All plastic, cosmetic and reconstructive surgical procedures come with risks and potential complications. To ensure successful surgery, it is crucial to understand and minimise these risks. Whilst all measures are taken to mitigate risks, some risks are unavoidable.
All information on this page is general in nature – your Specialist Plastic Surgeon will discuss the specific risks and complications pertinent to your individual surgical procedure during your consultation. General risks for surgery are listed here.
Specific risks related to facelift surgery include, but are not limited to:
- Temporary or Permanent Hair Loss: There is a possibility of experiencing temporary hair loss around the scars. While this is typically temporary, in rare cases, it may become permanent.
- Skin Loss and Skin Grafting: Impaired blood supply can lead to skin loss, which might require a skin grafting procedure.
- Bruising and Swelling: Following the surgery, it is common to experience bruising and swelling. These effects are typically temporary and will subside over time.
- Temporary Numbness: Numbness around the operated sites is a common occurrence. Fortunately, in most cases, this is temporary and will gradually improve over several months.
- Earlobe Deformity: There is a slight risk of earlobe deformity as a result of the procedure.
- Facial Nerve Damage: Approximately one in every hundred patients may experience damage to the facial nerve. This can lead to partial loss of movement and a “lopsided” appearance of the face. While this damage is usually temporary, in rare cases, it may be permanent.
- Differences in Facial Appearance: It is possible to observe a slight difference in appearance between the right and left sides of the face after the surgery.
- Revisional Surgery: In some instances, complications may arise that require revisional surgery to correct.