Are drains placed after a face and neck lift? And for how long?

The answer varies with the surgeon.  I personally do my own variation of a deep plane facelift which I have published on (Mustoe TA, Rawlani V, Zimmerman H.  Modified deep plane rhytidectomy with lateral approach to the neck: An alternative to submental incision and dissection. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.  127:357-370. 2011), and have not used drains for more than 20 years.  However, most surgeons use drains. 

Many thanks for posting this question.It is hard to give you a definitive answer, as all facelifts are different, and surgical practices are different - there is no right or wrong.In my practice, I don't use drains for less extensive facelifts, but I do sometimes for more extensive face and neck lifts.The most important thing, however, is to ensure you have the right type of facelift performed for you (there is no "one size fits all") - whether drains are used or not should not be a decision-making issue in my view.I hope this helps - good luck