Update from Suture Suspension Necklift - Need Advice PLEASE? (photo)

    Removal of the suture is probably the right thing to do.  I am not sure that the removal of the suture will fix some of the other issues.Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

Unfortunately, as many of my colleagues have already stated, the suture lift procedures have not provided pleasing results.  The results are not long lasting with many patients returning with complaints of skin "bunching" or lack of any improvement.  I do not believe that you will see much improvement in your neck after suture removal.  The only way to truly rejuvenate your neck is with a neck lift procedure.  During this procedure the skin can be elevated and re-draped onto your neck for a smoother appearance.  Any muscle sagging can also be corrected at the same time.  Unfortunately there are really no "quick fixes" for your problem, but the good news is that it should be able to be corrected.  Good Luck.

Only your surgeon can answer that question for you because he's the only one who knows what he did, and how much fat was left in the neck skin. Have a full discussion with him of this before and if not satisfied seek a second opinion from a very experienced facelift surgeon.

Not a big fan of the suture suspension techniques for facelifting or neck lifting, makes you look like a puppet.  The appeal is that there in the simplicity but it is not always the right procedure.  To correct your problem I would convert to a standard neck / facelift.  I would wait at least 6 months before you consider this revision. 

This is why the suture lifts are failures and not being done by many if any boarded PSs. Never take a short cut for true open surgery. Unfortunately this could be permeant. 

 I am not a fan of suture suspension facelifts or necklifts.  Once the suture breaks free, the suspension ceases and the tissues sag once again.  In other cases, the stiff nylon suture can become visible, infected or erode through the skin.  I have performed facelifts and necklifts for over 25 years and do not see the benefit of suspension techniques which in my mind are more hype than functional.

I am not familiar with this technique, but it looks like the suture runs from ear to ear bunching up the neck skin on top of it. Is the suture permament or absorbable, and how long is it since surgery? When your surgeon takes out the surure if he frees up the surrounding scar tissue he or she might save you for a more major surgical revision. A surgeon who uses that technique probably has plan B to correct such a complication.

I have seen patient after patient that is unhappy with this suture lift.   I feel it is a flawed concept that simply does not work.   Removal of the suture can be tried but will not help much if at all.  The healing is in place and the only correction is by a full neck lift.   The scarred skin of your neck needs to be completely freed up and then re draped in my opinion.   This constitutes about 60% of a full face lift.   By all means try the suture removal and see what happens.  My prediction is that the problem you have will remain until surgically corrected.  My Best,  Dr C

It is unpredictable what kind of result one gets with a suture lift of the face or neck and generally the results are not long lasting.  If your suture neck lift was performed some time ago (months), then it is unlikely you will see much improvement spontaneously.  You will have to undergo a traditional surgical neck lift to get rid of the banding in the neck and get a smoother contour.