  Unless the nerve was cut, it usually regains function, though this can take several months to take place.  To treat your smile asymmetry, some neurotoxin (Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin) injections to the "good" side can balance the smile while the nerve regrows.  The other things you are describing (the ear pain/numbness, for example), are likely due to injury to a different nerve (the great auricular nerve), and recovery from that injury will not necessarily track with your smile recovery.

I would like to acknowledge your frustration with this situation, as you entered surgery not planning for these complications, which can happen to some people.  What you are describing with your smile is a rare complication of face/neck lift surgery, though the ear complaints are more common.  I am sorry you have had this experience, and hope for a fast recovery.  Good luck!

Gary L. Ross, MBChB, FRCS · Answer

It is still early post op and it is likely that things will improve. I would see your PS and be formally assessed to see how your facial muscles and facial nerve are functioning. .

Steven M. Daines, MD, FACS · Answer

Smile asymmetry is a rare complication from a facelift in which a branch of the facial nerve that innervates the muscle that pulls down on the lower lip is injured. In most cases I've seen, this nerve regains its function over the course of several months. However, in a small number of cases the injury is permanent. Close follow up with your doctor is vital for monitoring your healing and assessing the function of the nerve.

Brooke R. Seckel, MD, FACS (retired) · Answer

A crooked smile after facelift usually indicates stretching or injury to the marginal mandibular branch of the facial nerve or the buccal branches of the facial nerve.  In 3 months there is still a 75% chance that your smile will return over time.  One thing that can be helpful is the application of DC electrical current stimulation.

3 months post neck and lower facelift and my smile is crooked. (Photos)

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Answer: 3 months post neck and lower facelift and my smile is crooked.

Answer: 3 months post neck and lower facelift and my smile is crooked.

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3 months post neck and lower facelift and my smile is crooked. (Photos)

Answers (4)

Answer: 3 months post neck and lower facelift and my smile is crooked.

Answer: 3 months post neck and lower facelift and my smile is crooked.

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Everything you need to know about Lower Facelift

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.