Will I be able to have a facelift with trigeminal neuralgia?

Question

Alejandro J. Quiroz, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. If you have a neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve you can have a face lift. The point that is important is to determined the cause of the neuralgia and coordinate with the neurologist the treatment.

Thomas A. Mustoe, MD, FACS · Answer

The surgery has to be approached carefully and in collaboration with whom ever is treating your for your neuralgia.   It may be possible under selected circumstances.   Consult with a very experienced surgeon or two.

Edwin F. Williams, III, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. Any sort of neuropathy can be exacerbated by a surgery or trauma to the area. Although trigeminal neuralgia is not an absolute contraindication for face lift surgery, I would recommend that you weigh the pros and cons of undergoing a surgery that may make affect your overall quality of life. I hope that helps!

Ben Lee, MD · Answer

Due to my habitually conservative nature, this would give me pause. I would first of all like to know what the cause of your trigeminal neuralgia was. I realize that in most cases, this is not known. In that  case, I would discuss with a patient that we would have to avoid all likely causes, and that there is still a risk of triggering or worsening the neuralgia. This would not necessarily affect the surgical outcome, but it could make the recovery difficult. As long as both the surgeon and patient were informed and carefully considered the possibilities, we could then decide whether the surgery was worth pursuing given the risk.

Zoran Potparic, MD · Answer

Any procedure in the area innervated by trigeminus nerve may trigger or worsen existing neuralgia. It would be the best to consult an experienced plastic surgeon and plan your procedure in collaboration with neurologist who is treating your current condition. Good preparation and controlled postoperative course may decrease chances for exacerbation of neuralgia. Good luck.

Fernando Colon, MD · Answer

In general I would not advice a patient with Trigeminal Neuralgiato have a face lift. There is the potential of stimulating the nervepain. See a board certified plastic surgeon to evaluate your specificsituation and recommendations. Best wishes.

Gary L. Ross, MBChB, FRCS · Answer

Technically yes but really you need to weigh up how much the trigemnal neuralagia affects your life as any form of facelifting could make this worse or lead to other neurologic issues.

Andres G. Sarraga, MD, FACS · Answer

The trigeminal neuralgia deals with a sensory nerve. If the neuralgia is well controlled with medication and does not have frequent episodes it could be considered.

Barry L. Eppley, MD, DMD · Answer

It would be necessary to determine more about your trigeminal neuralgia such as which branch of the nerve is affected, what are the known triggers and what medications do you take for it. The obvious question is whether having facelift surgery will trigger the neuralgia and can it be prevented or treated if it occurs after surgery. It would be safe to assume that the surgery will trigger it so knowing it you have an effective management medication/strategy would be critical information.