Dealing with swellings and hematomas after facelift

This is number FIVE LOGGED IN post I think.....I am LOGGED IN, so hopefully this is a LOGGED IN POST:  More info for anyone just getting their facelift done in a foreign country; have someone really keep an eye on your incision areas behind your ears, because it wasn't until one side was "infected" that it became very sore and it was EASILY treatable.  If a person has post-op care appointments with a local p.s., it would been taken care of.  Luckily my husband noticed it was very red, and inflamed so I was able to treat this with just general antibiotic ointment, plus soap for a few days to alleviate that problem.  Obviously it is an area hard to see without help from someone.  Very easy though to have contracted the infection (especially since one stitch was accidentally left there, but easy to treat. 

Thanks wannabncanada, I too have that problem in the afternoon that my face seems to get stiff and tight and puffy, I sure hope it doesnt take 4 or 5 ms to correct itself, is the Advil for pain and anti inflammation, and was your face still bruised at a monthe and longer? I too have my husband check behind my ears after Joan posted some thing on it, thanks for the reminder, till later

 

CRica / Carmen

CRica, The bruising did not last long for me.  I am thinking it could be a coloring issue also.  My skin is very light, with strong red tendencies.  The ugliest markings on my face was in the "black eye area" (underneath one side of my eye where most of the swelling is/was) It was a purple/red circling underneath one eye on the severely swollen side.  That same angry dark line appears on my cheekbone even now occasionally.   I take the advil because my girlfriends say to take OVER the amount recommended (3 little pills instead of 2) for both swelling and pain.  I only did that a couple of times, otherwise I just take the recommended dosage now and it gives me relief from the swelling and pain.  Still at 5 months 1 week, I cannot put blush on due to the redness underneath my eye on the side of the face that is the most swollen.  Appearance of my face now has improved but I am still not pleased when I take a photo of myself as I still can see the swelling in the cheeks.  I can sleep on my side now and the forehead scars are almost totally hidden.  I find it gross to touch behind my ears due to the lumps and bumps!  

Hi all, wanted to comment on wannabcanada items and update, I too have dark areas under my eyes, its 5.5 weeks for me and was hoping it would be gone by now, I too am on medication but prescribed, anti inflamatory, for a pain in my arm and my face of course, still having some swelling or actually the lump and hardness and dark areas as well, guessing its left over bruising, will that ever go away, and now behind my ears are really red, but have to wait till tomorrow Monday to see the doctor, probably an infection, took my temp, no fever, is a fever necesssary for an infection, had no idea that a face lift would have so many issues. Please keep us posted on all your recovery, this site is really a life line to me

CRica - so sorry to hear of the redness behind your ears.  I'd make sure when you go into the surgeon, that he checks to make sure there aren't any stitches left in there.  It happened to a friend of mine...it happened to me (we didn't have the same doctor).  It did not cause the redness and infection I had behind the opposite ear however.  But, it was no big deal to clear up.  Just a little more diligence on my part in washing that area thoroughly with soap and water, plus an OTC antibiotic ointment for a couple of days cleared it up.  I found out you only need a small amount of the antibiotic ointment, placed on a cotton swab, and dabbed at the infection, incision site to keep your hair from feeling oily.  I never had a fever through all of this either.
  Patience and wishing someone would have said it will definitely take six months or more to look and feel good.  (I think they did on this site, but I dismissed it as being unrealistic and not that common to take so long). At 5 months 3 weeks, I am STILL swollen and I STILL sleep on ice packs at night for tightness and pain around my ears since I am a side sleeper.  It is SLOWLY getting better however.

Hey thanks, my ps is in Costa Rica, thats where I went for the surgery, but I am going to my local doctor tomorrow, he has been seeing me  since I got back in town in florida, he's been great, keeping an eye out for infection and telling me that I had a great job done, doesnt feel like it however, sure hope I do not have to wait  6 ms, planning a trip for July,  anyway, you say you use ice at nite for swelling and pain, I thought someone said no more ice after a few days post surgery? I have been using heat and massages to help the lump/swelling, oh well, thanks for your help, glad to hear you are seeing improvement, have a Happy Easter

I'd say wanabncanada is using cold packs to mainly numb the pain. CRica, I've also sent you a pm about this, hope you get it.

Thanks Joan, where are the yellow envelope, anyway I have been using heat and massage but it does not seem to work, but will continue and hope it will work, I still have lite bruises and hard areas with swelling, I know it is suppose to be normal, but wow, how are you doing Joan? I am going to my local doctor and yes I do have a stitch left, I can feel it, oh well, was this all worth it, I sure hope so bye for now and thanks again for your reply

CRica, when people log-in and then reply, the envelope appears above their avatar with the little red spider symbol,( which is for reporting abuse.) Massage didn't help me either, but Jay Baker got really good results. My lump had shrunk a little by 3 mths. Then I got filler put in under it, because my cheek on the other side was so much fatter. At 7 mths. my cheeks are now soft. The fat side is spongy to the touch and I don't know if it's still a litttle swollen or I've got fat there that was part of the muscle and fat lifting up to the cheek bone.. I don't know where all the fat came from though. It's a bit of a mystery. A costmetic dr. here said it looked like a fat implant/transfer. I definately didn't have that, and only on one side!! Swelling, nerve regrowth and smile symmetry can take up to 12 mths. to heal, but only in a minority of cases. My ps Dr Teerasit said that the huge swelling on my left side would take 3 mths. to go down. When it hadn't, he then said 3 mths. is the maximum time for swelling, which is way different to what he said originally. Lumps are often swelling from internal stitches.

