Recovery after a neck lift covers the care of the incisions and stitches, antibiotics, pain relief, swelling, and when you can return to work and exercise.
All of these depend on the extent of surgery and on your own health and healing.
After surgery in the neck, fluid can collect under the skin. This can be uncomfortable and, if left, can affect healing.
Drains are not used. Where needed, quilting sutures hold the skin against the tissues beneath it, so that fluid cannot collect. If used, they are removed three days after surgery.
Washing your hair is possible, and recommended, from the day after surgery.
Surgery increases the chance of infection. This is reduced by careful sterile technique and antibiotics during surgery, and sometimes by a short course of antibiotics afterwards.
A probiotic, taken at the same time, helps to prevent stomach upset from the antibiotics.
Following the advice on washing and wound care also reduces the risk of infection.
Quilting sutures, if used, are removed three days after surgery. Some of the other stitches dissolve on their own, and the rest are removed at the practice after about 7 to 10 days.
You will be given advice on caring for the stitches and keeping the wounds clean, which also makes removal easier.
Questions? Just ask.
Talk to our helpful team or book a consultation
with Mr Lucian Ion. Call 0207 486 7757
Discomfort is more common than pain after a neck lift, and some patients need no painkillers at all.
Pain relief is prescribed when you leave hospital, usually with a milder and a stronger option, so you can choose what you need.
Follow the advice on how to take it. Taking tablets with food helps, and it is best to avoid alcohol and some herbal supplements, which can interact with the medication.
Arnica Montana tablets and cream, a homoeopathic treatment, and Hirudoid cream or gel can help the bruising settle sooner. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can also be a valuable help: sessions in the days after surgery can help reduce swelling and bruising and support healing.
As a guide, most people can work from home after about 1 week, and return to work in the office after 2 to 3 weeks.
Physically active jobs may need longer, and your own timetable is agreed with you at your follow-up visits.
Walking is encouraged from the start. Exercise can make the face flush and increase swelling and bruising, so it is built up gradually.
Light exercise can usually start after about 3 weeks, and your normal level of exercise after about 5 weeks.
Some swelling after surgery is normal. After a neck lift it affects mainly the lower face, the jawline and the area under the chin.
The traditional advice is to sleep propped up on a couple of pillows. Sleeping flat, with no pillow or just a small neck roll, seems to work equally well and lets the neck rest in a natural, extended position. Cold compresses in the first days also help.
A low-salt diet reduces water retention and helps the swelling settle.
Questions? Just ask. Talk to our helpful team or book a
consultation with Mr Lucian Ion. Call 0207 486 7757
Clots in the leg veins (deep vein thrombosis) are a risk after any operation, particularly under general anaesthesia.
Walking within hours of the operation is one of the most effective ways to restore normal circulation in the legs.
Drinking plenty of fluids and wearing the compression stockings provided by the hospital for a few days after discharge also help.
When the submandibular glands are reduced, a soft diet is recommended for the first week, to limit saliva production while the glands heal.
A diet high in salt increases water retention, which prolongs swelling, and can raise blood pressure, which increases bruising. You do not need to cut out salt completely, but a low-salt diet helps in the first few weeks.
Smoking, vaping and any other nicotine intake must be avoided for 4 weeks after surgery.
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