Is a Chin Strap Needed After a Neck Lift for Turkey Neck?

gatelli, After neck lift surgery, they will likely place a dressing / chin strap for the first few days. After this, I feel it is optional. One alternative would be to just wear the chin strap at night. However, you should discuss this with your surgeon and follow his/her suggestions.

Many surgeons typically will instruct their patients to use some type of compression garment or chin strap to support the neck while it heals. I recommend that my patients do use a compression garment. Some patients find this uncomfortable, while others find it very comforting. We have several different materials that we can use for this purpose and can usually find one that the patient likes.The strap or garment is designed to speed recovery by reducing swelling, allowing the tissues to heal faster and adhere to one another under the skin, and to prevent fluid collection. That being said, most patients that do not wear any sort of garment or strap do quite well, but their healing may be slightly slower.All the best,

 Recovery from surgery often involves wound dressings. The vectors in the neck or often tested in the postoperative period due to the desired pole and tightening of the neck muscles to recontour the neck and define the chin neck relationship.  Postoperative swelling in this area may obliterate the hard won improved results of the contours of the neck. Chin strap or even simply properly positioned ace wraps can help the soft tissues remodel in a more favorable contour. Appropriate follow up with your surgeon in the postoperative period will allow for optimal instruction and monitoring of the results which may be maximized with a chinstrap or a contouring ace wrap.

Thank you for your question !I do normally advise to use for a couple of weeks. It really helps.good luck!

Generally, a necklift entails elevating the skin away from the underlying muscle and removing fat in between these 2 layers.  You don't need to wear a chin strap afterwards but gives an additional layer of security assuring that the skin will appose to the underlying tissue and not sag while it's healing.  In most practices, this is a common procedure.  There are different types of chin straps so if you are claustrophobic and wish not to wear one, talk to your facial specialist about options. 

During initial three days of healing from neck lift surgery, it is highly recommended to apply a light compression dressing to reduce the chance of hematoma and seroma formation. It allows the skin to adhere to underlying tissue. Thereafter, for few nights as well.

Thank you for asking.  Answers will vary among the expert surgeons as there is no scientific evidence for or against the support facial garment after surgery. In my hands, we remove the surgical dressing the next day and have the patient wear an elastic facial/neck garment for 1 week day and night and then for week 2 just at night. Instructions may vary patient to patient. This is to support the skin as it heals back to the underlying tissue and to minimize the swelling. Some surgeons may not use a facial garment at all.  I feel that it can only help.

Wearing such a device can be particularly helpful in the first few days following a face and/or neck lift to lessen the degree of swelling and bruising.  I recommend that patients wear the customized garment (that we supply for them) at night for the first few weeks following their procedure.  Oftentimes, patients enjoy wearing the garment, as it provides comfort for them in the immediate postoperative period.  I would discuss with your surgeon, as each doctor's regime varies based on preference and technique.Best of luck!

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 of 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.

                  Compression
dressings and chin straps are often utilized after neck lift surgery for a
variety of reasons. Chin straps minimize swelling, decrease the potential for
hematoma and bruising, help remodel soft tissue and help limit neck movement in
the immediate post-operative period.

                  The
use of chin straps varies and depends on the surgeon’s preference, the
magnitude of the procedure and the type of procedure performed. It’s not
unusual for chin straps to be utilized for one to two weeks when larger more
aggressive procedures are performed. In some cases when minimal procedures are
performed, chin straps may not be utilized at all.

                  It’s
important to discuss this issue with your plastic surgeon before surgery. Your
surgeon should be able to tell you, if a chin strap will be used. 

Chin Straps: Worth it? or not worth it?

Chin straps are a bit of an annoyance to wear immediately after surgery and have a tendency to fall off.  They are relatively inexpensive and I think, in general, a good investment towards protecting the several thousand dollar investment on your necklift.  

Many surgeons do advocate the use of chin straps (compression dressings) like an ACE type bandage or even the spandex type head, neck and cheek compression dressing you can buy online, in order to give the area under the neck some compression while it is initially healing.  This can help with swelling, as well as give the skin some support as it is trying to heal to its underlying soft tissues (fat and muscle).  I think this compression helps the area to heal faster.  After the initially healing in the first week, the collagen that was made after the surgery is disorganized.  Over the following weeks to months and up to a year, the collagen remodels itself and becomes more organize with the collagen fibers lining up in the same direction, to help the necklift hold its new shape.

I like to use analogies, so here is one which may make some sense.  When we perform plastic surgery, usually it involves some separation of skin from the underlying fat.  When the skin is laid back down, it "glues" itself back down using your own collagen.   A compression dressing would be similar to a clamp used to hold two pieces of wood that you are trying to glue together.  You can place the two pieces of wood with glue together, and it should hold, but if you clamp the wood with glue together, it usually holds much stronger, and there is less likely to be gaps between the area that is glued. 

One Warning 

The chin strap should not be worn too tight.  It should feel like a slight hug on your face.  Why?  Since the neck skin was recently operated on, the blood supply to the skin is not the same as it normally is.  A compression dressing that is too tight can potentially compromise the blood supply to the skin and cause something called "Skin necrosis" which is when the skin doesn't get enough blood and oxygen, and the skin dies.  The skin turns dark, and dries up like a scab.  

This can also happen when the patient is using cold or warm compresses.  If the patient uses ice directly on the skin, it can cause "frost bite" or a cold burn to the skin, and if the patient uses a hot compress or electric heating pad, it can also "cook" the skin.  The skin will also die and turn into a scab.  The skin then needs to heal from underneath, and will likely leave a scar.

Chin straps, cold and warm compresses can be helpful, but should be used as directed by your operating surgeon.  Every surgeon's protocol after surgery may be different and some may use All, some or none of the above.

I wish you the best,

Dr. Yang