Will people notice the scar after facelift?

HI ewind,  It is difficult to say whether your facelift scar will show. Many factor enter into scar formation, such as the tension on the closure, the skill of the surgeon, your social and medical history and your post -operative activities.It is best for you to visit with a reputable surgeon in your area to discuss your medical history and the above mentioned factors.Good Luck!Dr. Christine Rodgers

Plastic surgery scars require attention after surgery so that they remain cosmetically-appealing and barely noticeable. In our office, we use a protocol for scars that minimizes their activity in the 6-8 weeks after surgery. If you have late plastic surgery scars, you may also require laser and RF therapy to help reduce the longterm effects of the scarring. Keloids, hypertrophic scars, widened scars, red scars, and hyperpigmented scars all require scar modulation with topical creams followed by lasers and RF therapy. Topical skincare should be directed to a specific need, whether for pigmentation or hypertrophy and our office can guide you through the process to obtain the correct Plato’s Scar cream or Melarase cream for hypertrophy and discoloration. In terms of lasers, we would employ the vbeam laser for redness, Venus Viva RF, PRP microneedling, chemical peels, and Morpheus 8, fractional erbium, or fractional co2. All of these have their individual benefits. Most of all, we recommend you visit a solid plastic surgeon who understands surgical scar revision, laser therapy, and RF therapy for scars.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

[the attached link shows a few examples of how a facelift scar can be hidden with minimal visibility even very early in the healing process]A little trick that we all use is to call them "incision lines" since that sounds better than saying scar.  However, there will always be a scar.  ALWAYS.The key is to make these incision lines / scars look like faint little lines that blend into pre-existing wrinkles, folds, or hairlines.  Creating a good facelift scare that is not noticeable is extremely important and there are many factors involved including incision planning, design, minimizing tension, and nuances of suture closure.  There are additional things like laser treatments and scar creams that can be used after surgery to make the scars look even better, but the most important part is how the area is treated at the time of surgery.The tragus is the piece of cartilage at the front edge of the ear canal.  Some surgeons have strong opinions on the proper way to design the incision in this area (in front of versus behind the tragus), but with good technique it really does not matter.  I use both options and tailor the plan to the specific anatomy of each patient.I think 3 months is perfect in your case.  Normally there is an early inflammatory stage of wound healing during the first 6 weeks or so.  During that time the incisions can remain somewhat red and slightly thickened before starting to fade over time. 

Board certified plastic surgeons place the incisions in the natural folds, hidden in the hairline and behind the ears. At 3 months your incisions should be well healed but may still be red, careful application of makeup and hair styles should hide them well. Good luck.

Thank you for your question.  With any surgical procedure, you will have incisions that are made, and possibly could leave a scar once healed.  However, the incisions of the facelift heal very well and are almost imperceptible when fully mature.  At 3 months post-operative, the incisions will be well on their way to being fully healed.  You may still have a small amount of redness, though, that should be able to be covered with make-up.Be sure to discuss your concerns with your surgeon before surgery.  Also, be sure to look at the before and after photographs so that you will have a good idea of what the incisions will look like afterwards. I hope that this helps!-David Gilpin 

The amount of scarring left behind after a facelift depends on the technique of the surgeon. A double board certified facial plastic surgeon with experience and skill is able to perform a facelift in such a way as to result in almost invisible scarring. At my practice, my facelifts involve lifting of deep tissue, which is then secured with sutures. The skin comes along with the deep tissue, excess skin is removed and the remaining skin is secured without any tension, which results in an easier healing process and almost invisible scar. In addition to this technique, I place incisions in less visible or noticeable areas, and a scar cream can be used to help healing as well. I understand how important it is especially for men with short hair to have scarring that is not obvious, and one of my goals is to help you achieve the most natural looking results with the most minimal scarring possible.Incision location is different on a male than a female. For a male, the incision will be hidden in a crease in front of the ear to prevent moving the location of the beard.Hope this helps.

You should be fine to attend a wedding three months after a facelift.  The scar around your ear will minimize in size and color as each week goes by. Be sure to strictly follow the postop instructions given by your surgeon.  And do not smoke before or after surgery!!  Consult with a board certified plastic surgeon or board certified facial plastic surgeon with facial rejuvenation experience and expertise and you will be fine.

Discuss the exact lines that your facelift incisions will follow with your Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon, so that there are no surprises for you following surgery.  The incision lines ultimately will take 12 to 18 months to completely settle with regards to contouring and coloration, but at three months most facelift scars may be hard to detect. If there is still some coloration issues, expertly applied make-up can readily camouflage your incisions for the big day, so three months out in most circumstances will be enough time to mingle in the crowd with no one knowing what you have had done.  Enjoy your new face!!

The facelift scar at 3 months should be essentially invisible.  It does go around the ear, often behind the "tragus" which helps make it even more invisible..  Most women have hair long enough to cover the "sideburn" area anyway, which is really the area that is most visible, so unless you are planning to wear your hair up it should be basically covered.  Consider asking to speak to a prior facelift patient of your surgeon to ask them about their scarring.  It can be done well or poorly but most competent facial plastic surgeons will have essentially invisible scars by 3 months.  

Facial scars after a facelift is the second most concern by most patients, and having a “pulled look”  and unnatural look is number one concern. Meticulous and artistic surgical technique by an experienced facial surgeon should leave a very well healed incision lines that are not noticeable in 3 weeks. The key is an absolute tension free skin closure with all tension placed on the deeper tissue layers (SMAS). 
I recommend you to find a surgeon who can perform your surgery using local anesthesia and twilight sedation.  I have performed well over 3000 face and necklifts using local anesthesia and twilight sedation for the past 15 years. Without a doubt, it is safe and well tolerated by patients. Compare to the traditional facelift procedures that are performed under general anesthesia, the post operative complications associated with local anesthesia cases are lower and risk of bleeding and post operative pain is minimized. The key to a successful facelift procedure using local anesthesia is selection of the right patient by the surgeon and his or her comfort doing these cases.  My patients do not experience any pain during or after surgery.  Tylenol normally is sufficient for pain management.  

A facelift procedure will leave scars that are visible. However, these should be almost imperceptible when fully healed. By one month after surgery, all wounds are usually healed. The scars may be pink at this point, but are easily coverd with makeup. Occasionally a thickened or widened scar may need revision. Three months is certainly more than enough time before your event to have surgery.