Still Have Jowls / Double Chin 2 Months Post Op Neck and Face Lift. Will It Improve?

Swelling is typical after facelift. When the swelling resolves some skin laxity can remain that presents itselft as jowling. I don't know where you started from and how much improvement you got.

One option which can be combined with facelift is to consider a skin tightening Laser with or without fractional resurfacing. This can give you that  little bit of extra tightening you need and improve the texture and quality of your skin at the same time. Something to consider.

I wish you well.

Based on your photos it appears that you have had a lift where the deeper layers of the face and neck (muscle and fat) have not been improved as much.  The reason for this could be your anatomy or the type of lift you had.  photos would be helpful.

By 2 months post neck and facelift, you should notice significant improvement in your areas of concern, however, not everyone heals the same.  It is difficult to answer your question without photos and a physical exam.  You should first consult with your surgeon and look at your before and after photos in order to discuss your expectations and concerns. 

At 2-3 months, there should be a discernible improvement in your neck and jawline although some minor swelling will still be present.  The lack of pictures makes it impossible to be more specific. I would advise that you return to your Surgeon and discuss your concerns.

Often what you and your surgeon consider to be jowls are are actually not jowls but rather the demarcation between the fullness of the cheek and the labiomandibular fold.  The fold is there not because of fullness from the jowl.  Rather the area just beyond the jowl is missing volume.  This means you can yank up the side of the face until the cows come home with no resolution of the jowl.  The answer is placement of volume in the depressor angulii oris region.  This can be done with fillers like Perlane.

Without pictures, it is difficult to determine what is happening.  I suspect that you had skin removal but no tightening of the deeper tissues which has allowed your tissue to relax sooner and lead to recurrent laxity in the neck and jowl area.  I would recommend that you follow up with your surgeon, or seek a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon to determine your options.You will likely need to have the procedure repeated to correct your problem.

2 months after a facelift, things should look amazingly good. Unfortunately, if they don't, they will not be getting better as things continue to heal. Often times, lifts are performed and excess skin is removed, but jowls and laxity under the chin remain. This is due to the fact that the underlying SMAS and muscle were not adequately released and addressed during the procedure. Often times, rather sophisticated facelift techniques are necessary to give patients the youthful neckline they desire. Not all surgeons can perform these more sophisticated techniques. I would need to personally evaluate your anatomy to determine the best course of action, but in virtually all circumstances, an extended SMAS deep plane facelift with customized platysmaplasty will correct all of a patient's concerning features of lower face aging. All with only 1-2 weeks of downtime.

Andrew C. Campbell, M.D.

Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon

Milwaukee / Sheboygan, WI

The jowls and a double chin should have been resolved 2 months after the face/neck lift.  It is doubtful it will improve after 2 months.

Sometimes it is difficult to take away all the jowling or the effects of a double chin entirely. What is important is that you see SOME improvements, and may I suggest giving it some time. 

 

If the objective of the surgery was the elimination of the double chin and jowls, then that result should be way evident by now. The statement that the 'the loose skin is better than before' indicates the type of facelift performed was not well matched to your problem. It sounds like a more limited facelift technique was used for a facial aging problem that needed a more extended method. At two months after surgery, it is time to revisit your surgeon and discuss what the next step should be.