Neck Bands After Face Lift/neck Lift(?)

It is not uncommon to see some neck bands or tightness after facelift. This usually resolves with massage and/or intermittent early Botox will help resolve this over 3-6 months.

Dear Sally,
The appearance of a strong band after your face and neck lift that you did not have before is most likely caused by two factors:
1- Platysmal muscle contracture due to irritation and inflammation after your surgery, in this case warm pad, massage, and Botox should help.
2- If you had a neck with moderate to severe fatty deposit and just liposuction was performed in the neck area without tightening of the neck bands. The under lying neck band now is more prominent and showing. In that case a platysmaplasty in needed to correct the bands.  Wish you well.
 

A painful neck band may be part of a neck plication or a platysma band that was not treated.  You will have to follow with your doctor.

Sounds like the central muscle bands were plicated but not resescted in the lower half which can exacerbate and scar leading to the described deformity.If you were my patient I would resect the lower portion of the bands and tighten the upper pertion.All the best,Talmage Raine MD FACS

You might be experiencing pain from the muscle tightening or have early vigorous scar tissue forming.  Go back to your doctor to sort this out.

The surgeon most likely performed a Platysmaplasty through the incision beneath your chin. This procedure involves placing sutures in the two platrysmal bands to tighten the neck. The scarring from the Platysmaplasty may be tightening or contracting causing the band-the fact that Botox helped supports this possibility. Vigorous massage and warm packs should help soften the contracture.

If the suturing of the Platymal bands was too aggressive, shortening or tightening the muscles too severlely, then a release of the contratcure and removal of the sutures (if they were permanent sutures) may be required.