Neck Lipo - 35 and started to get a fat pad under my chin - Los Angeles, CA

I'm glad you are now in a good place Necky. Antidepressants can certainly change your perception and after 20 years on meds I know from first hand experience. They saved my life for sure. But your experience is still relevant and the timeline shows that time does heal all wounds, even surgical ones! In retrospect physical suffering never seems so bad, but your posts did represent what you were experiencing at the time and how post plastic surgery is not all smooth sailing. I think anyone going in for PS needs to be aware of that. I was lucky and my PS went well with no complications but it isn't always the case even with the best doctor.

My neck is a mess!! I had my first surgery in July 2013, a revision in October it's now February it's still a mess!! Wish I could see your pictures!!

im sure glad I was able to read this - my neck is the exact same and im at wk 4 and about to lose it. But I was happy to see at the end of your post that everything healed from being in this horrible situation where I have all the same feelings. Im glad to know I will recover like you did even tho it looks so hidous right now. If you can send me a pic of your current profile I would really appreciate it. Im also youngish for this 33, so Im assuming I may have similar results like yours. Any info that you think might be helpful to me at this point I would really appreciate it and I feel very alone and nervous that I have perminately damaged my face when I should of just left it alone.

You stated that what started the emotional downward spiral was being told by doctors that you were "old" at 35. This is nonsense. Sexism is alive and well in medicine- I really doubt they'd say that to a 35yr-old man- no-they'd say he was in his prime. Sounds like this is the root issue that has made the physical aftermath of your surgery much harder. When I was 33, I hurt my shoulder at work and saw a doctor for ongoing pain, which had stopped me from running. (Couldn't swing my arm) He told me I was "old", too- and said it was like being an old car-still runs but not like a new one and I just had to live with it. I had never been compared to a beater before. I took his word for it and found out much later that he should have ordered an MRI and then fixed the problem, but he couldn't see past his own bias. Anyway, do not take that bs lying down. You are at a great age. You're a woman now, not a silly little girl. Most "old" people are NOT sick or infirm. I am 57 now and I no longer care what silly men think, even old MDs who ought to know better.

I know a lot of people on this site use the scar gel. I had an ugly long red scar (about 4 inches long) on the side of my neck for a cardioectomy (sp). My primary doctor sent me to a dermatologist. He used to work at the Mayo clinic and just worked a few days here in Michigan (he has family here). Anyway he recommended Mederoma -an over the counter cream. While it did not take away the scar I now have a faded white scar that I honestly am so used to and most people don't even notice it! My daughter-in-law fell and landed on her chin which required stitches. She went to Northwestern Hospital in Chicago and they recommended the same thing! Perhaps that might help lessen the redness or completely make it a white scar. I wish you the best in life. Please try and get professional help. You may need some medication to get you over the hump. I can tell you in all honestly that it will get better. I hope that this might help you because please know I have changed my mind about having surgery because of you. The side effects are just too much to endure. I even had side effects from Botox after only one visit! I shall age gracefully - wrinkles, sagging jawline and all of the rest that comes from aging.

Necky, try this! I work in a public school & was talking to a coworker about learning to ride a motorcycle & that I kept getting muffler burns. She suggested 'Bag balm' and brought me in her little tin of it for me. I used for a couple of weeks & the scar literally disappeared. I returned hers & purchased my own tin of it from Walmart of all places & have used it on at least two more burns, one a really bad one that had gotten infected & you would never be able to find them on my body. My second experience, which may be TMI for some, had to do with my boyfriend. Because He often got sore/raw from a wild night of pleasure lol, I recommended he use the bag balm & let's just say that he healed up much faster & we could get back to it sooner as well. He came to swear by it too. Give it a shot, it couldn't hurt any!?! Good luck hon. I was almost convinced to do lipo on my chin, but I'm thinking it over again thanks to your experience. Best wishes :) JG

"86 percent had diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder in their postoperative patients." Please re-read the quote you posted. 86% of doctors - not patients.

I went to a cosmetic physician and asked about lipo under the chin and a small tuck and he said the big danger with that was that scarring is so unpredictable. It's normal for scar tissue to contract but it doesn't always contract uniformly, he said. I think this is clear in your case. However, I do think if you persevere with scar reduction therapy (I've heard pure rose hip oil is very good) you will find this is fine eventually. And it is in area that isn't particularly visible. When I thought about having this surgery I was going to tell people I had a cyst removed hence the scar. I suggest you do the same and no one will think twice about it - if they notice it all that is.

Dear Necky, I am so sorry to hear what you have gone through. I wish I had some comforting words or could say your neck will be great in a few months, but like you I have bumps and lumps under my chin and I am now 3 months. I can see it has improved but by no means is it gone and there are days that it is more noticeable and lumpy. In fact there are days that it looks like I have swollen glands, sorta chipmunk like. I was really hoping by 3 months that it would be gone. I could endure the swelling, tenderness, and numbness better if the outer appearance was smooth and healed. And when you talked about panic attacks I can sorta relate I have never had a fear of the dentist, but I had an appointment the other day to have a tooth extracted and was so nervous and up tight, I felt like if he pulled the tooth I would have a panic attack in the middle of the procedure. So I didn't let him pull it. I can't even explain it, except that my body has gone through so much in the 3 months trying to recover from a lower face lift and neck lipo, I just can't stand the idea of having any more discomfort. I have a appointment with my PS in a month for a check up and will address my concerns. I will keep you posted and what he says. Until then try to stay strong and think positive.

I read your posts and I can feel your pain at not getting what you expected. I had a great neck lift 10 years ago and thru the years I have noticed that when I start to get a few more wrinkles setting in I start sleeping in a soft white neck brace at night. It keeps the neck smooth and since you are still healing it would be a good time to try it. I sleep on my side and like most people that makes me tuck my chin. Please try it for at least a week before you decide it's working or not. Like I said, even 10 years after the lift I still get some smoothing affect. Another thing, find some one who has good skills with injecting gels to smooth these areas. It's cheaper if you can find a nurse in an office that provides skin services like a dermatologist, but some plastic surgeons have them too. A plastic surgeon's office is likely to cost more. You really have to do your research to find someone like this but it seems you have already strained your finances. Whether a doctor or a nurse in a doctor's office, please ask about Restylane. It's the thinner version of Perlane, I have used both. With the Restylane gel being thinner it's possible to push it around the bumpy areas to help get a smoother look, it can be manipulated with your fingers. I've had lumpy looking scars for a neck surgery corrected this way. And definitely use the soft foam neck brace ( for sleeping only) to make sure the Restylane stays molded where you have put it. I have many years of getting Restylane and Perlane injections. Also try Clobetasol Propionate, its a prescription cortisone cream that was recommended to me by a dermatologist to get rid of red bumpy scarring from a prior face lift. It works better than any other, all my other skin doctors and surgeons now use it after seeing what it did for me. BTW, CVS makes a scar guard strip that is great for reducing scars and its a whole lot cheaper! This is just advice from a person, I'm not a doctor nor am I representing myself as any sort of medical professional! I really hope this helps. But I do believe you think it's worse than it really is. One last thing, to hide some of this until things improve try a little heavier foundation Super Stay makeup foundation by Maybelline is great. If you want to go heavier try Estée Lauder foundations for oily skin, more expensive but it won't move and gives a very smooth velvety look. I discovered this after I had a bright red face from a skin peel and my Aunt died a week later, had to find a way to not look freakish at the funeral...lol! It worked! Good luck!!!!