Where Should Facelift Incisions be Made – The Pre-Auricular Incision
During facelift surgery, I prefer to cut closely along the border and shape of the tragus (the small piece of cartilage located in front of the ear canal). This helps to conceal discoloration and texture changes caused by a scar.
Some outstanding surgeons prefer to incise the skin further away from the tragus, often using a skin crease in front of the ear. It’s important to stress here, that there is more than one legitimate approach to this decision, and a well-technically executed incision can heal well using either approach. Having said this, in the majority of cases, I prefer a “post-tragal” incision because I feel my results are better using this approach. The incision made towards the top of the ear should parallel the arc of the helix (the outer rim of the upper ear composed of cartilage). It is important to create an incision that turns into the crease located between the cheek and lobule to avoid a lengthened tragus. A proper pre-auricular incision will result in natural and smooth-looking skin, non-indicative of surgery.
