Drainless vs Drains Lower Face Lift?

There are some plastic surgeons who use a drain for all of their facelifts and necklifts. There are other doctors who do not use a drain. The same applies for a facial compression garments after the surgery, some use an extensive facial compression garment and some use none. As long as your surgeon is confident in whatever technique that they’re using, and has had good results with it, then that should not be an issue. Best wishes.

Drains aren't necessary but they tend to result in less post-operative swelling and often less bruising. There are also techniques that quilt the skin back down rather than using a drain that are very effective at preventing fluid collections and hematomas from developing.

I've performed many facelifts without and now with drains. It is my opinion that drains help the skin and deeper soft tissues to re-drape and stick together earlier on in healing. However, I have obtained great results without drains in the past. This decision is purely Surgeon preference.

Thank you for your question.

Use of drains following lower face and neck lift surgery is relatively common. That being said, there are other ways to control the tendency to bleeding or fluid accumulation under the skin. It is possible to use fibrin glue to promote adherence of the layers in the area of undermining. It is also possible to use quilting sutures, which have been referred to also as hemostatic mesh to produce a similar level of control.

Of course, a big part of the result is related to the quality of sealing the blood vessels during the surgery, and this is not replaced either by drains or other techniques.

In our practice for over 25 years, we place small drains underneath the skin in the neck to extract the blood out from underneath the skin to reduce visible bruising. If you're not going to use drains, then you'll need painful bandages and pressure wraps applied around the face and neck for several days.