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Numbness After Facelift: Why It Happens and How Long It Lasts

9 hours ago
7 min read

Updated: 1 minute ago

Quick answer. Numbness after a facelift is normal. When the skin is lifted, tiny sensory nerve branches in it are interrupted, so the cheeks, the area in front of the ears and the earlobes often feel numb. Numbness of the face and ears can last up to several months and usually improves gradually. Lasting earlobe numbness, burning pain or any muscle weakness needs your surgeon's review.

Key takeaways

  • Some numbness is expected after every facelift and is not a sign of a complication.

  • It usually fades over weeks to months as small nerve fibres recover.

  • Numbness (a sensory change) is different from weakness (a motor nerve problem).

  • Permanent nerve damage after facelift is rare: below 0.05% in a 2025 meta-analysis.

  • Protect numb skin from heat and cold, because you may not feel a burn.

Why does a facelift cause numbness?

Your facial skin is supplied by many small sensory nerves that run up from the deeper tissues into the skin. During a facelift, the surgeon lifts skin and deeper layers to reposition them. That separation interrupts some of these tiny branches. In general, the area that was lifted is the area that feels numb at first.

This is why the U.S. National Library of Medicine describes some numbness of the skin as normal after facelift surgery, adding that it "will disappear in a few weeks or months" (MedlinePlus, n.d.). Numbness or other changes in skin sensation are also listed among facelift risks by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS, n.d.).

  • 74-year-old patient: facelift before and after
  • Facelift: the first days of recovery

Where will you feel numb, and for how long?

The most common areas are:

  • the cheeks, especially close to the ears

  • the skin in front of and behind the ears

  • the earlobes and lower ear

  • the upper neck under the jawline

MedlinePlus notes that you may have numbness of the face and ears for up to several months (MedlinePlus, n.d.). Recovery is gradual. As nerve fibres regrow, many patients notice tingling, itching, pins and needles or brief "electric" sensations. These are usually signs of recovery, not damage.

Local anesthetic used during surgery also makes the face numb for several hours. That short-lived numbness wears off on the first day and is separate from the longer sensory change described here.

Normal numbness or nerve injury: what is the difference?

  • What it affects — Expected numbness: Feeling in lifted skin — Great auricular nerve injury: Feeling of the earlobe and lower ear — Facial nerve (motor) weakness: Movement of the face

  • Typical sign — Expected numbness: Patchy numbness of cheeks and ears — Great auricular nerve injury: Persistent ear numbness, sometimes burning pain — Facial nerve (motor) weakness: Uneven smile, eyebrow that does not lift, eye that does not close fully

  • Course — Expected numbness: Improves over weeks to months — Great auricular nerve injury: Often improves; occasionally persists — Facial nerve (motor) weakness: Usually temporary in published series

  • What to do — Expected numbness: Patience and skin protection — Great auricular nerve injury: Tell your surgeon — Facial nerve (motor) weakness: Contact your surgeon promptly

Numbness is about sensation. Weakness is about movement. They come from different nerves, and they are handled differently.

Video: 74-year-old patient: facelift before and after. Watch on YouTube

How common is real nerve injury?

A 2025 meta-analysis pooled 67 publications covering 15,404 patients (Gandra et al., 2025). The pooled rate of sensory nerve damage was 0.39% and of motor nerve damage 0.66%. Permanent damage was much rarer: 0.045% for sensory nerves and 0.047% for motor nerves.

Other papers report higher figures for one specific nerve. The great auricular nerve, which supplies feeling to the earlobe and lower ear, is the nerve most often injured during facelift surgery, at a rate of 6% to 7% in older reports (Lefkowitz et al., 2013). The difference between these numbers reflects how injury is defined and counted, not a contradiction.

For facial movement, a 2026 meta-analysis of 10,784 deep plane facelift patients found temporary facial nerve weakness in 1.2% and no permanent facial nerve injury (Koroma et al., 2026).

What if the earlobe stays numb or painful?

