Can a platysmaplasty come undone?

Thank you for your question.    It is very difficult for the platysma to become undone.  In theory yes can happen but I never seen that in the thousands of patients that I had operated on.   Pictures will help to understand the problem better.    

New bands form and need to be addressed by a platysmaplasty under local with a little iv sedation for complete comfort. Don't worry, it is easy and safe.

Platysmaplasty result may come undone simply due to sutures cutting through a thin muscle bands as may be seen in some patients early postoperatively. More frequently, however, sutured platysma bands stay together but new bands start to show in anterior neck. Platysma is a living muscle and it keeps contracting; muscle that was made very tight with platysmaplasty in time becomes looser and keeps creating new bands which are visible under thin neck skin cover. Platysmaplasty for that reason should not be considered permanent in particular in patients that have very thin neck skin. Hope this may help to understand this problem to a certain degree.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to advise you without a few photos and with the limited information you have provided. I recommend that you schedule a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon who can examine you in person and determine why the bands have reappeared. In some cases, an in-office procedure may be appropriate to make a correction. Other times, you may need to undergo a second surgery to retighten the platysma and address any subsequent skin sagging. A qualified surgeon should be able to determine the right course of action for you. 

In order to better evaluate the neck, photos should be attached.  That being said, the answer will depend on many factors.  How far along post procedure are you?  If you are a long time after procedure, tissue may have relaxed and the bands could recur.    This will also occur with poor elasticity of the skin and tissue.  Are the muscle bands thick or thin and atrophic?  In either case, the muscles can overcome the suturing or the tissues are not strong enough to hold suture.  Are you noting recurrence of the bands in the lower third of the neck, close to the chest?  Typically these bands low in the neck are not sutured due to limited access.  The last is a question of technique, which may or may not be important and you may not know the answer...what a permanent or absorbable suture used?  Although you may focus on this point, it is one of many factors and not the sole determining factor.At this point, you may need a platysmaplasty as well as lateral pulls on the neck to be effective.  It depends how far post op you are.  Although some doctors require a general anesthetic, I typically do these under local anesthesia in my office operating room.

The platysma can be sutured back together but sometimes the skin overlying it becomes an issue. It might be better to do a neck lift to tighten the skin on the sides.RegardsDr. J

Thank you for asking. The sutures of a platysmaplasty (neck lift or during the neck part of a facelift) could come undone or the muscle itself maybe too thin and wispy to hold sutures. The neck should be carefully evaluated and a course planned according to your anatomy. An in-office procedure is possible on the right neck type. Different plans are needed for different necks and faces. See you local board certified plastic surgeon who can evaluate. Best wishes.

It is difficult to advise you without photos of your neck and knowing the type of procedure you have done previously. I would advise you to be seen by a certified facial plastic surgeon for a consultation and evaluate why the bands have reappeared.  An office based procedure may be appropriate to make a correction, however you may need to undergo a second surgery to retighten the platysma muscles and correct any loose skin in the area.

 Much more information is needed such as a full set of pictures and what type of procedure you had performed in the past. In addition, it's also important to look at how dynamic  the  platysma muscle is with animation, and this is done with an in-person examination. Sometimes Botox is required for an active platysma muscle when a revision  platysma-plasty is contemplated being performed. This procedure is performed under general anesthesia as an outpatient procedure, not in the office