What are the risks of facelift surgery?

The decision to have plastic surgery is extremely personal and you will have to weigh the potential benefits in achieving your goals with the risks and potential complications of facelift surgery. Only you can make that decision for yourself.

You will be asked to sign consent forms to ensure that you fully understand the procedure and any risks and potential complications.

Facelift risks, while rare, include:

• Anesthesia risks
• Bleeding
• Deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and pulmonary complications
• Facial nerve injury with weakness
• Fluid accumulation
• Infection
• Numbness or other changes in skin sensation
• Persistent pain
• Poor wound healing and skin loss
• Prolonged swelling
• Skin irregularities and discoloration
• Sutures may spontaneously surface through the skin, become visible or produce irritation that require removal
• Temporary or permanent hair loss at the incisions
• Unfavorable scarring
• Unsatisfactory results may include asymmetry, unsatisfactory surgical scar location and unacceptable visible deformities at the ends of the incisions

These risks and others will be fully discussed prior to your consent. It is important that you address all your questions directly with your plastic surgeon.