Should I Worry SMAS Facelift (Short-scar) Had to Be Reopened During Surgery? (photo)

   Lumps can persist for months as these can be little pockets of swelling, areas of suture, or underlying remodeling.  Hematomas sometimes occur, and evacuation is the treatment.  I am not sure that looking at your 6 week results that I would have been able to guess that you had a large hematoma evacuation.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Still too early to tell. Your surgeon did the right thing by reopening your incisions and removing any blood clots (hematoma). In this case 6 wks is a bit too early to determine final results. There many be traces of blood that still have to resolve naturally, and more swelling on that side. If there is no improvement after 3-6 months, then it is worthwhile discussing with your plastic surgeon what he feels will be the result.

It was certainly imperative for your surgeon to reopen your incisions if you had excess bleeding. A facelift requires lots of elevating of the skin and bleeding can occur. Facelifts without bleeding can be a little lumpy for several months because of the deep sutures and movement of tissues under the skin. I would wait several months before worrying, but why not visit your plastic surgeon for his opinion? I would expect this lumpiness will resolve with more time. As a matter of interest, before any future surgery, be sure to stay off of any aspirin products, Advil, Aleve, fish oil or Omega-3, vitamin E including products with vitamin E such as Slim Fast and multivitamins, and Garlic. This is a long list, but all of these cause difficulty with your blood clotting system, thus more bleeding. Good luck.