Post-SMAS, what damage can you do to tissues/sutures by excessive chewing, laughing, yawning or even flossing?

Thank you for your question.  I do not restrict my facelift patients with regards to chewing, flossing nor yawning.  I do restrict them from strenuous activities for a minimum of 3-4 weeks and from 6-8 weeks from aggressive swimming and bicycling when a wide range of neck movements are expected.Discuss your concerns with your plastic surgeon.Best regards.

chewing laughing or flossing will not damage your facelift results.  Yawning / stretching could possible pull on sutures.  It's best to discuss your concerns with your plastic surgeon

Thank you for your question.  I do not restrict my patients to a soft diet.  Eating 5 days post op should not affect your result.  Discuss your concerns with your surgeon and follow his recommendations.

Hello, and thank you for this question. In our practice we do not restrict what the patients eat  following the procedure although in the first several days patient's generally report that they are not particularly hungary. I would recommend that you follow up with your plastic surgeon regarding your condition.  best of luck with your continued recovery.

It would be very unusual for any damage to be done, after a SMAS lift, from chewing, laughing, yawning or flossing.  It is impossible to evaluate you without an exam to determine if there might have been any damage or not, so if you have a concern, you should contact your surgeon to be evaluated.   

A soft diet early after facelift surgery is recommended because the muscles are normally swollen and it can be uncomfortable to chew as you experienced. The swelling normally subsides in a couple of weeks and you can resume your normal diet or flossing as you feel like it. It would be very unusual to have caused any damage by trying to chew a little earlier than your swelling allowed. Discuss any persistent pain or discomfort with your surgeon.John Standefer MD

Eating,  moving your  mouth, etc.. is normal and should not impact your results. If you are having unusual pain, etc.. then you should speak to your surgeon.