Scarring
Any cuts made on your face will leave scars, but these should fade and be difficult to see after a few months.
Bruised nerve
The nerve that runs through your cheekbone supplies feeling to your cheek, side of your nose and upper lip. You might feel some tingling or numbness over your face if this nerve was bruised when you broke your cheekbone or during your operation. The numbness usually goes away on its own, but this can take a few months.
Bleeding from the cuts inside your mouth
This is not usually a problem, but if it happens you should be able to stop it by pressing against the wound with a rolled-up handkerchief or a swab for at least 10 minutes.
Drooping eyelid
If a cut is made in the skin of your lower eyelid, the outer corner of the lid may sometimes be pulled down slightly. This is called lower lid malposition or ectropion. This usually settles on its own but you may need further surgery.
Bleeding in and around your eye socket
This can affect your eyesight straight after surgery. We will monitor you closely for the first few hours to make sure that, if this happens, we pick it up quickly.
If your sight or pain gets worse when you get home, come back to the hospital immediately.
Infection
This is rare because we give you antibiotics. You also have a good blood supply to your face which makes infections less likely.
