I am 45 years old and had platysmaplasty two weeks ago.What went wrong? (photos)

Question

I don’t know what happened, but it looks terrible. Something has gone wrong and to me it looks even worse than before. Granted, the 2 platysma bands aren’t as noticeable but now there’s all this uneven and wrinkled skin on my neck. What do you think went wrong with the surgery and is there any way to correct it? Do you think it will get better over time

Philip S. Schoenfeld, MD, FACS · Answer

I believe that the issue with your neck is that the plastysmaplasty was performed without fully undermining the skin of the neck which has resulted in bunching of the tissue.  The issue you are faced with is completely correctable, however, you are likely going to benefit from a formal neck lift to redrape the excess skin.  The surgery can be performed in about an hour and a half and you will likely be very pleased with the result.

Ross A. Clevens, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question. You are in the early stages of your recovery and should see improvement as your recovery continues. I suggest that you discuss your recovery progress, expectations and instructions with your board certified facial plastic surgeon.
Best wishes,

Jeffrey Ridha, MD · Answer

From your photos, it appears that platysmapasty was performed, without undermining and significantly re-draping the skin. In general, when tightening tissues of the neck, significant undermining of the tissue is necessary to allow the skin to lay flat.  This often requires incisions close to and extending behind the ear.  However, your surgery was very recent, so there may be some swelling and the results are very early.  I would be sure to follow up with your board-certified plastic surgeon or facial plastic surgeon, so that your ultimate goal is achieved. Best wishes.

Brian K. Machida, MD, FACS · Answer

Platysmaplasty often needs  a neck lift from a lateral approach as well. It does work in certain cases by itself. But you will likely need lateral tightening and skin redrawing. If this was not done, you might want to ask your surgeon about additional procedures.

Arnold Almonte, DO · Answer

It’s important to understand that tightening your platysma bands is one thing, redraping your skin is another. Your surgeon may have opened an incision under your chin to manage the bands, but your face and neck skin also needed tightening. Platysmaplasty doesn’t do that. Return to your surgeon and discuss neck tightening. You may need to move forward with a lower face/neck lift. Based on your pics, you should have a terrific result! Good luck!

I am 45 years old and had platysmaplasty two weeks ago.What went wrong? (photos)

Answers (5)