Should I See Results 6 Days After Chin Lipo?

Question

I am 6 days post chin/jaw lipo and I see no difference. Actually it maybe even looks a little worse. Based on my pictures, do you think this is just swelling? At a minimum, I'm wanting that little triangle of fat behind where my chin starts to curve down into my neck to disappear. I'm worried because it's been almost a week and I still see no difference.

Richard J. Bruneteau, MD · Answer

It’s not unusual for patients to
have significant swelling following neck liposuction.  In some cases, swelling may be severe, and as a result the
neck and jawline may look worse than they did before surgery.

During the procedure, the
liposuction canula 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.

For these reason, it’s not unusual
for patients to have difficulty seeing results in the first week following
surgery.  It’s therefore important
to have good communication with your surgeon.  Your surgeon should be able to reassure you and make this a
more comfortable experience.

Vivek Bansal, MD · Answer

At 1-2 weeks, it is far too soon for an evaluation.  Wait for 6-8 weeks for an evaluation. Thank you for your questions and good luck with everything.

Mike Majmundar, MD · Answer

Based on your photos, you had a mild amount of excess fat in the neck before the surgery. Neck liposuction is a great procedure for young individuals who would like to contour their neck. As others have mentioned, removing too much fat is not advised to maintain a smooth contour. The skin incision as well as the bruising and swelling heals up in a week or two but the collagen underneath and the tightening effect takes time and most individuals feel that they look their best around 4 months though others may have to wait longer. Good luck!

Steve Laverson, MD, FACS · Answer

Six days is too early to evaluate the result for small volume liposuction because the very area you wanted to reduce is the area your surgeon operated on, which is the area that is now swollen. Your surgeon must be careful to avoid OVER suctioning the neck, producing a skeletonized contour. Because you only needed a small amount of fat removed (judging from the photo), it will require several weeks, and even months, to really see your result.

Karan Chopra, MD · Answer

The swelling peaks at 3 days and then gradually dissipated. You will look the same or worse during that first 1 week period if you are not wearing a compression garment. The final result is usually visible at 6 weeks.

Should I See Results 6 Days After Chin Lipo?

Answers (8)