Small number of facelift patients infected with MRSA

A number of facelift patients have recently contracted MRSA (aka the "superbug"). The number is very small (about 1/2 of 1% of facelift patients), but it's still concerning to health officials. Traditionally, the rate of infection with facelifts has been very low, so some physicians may not be quite so vigilant about pre-screening patients for infections and identifying other risk factors (such as previous exposure to hospital environments or a previous MRSA infection). It's not clear if the patients in the study were infected with MRSA as a result of their surgeries or if previous exposure to the bug caused the infection. Regardless, physicians are urged to screen patients as diligently for facelifts as they would any other surgery.