Thanks, again, not what I wanted to hear, the tightness and hardness with swelling seems to get worse during the day, then subsides, but always returns, what are the options besides time, everyone says just give it time, could there be need for more surgery to remove the lumps? god I hope not. One side of my face is also more swollen then the other, but the good news is its been just a little over 5.5 weeks, I just happy I do not work, I have been mostly home, but am told with makeup its not very noticeable, I wish some of the girls who wrote earlier were still active here, some had the same issues I have, thanks for you input, it really helps 

Hi Costa Rica newby!  I just wanted you to know that I had your same complaint at around the same time you are - I would wake up in the mornings and the swelling wouldn't be so bad, but by noon, I would be swollen and it kept getting more and more painful as the day progressed - about 7pm I would get out of my recliner for a couple of hours before taking a sleeping pill to knock myself out at night.  This went on for several weeks....I think I was pretty much MISERABLE until 5 months post-op.  Outrageous because the doctor kept promising me (like Joan1) we had the same surgeon.....that it would only be until 2 months, then 4 months and after that I gave up.  I had tried steroid infusion, steroid 5 days worth of pills and neither seemed to help that much.  The Celebrex actually DID help that the plastic surgeon in Thailand recommended, but Joan warned me against it (due to it being illegal in some countries and her own father's experience with it) - I had already taken some and continued anyway for 4 weeks, not at the full dosage, and IT DID HELP with the swelling.  When I went to a local doctor here, he told me he didn't understand why I was in so much pain "FROM THE SWELLING" - but I INDEED was in more pain when the swelling got worse. 

Then at 5 months I started feeling alittle better....and could make it until 3pm before I felt like my swelling was bad....and now at 5 months 3 weeks, I am MUCH improved.  The one side that was SIGNIFICANTLY more swollen has ALMOST ALMOST ALMOST evened out to how the other side had been....I think in a few more months there will be no more swelling!! 

Another thing - I had been sleeping on ice packs for the past 4-5 nights....unusual because I hadn't needed them for a few weeks....Behind my ears were "tight" feeling and uncomfortable....well, my husband looked behind my ears and he said they were red!  My stitches aren't even showing anymore, however it is RED again!!!  So - for the past 24 hours I have been using antibiotic ointment on them, and didn't need the ice packs last night.  He said it wasn't so red this evening - isn't THAT STRANGE? Here I am 5 3/4 months, stitches healed - yet I am STILL getting infections behind the ears! 

I am wondering if you are in pain from the swelling as I was?  If so, my two girlfriends told me to just take ADVIL - when I told them I had tried that they questioned me on how many I was taking....I told them the recommended dosage and they told me to pop a third one....it helped occasionally!  Now I use the Advil just maybe once a week or so when the swelling feels like it is happening. 

Would I ever do this again? HELL NO!  Good luck and hang in there.  Personally I wouldn't get anything major done to rush it along....I think that would be dangerous until all the swelling is done healing.  I can't even tell you if I look better - I think my husband is afraid to make any comment after the pain I have gone through.

 

thanks wannabcanada, nice to know I am not the only one going thru this, actually I have gone to other sites and yes I have found that it is rather normal, and yes I have some pain but not bad, just feels stiff, I am on anti inflammatory prescribe by my doctor for the swelling, really for my arm I was having trouble with but he said it should help my face, I checked with my PS in CR and he said it was ok to use and should help, so far not so much, but my arm/shoulder feels better, I take 500mg   2x a day.  behind my ears are also red, going to doctor soon, almost 6 weeks and still scabs, cant believe it, I expected some of this but not 6ms of recop, but all the sites I have seen say the same thing, so I guess its the norm, but is frustrating, I have plans to travel in July, will I go? maybe not, that will be 4ms po, we will see. I find nothing too strange anymore, I have read so many postings on how people are dealing with different issues, I guess I will just relax, not do anything and give it time, how do you think the facelift will look, so far for me I do think I look maybe not so much younger but as my Nanny said that I stayed with in CR, "fresher" , lines around my mouth are smoother and my neck is better, stay positive, I have read it can take up to 1 year to fully recover

Good morning, happy to report that I do not have an infection behind my ears, and this morning I could actually see my ears looking straight into the mirror, I was so swollen that I could not before, you know like a hamster hoarding food in there cheeks, so I guess I am improving, but still tight and hard in areas, how are you all doing, I was so freaked before, I guess like the rest of us, maybe the anti anflammatory is working, thank you all for all your help and support and keep posting, it really helps

Good morning and Happy Mothers Day all, hope you are all doing well, havent heard from anyone lately, as far as my progress, I am better, still have swelling and the hard lumps, but better, the results of the surgery are pretty good, still have dark areas under the eyes from the surgery, sure hope that goes away, anyway have a great day

I went to a cosmetic doc today. I'm 8 mths. post op. He said my left cheek is still swollen. On the right side the lump is visible again because the sub Q filler that was put in around it and to fill out the cheek more, has been absorbed. It didn't last as long as I was told it would! It cost $1,700!!! He said to see him in 5 mths. for a review. I very likely will improve more by then. If the right side doesn't, he suggests I go back to my surgeon in Thailand to have it fixed, because he knows exactly what was done. Behind one ear the scar going from the ear across into the hairline is ropey and raised like a keloid. That will get a bit better in the next few months. He suggested I see a very good ophthamologist/plastic surgeon he knows who may be able to treat the broken capillaries that have formed above my under eye scars, and also the whiteness of the scar under one eye. That will involve a lot of travelling and of cause more expense.