Lumps after a facelift

I am 6 weeks post op and feel great.  My concern are lumps around my cheek area.  My surgeon says to be patient.  I read articles that say that massage and heat help speed up the correction.  Your thoughts please?

[Howard Rosenberg, MD]

Lumps are usually caused by minor bleeding beneath the skin flaps that heal with the formation of deep scar tissue.  They completely disappear with time.  Massage and local mild heat can be used, but it is not clear fi these therapies will hasten the resolution of the lumps.  At six weeks they are probably at their worst and usually resolve at four to six months after the date of surgery.