Swollen jowls or saggy skin?

It's hard to help without photos. I know you tried to upload them, but couldn't. In that case, you may want to get a second opinion from a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in your area so that they can examine you in person.Best,

By 10 weeks out, the results of a facelift should be fairly evident and complete, although there will usually still be some swelling and tightness that will diminish further over the next couple of months. I'm not sure what to make of the "golfball" firm swellings. More information is definitely necessary to give a fair assessment of what is going on and/or what should be done about it. Photographs (before and after) are really necessary, as well as some history of how the healing process has progressed (anything unusual?). We really would like to help you get accurate answers to your questions, but unfortunately we need some additional help from you to be very helpful to you.

10 weeks is a long enough time where most of the swelling of a facelift should be gone. That being said everyone heals at a different rate and you maybe a slow healer. Additionally depending what your surgeon did in that area may make healing times longer. For instance if he directly liposuctioned the jowls this would add additional time for healing. Clearly without pictures it is hard to discern what the actual problem is. That being said if you are at all concerned a frank open discussion with your surgeon is a must. If things are normal, modalities like ultrasound may help the hardness and swelling. I hope this helps Ritu Chopra MD

Thank you so much for your question. It is so hard to say without seeing a photo. What I can tell you is that early on there is so much swelling and bruising that will subside with time. It is hard to know without being the actual surgeon what you should or should not expect for results at this point, but the best I can tell you is it does take months for all of this to settle down.

At 10 weeks post op facelift, this is highly unusual. Discuss these concerns with your Plastic Surgeon. You are still in the healing phase, but this needs to be addressed in case a revision is needed later.