The typical healing that I see in my patients after a neck lift can vary, but most patients tend to follow similar patterns. The best way to know if your healing is on track is to follow up and discuss it with your own surgeon. Every surgeon should know what the average healing is like for their own patients. *****What follows is what I tell my patients***** There should be very little to no swelling in the neck, and the profile view of the neck should show a nice sharp angle. There is usually bruising, but not always. At one week, the texture of the neck skin feels hard, although the appearance is pleasing. There may be some lumps or bumps, but they should not be "squishy". The hardness continues for 6-8 weeks. At that point, it starts to soften. Throughout this time, the neck skin will feel numb. You will feel touch and pressure, but not hot, cold, or sharp. Be very careful with hair dryers after your surgery, because you can burn yourself without knowing. The same goes for icing/cold compresses... do not "over-ice" or leave ice directly on the skin. Once the hardness starts to soften, most patients will start to get feeling back. It can begin will pins and needle, itching, burning, tingling, soreness, or even an intermittent "needle poke" sensation. As feeling comes back, these should go away. Occasionally, the skin can appear blotchy during healing, which should improve over time. There are different types of options to speed up healing such as arnica, ultrasound, and massage to name a few.
