Incision Under Chin Not Healing After Necklift?

I had a lower face/necklift 5 weeks ago. There has been a lot of swelling, thickness and lumpiness in the area under my chin and jaw in general which I understand can be normal. However the incision under my chin has not healed. Recently when I massage or put firm pressure under my chin (as instructed), fluid drains from the incision. All other incisions have healed nicely. Should I continue massage? There is no obvious sign of infection.

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6 Doctor Answers | Asked by CPAmom

Doctor Answers (6)
Community Comments (1)

Drainage From Chin Incision

Drainage from the chin and a nonhealing wound after 5 weeks after massage suggests seroma and should be evaluated by the plastic surgeon

Neck incision after facelift surgery

Dear CPAmom, Hopefully it should be resolved by now, what did it end up being? It sounded like a seroma, unless the fluid looked milky and smelled funny Best regards, Nima Shemirani

Lumps & Swelling After Necklift

While swelling at 5 weeks after a necklift or facelift is common, it appears as if you may have developed a collection of fluid between the underlying muscle and the skin. Most likely, this is a seroma and the incision has not healed. This is allowing the fluid to egress when massaging. While you can continue manipulating that area, it would be best to have your surgeon examine this drainage to make sure it is not an infection or does not develop into an infection. Once the fluid... more

Carlo Honrado, MD

5 reviews

Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.drhonrado.com

Incision Under Chin Not Healing After Necklift

Delayed seroma drainage can occur up to 6-8 weeks after a facelift, and areas where seromas lie can often feel lumpy. While the body may resorb most of this fluid, it can also be compressed or needled out. The issue that often arises however is a more prolonged recovery process.While massage can help, in our office we deal with these issues using therapuetic ultrasound, similar to what physicial therapists use. In our practice we use the Mettler Sonicator 740 series. Again many... more

Incision not healing

You may have a seroma or other type of fluid collection. You need to see your surgeon about this.

Michael L. Schwartz, MD

3 reviews

Fort Lauderdale Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.palmbeachface.com

My chin is taking a long time to heal

It is true that the area underneath the chin can swell for a long time following a face/necklift. Usually by five weeks the thickness and lumpiness should be resolving however it can occasionally take a bit longer. It is hard to determine exactly what the draining fluid is. It could be a suture granuloma that is causing irritation and drainage. A suture granuloma is a suture that does not dissolve normally for whatever reason and can create a lot of irritation and occasional drainage. Gentle... more

Todd C. Miller, MD

10 reviews

Orange County Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.toddmillermd.com

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Comments (1)

CPAmom 7 Dec 2012

As it turns out the problem was that a drain was left in my neck. I had no idea it was even there. Have had multiple problems with healing, scaring and lumps since it was discovered 6 weeks post op and removed.

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