Infections requiring hospital readmission following face lift surgery: incidence, treatment, and sequelae

This retrospective study evaluates 11 infections requiring hospital readmission following 6166 consecutive face lifts (0.18 percent). Seven patients had surgical drainage of an abscess, and four patients were treated for severe cellulitis, Staphylococcus was the predominant organism in all abscess cultures. Of three patients admitted 3 weeks after surgery, two cultured gram-negative organisms in addition to Staphylococcus. This suggests that all patients should be treated initially with Staphylococcus coverage. If a patient is readmitted more than 1 week postoperatively, gram-negative coverage should be considered, pending culture results. There was no consistent finding regarding past medical history, the use of perioperative antibiotics, surgical equipment used, complexity of the surgical dissection, drains, or hematoma formation. No patients demonstrated systemic signs or grossly abnormal laboratory results on readmission. Eight patients had no sequelae from the infection. Three patients developed scarring that was considered minor by the affected patients. These data support the conclusion that major infections following a face lift are rare occurrences. Standard medical and surgical care, given in a timely fashion, usually results in a satisfactory outcome with minimal morbidity.