Still Having Pain 5 Weeks Post Op, Possible Causes?

5 weeks is still relatively early in healing process after your surgery.  There are still irritated nerves and tight muscles.  Be patient and continue to follow up with your surgeon as directed.

hello kaytee1 While each patient is different, as a general rule, patients can expect to recover from their necklift in about three weeks.  During recovery, patients experience swelling, which should go down after two days, and bruising or discoloration, which will disappear in about two weeks.  While complications from this safe procedure are rare, the risk is still extant and will be discussed with you thoroughly by Dr. Horowitz.  The scars from your necklift may be noticeable for some time after your surgery, but they can easily be hidden with some make-up tips and tricks that you can learn from our experienced BioSpa staff. #pain #normal

Pain around both ears normal five weeks following facelift, but general trend should be toward resolution. If not, try to localize source of pain, to see if neuroma developing. Use analgesics, ear pads, warm compresses, massage, and any other helpful symptomatic treatment.

Thanks for your question.  You are still at a very early phase of the healing process.  The pain you are experiencing is from sensory nerves that can take months to finally "calm down" after elective facial surgery.  massage might help in certain situation.  Otherwise the best solution is time.  I know that isn't a very satisfying solution but given enough time your pain will abate and the nerves will be significantly less irritated and swollen.

With the hematomas and swelling and bruising, you inflammatory stage will be more pronounced and with more pain. This will get better with time. Treatment would include usage of different types of pain medication including benzodiazepines, opiates, muscle relaxants, tricyclic anti depressants, etc. I would start these slowly and only followed by someone who is experienced in doing this. Steroid injections will help in the areas that are really painful as well.

Try external ultrasound therapy on areas that seem to be causing the pain. Otherwise seek neurology consult. 

If your pain can surely be not attributed to recurrence of hematoma, and there is no apparant reason. Then the pain is expected after so much complications and hematomas. You need to be refferred to a pain management team to control the pain before it becomes chronic. There are new medications that can alleviate your nerve pains.

Having hematomas, at all, and certainly multiple ones is very rare in Minimally invasive Face Lifts, IMHO and experience, because of the limited tissue dissection.  If the pain is decreasing, this can be attributed to the localised irritation, that blood (hematomas), causing in tissues.  Ultrasound can decrease the increased scar formation hematomas may cause and help with the discomfort.  Continue to follow up with the plastic and cosmetic surgeon that did your Face and Neck Lift.

It is very unusual to have pain 5 weeks after a facelift, but you had a difficult post-op coarse. As long as the discomfort is decreasing, be patient. Massage and ultrasound may be helpful. Continue your followup with your surgeon.