Is It Unwise to Chew Gum After Facelift Surgery?

    Compulsive gum chewing may not be a great idea after surgery, but it is hard to limit many aspects of life such as talking and food chewing.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

You should allow your face rest and heal post surgery. Therefore, I advise my patients to avoid excessive jaw movement (such as that caused by chewing gum) for the first several days.

For the first few days, I advise my facelift patients to not engage in excessive chewing or foods.  Too much movement may lead to seroma formation and require intervention.  A few minutes of gum chewing, however, can satisfy your craving and not lead to significant problems. 

In the first few weeks after surgery it would be a good idea to avoid excessive jaw movement such as caused by chewing gum - this could disrupt some of the deep sutures

I would avoid chewing gum for the first 1-2 weeks after surgery. During this time I like my patients to have their face be relatively "quiet" to allow it to heal the best.