How long should a person keep wearing a head strap after a facelift? What happens if you don't wear it?

Most important is to listen and follow your Plastic Surgeon's instructions.In my practice my patients are have a light supportive dressing placed in the operating room following their neck lift or face lift and worn for 2-3 days. I do not require a chin strap for all but if there happens to be excessive swelling then I will occasionally suggest its use.However when just liposuction is performed in the upper neck, a compression garment is recommended for the following reasons::It restricts the amount of edema that forms and hastens its resolution by mechanical pressure.It decreases the amount of bruising.It assists the loose skin in retracting or shrinking.

Thank you for your question. If you do not wear it, you may have more swelling in the neck area. Some do not. The swelling does delay healing, and this is what we are trying to prevent. We like to see people wear it for 4-6 weeks, with the last few weeks, wearing it during the evening, and off during the day. I hope this helps.

I recommend that my patients wear their head wrap (compression garment) fulltimefor the first week and just at night during their second post-operative week.The head strap keeps firm pressure around the head and neck enabling the neck and skin to heal more favorably.A compression garment can also diminish swelling.Your surgeon may have specific recommendations for your particular case and I would recommend discussing this with him/her.