The great auricular nerve runs over the neck muscle just below the ear. Surgeons use surface landmarks to protect it (Ozturk et al., 2014). When it is stretched, compressed by a stitch or cut, the earlobe can stay numb, or the area can become painfully sensitive to touch.

Most cases are watched over time. For persistent painful symptoms, surgical options exist. In one report, four patients with ongoing pain after a short-scar facelift had the nerve explored and freed from compression by stitches and scar, with nearly complete resolution of symptoms at six months (Barbour et al., 2014). Four patients is a very small series. If your ear pain is getting worse rather than better, tell your surgeon.

Video: Facelift: the first days of recovery. Watch on YouTube

When should you contact your surgeon?

Contact your surgeon promptly if you notice:

  • you cannot close one eye fully, or your smile or lip moves unevenly

  • numbness that spreads or comes back after improving

  • burning, shooting or worsening pain around the ear or neck

  • one side of the face or neck swelling quickly, feeling tight or very painful

  • redness, warmth, discharge or fever

Rapid one-sided swelling with pain can mean a blood collection (hematoma). If you have difficulty breathing or swallowing, call emergency services.

How do you protect numb skin while it recovers?

Numb skin cannot warn you about heat or cold. Wrap cold packs in a cloth and limit how long you use them. Keep hair dryers on a cool setting and avoid curling irons and hot tools near the face and ears. Take care when shaving, using earrings or wearing glasses that press on numb skin. Check your skin in a mirror if you are unsure.

How Prof. Dr. Suleyman Tas approaches this

Prof. Dr. Suleyman Tas performs deep plane face and neck lifts under local anesthesia, with you awake and without general anesthesia. He operates on one patient per day and performs each operation personally. His TAS Signature Lift can combine a deep plane facelift, neck lift, forehead lift, eyelid surgery, fat injection and lip lift in one session, but only the parts your face needs. Read the facelift recovery timeline and understand deep plane facelift risks.

You stay in Istanbul for about 10 to 14 days, with daily hyperbaric oxygen sessions and a private nurse during that period. After you return home, you have one year of online follow-up, so you can report changes in sensation and ask questions as they arise. Learn about swelling and bruising after a facelift.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Is numbness after a facelift permanent?

For most people, no. MedlinePlus describes some numbness as normal and says it disappears over weeks or months. A 2025 meta-analysis of over 15,000 patients estimated permanent sensory nerve damage at about 0.045%. A small area of reduced feeling may persist in some patients, so ask your surgeon how they assess this.

Why are my ears numb after a facelift?

Facelift incisions run around the ear, and the skin there is lifted, so small sensory branches are interrupted. The great auricular nerve also supplies the earlobe and lower ear. Ear numbness is common and usually improves. If it is still complete months later, or becomes painful, your surgeon should check the nerve.

Is tingling after a facelift a good sign?

Often, yes. Tingling, itching, pins and needles and brief zaps are common as sensory fibres recover. They usually come and go and settle with time. Constant burning pain, pain that is getting worse, or sharp pain when one specific spot is touched is different, and should be reported to your surgeon.

Can numbness affect how I move my face?

No. Numbness is a sensory change and does not affect muscles. If your smile is uneven, your eyebrow does not lift or your eye does not close fully, that suggests a motor nerve problem. In published series this is usually temporary, but it needs prompt assessment by your surgeon.

Does local anesthesia cause long-term numbness?

No. The local anesthetic used during surgery makes the face numb for a few hours and then wears off. The numbness that lasts weeks or months comes from the surgical lifting of the skin, not from the anesthetic. That applies whether the facelift is done under local or general anesthesia.

About the Author

This article was written and medically reviewed by Prof. Dr. Suleyman Tas, a plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgeon in Istanbul with over 20 years of experience. He is the author of Rhinoplasty in Practice (CRC Press, 2020), has more than 40 peer-reviewed scientific publications and five patents, and teaches facelift and rhinoplasty techniques to surgeons at international courses. Read more about Prof. Dr. Suleyman Tas.

Individual results vary. Before and after photos and videos are shared with patient consent. This article is for general information and does not replace a personal medical consultation.

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