How Long Until Swelling Goes Down After Chin Liposuction?

Question

I am American and had liposuction on my double chin 5 days ago.  My bulge under my chin still looks the same if not slightly worse.  I had been mugged about 5 years ago and my jaw broken, but I dont think the scar tissue, would have affected my double chin as the tissue never felt strange before and I have had it for years. Is it possible that the swelling will still go way down?  I've been on a million blogs and my doctor is on holiday till the 17th.  Every where I read seems to say "After 2 weeks" most of the swelling is gone. True? THANK YOU!

Richard J. Bruneteau, MD · Answer

Patients undergoing chin
liposuction will inevitably develop swelling following this procedure.  During the procedure, the liposuction
cannula is passed through the subcutaneous tissue. This causes disruption of
the lymphatic channels and cellular injury, which causes swelling.

Significant improvement in swelling
can be seen in the first three weeks following surgery, with the majority gone
in about three months.  Small
amounts of swelling may persist up to a year following surgery.

We generally recommend the use of
compression support garments day and night for the first week following
surgery.  We also recommend night
time compression for an additional two to three weeks after the procedure.

In addition, low salt diets and
head elevation are also helpful. 
Massage can be helpful as well. 
This maneuver decreases swelling by mobilizing retained fluid following
liposuction.

In your case,
your swelling is normal and should resolve with time.  Compression, massage, head elevation and low salt diets will
hopefully help you get there sooner.

William Groff, DO · Answer

Swelling is an inevitable byproduct of chin liposuction. The severity varies from patient to patient, but most will see a significant reduction in the swelling within 1-2 weeks, with nearly all swelling gone by the third week after the procedure. Compression can help with the swelling, which is why I have my patients wear a chin strap for the first few days. You can also sleep with your head slightly elevated to reduce swelling a bit faster. Make sure you are getting plenty of fluids as well. My guess is that you will start to look and feel better within the next week.

Jed H. Horowitz, MD, FACS · Answer

It is still very early in your healing. Wearing a #compression garment may be suggested the first week and then nightly for up to six weeks. Local #massage of the areas may also accelerate the resolution of this problem, which normally takes 2-4 months to disappear completely. The swelling will also continue to diminish. So, you must be patient. If ever during your healing, you have any concerns, it is suggested to call your board-certified surgeon or their medical staff to discuss.

Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS, FACS · Answer

Bruising and swelling are normal in the suctioned areas and usually increase slightly after the removal of any tape or foam. The bruising will decrease over 3-4 weeks, but may last as long as 6 weeks. The majority of the swelling will be gone within the first 3-4 weeks. However it may take 6-9 months to disappear completely. The compression garment helps reduce the swelling, and the longer it is worn, the more quickly the process will proceed.

Jeff Angobaldo, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question.  5 days is too early to see a result especially without using a compression neck band. Most of the swelling is not gone by 2 weeks.  Final results take 3- 6 months. Discuss your concerns with ypur Plastic Surgeon

Tanveer Janjua, MD · Answer

The time for swelling to subside is variable depending on your age and gender. The younger you are the less time it will take. Women heal a little faster as well.
The best thing you can do is to massage the area frequently. If you were given a chin wrap, wear it every night to bed and on weekends.
Regards

Karan Chopra, MD · Answer

There is a mild amount of swelling that peaks on the third day and is almost all gone by the third week. Other things that help are: sleeping with 2 pillows to elevate your head, avoiding salty foods, and drinking plenty of water for the 2 weeks after surgery.

William Portuese, MD · Answer

The healing time after liposuction in the neck depends upon how much was liposuctioned and what procedure was specifically performed. In our practice, we perform a neck lift which involves removal of fat above and below the platysma muscle as well as tightening the platysma muscle in the neck. Most patients experience approximately 2 weeks of some degree of bruising and swelling after the procedure  before they are able to return to their normal social and work activities

Chase Lay, MD · Answer

Generally you're looking at about a week to maybe even two weeks of downtime depending on what you mean by downtime. For those patients who are trying to be very private about their procedure two weeks is probably safe. After that time any potential bruising and certain swelling should have resolved. You will have gone through a period of time during which you wear a supporting garment around your chin and neck. In many cases you are fine to return to work within a week and no one really knows what happened. In my office I use the SlimLipo laser assisted liposuction system that uses both traditional liposuction and a laser technology that tightens the tissues after the traditional liposuction has been performed. My patients have very little bruising if any and the swelling tends to last around a week. There are no real incisions with this so there are no sutures to remove either. You will look and feel your worst about two days after the procedure but even then it's not that bad.

Edward E. Dickerson, IV, MD · Answer

Most swelling & bruising subside in 2-3 weeks however you can have some residual swelling up to 6 months when the final results are evident. Wearing your chin strap and massage will help with swelling.

	"Dr.D"

How Long Until Swelling Goes Down After Chin Liposuction?

Answers (16)

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