Do midface "dissolvable" screws actually completely dissolve?

Question

Had midface lift and there are screws in my cheeks and they hurt when brush against them with your hands or smile too hard. In theory, these are supposed to dissolve but in reality many pts had MRI and found they were there 3 yrs later. Have any doctors had experience in following up with their patients post op and found that these screws dissolved? Do any doctors have any experience in taking these screws out and offer this? Perhaps percutaneously over the cheeks from a small cut?

Marguerite Barnett, MD · Answer

i don't have experience removing the dissolvable ones but i do have plenty of experience removing the metallic non-dissolvable ones and even those can be very difficult to find and remove so i would imagine the dissolvable ones would be ten times harder.  Bone can grow over them, the slots can strip and all of these issues are intensified with dissolving screws.  The pain could be from damage to a nerve or some scar tissue and removal of the screw wouldn't solve those issues.  i would return to your surgeon and see if s/he has any solutions to the problem they created.

Harold Bautista, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank thank you for your inquiry. Unfortunately some patients do not dissolve either facelift absorbable screws or tines. I just removed tines from my patients scalp yesterday under local Anesthetisia. it is unfortunate that the companies that sell these products claim that they dissolve over time. 
Hope this helps. Doctor B

John A. Standefer Jr., MD, FACS · Answer

Hello and thanks for the question.  The Endotine screws do dissolve in my experience. I had to explore a cheek recently in a patient who had had them placed a few months previously, and they were over 80% dissolved. The infraorbital nerve is very close to the area that requires dissection for placement of the Endotines and there are many small branches of the nerve. It is not uncommon to have an area of increased sensitivity or numbness if the tissues swell or develop scarring due to the dissection and or placement of the Endotines. This generally resolves with time. Discuss your concerns with your surgeon. Your surgeon can answer what kind of screw or implant was placed and the likelihood of it causing your sensitivity. If removal is necessary, they can easily be removed via an intraoral incision in the buccal space with dissection along the anterior surface of the maxilla. A scar on the cheek skin is not necessary.My Best!John Standefer

Richard W. Fleming, MD (retired) · Answer

I have used Endotine screws for many years and assure you that they do dissolve. I don't know what type of screws were placed in the patients you reference but they weren't Endotine. I cannot explain your symptoms of "pain" but I would discuss this with your surgeon.

Do midface "dissolvable" screws actually completely dissolve?

Answers (4)

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