The submentoplasty procedure is the least recognized of all aesthetic neck surgeries. It is a neck reshaping procedure the lies between the very commonly performed neck liposuction with the more extensive necklift or lower facelift. It starts with neck liposuction with adds central submuscular neck defatting with platysma muscle plication. (neck muscle suturing) It can be done in a younger person to give a better result than liposuction alone or in the older person before or after facelift surgery. Here are my postoperative instructions for the submentoplasty procedure.
1. A chin/neck strap will be applied right after surgery to help with reducing swelling and bruising. You will go home with this garment in place. Wear it for 24 hours thereafter it may be removed and left off.
2. The small skin incision under the chin will be closed with dissolvable sutures placed under the skin. It will be covered with glued in tapes which will be left in placed for one week and be removed thereafter.
3. Cold compresses/ice packs to the neck are good for the first 24 hours. Thereafter they
are not needed.
4. It is important to sleep with your head up as much as possible for the first day or two days after surgery. This will help decrease the amount of swelling that will normally occur.
5. You may shower, bath, and wash your hair after the first 24 hours. Soap and water
running over the tapes poses no increased infection risk.
6. Your activity level should be what feels good. It is particularly important to
avoid bending over until your neck is more healed.
7. Your neck skin will be numb for several months after surgery. As a result, avoid
exposing your neck to extremes of temperature such as heating. You may easily create a burn injury to the skin.
8. You may shave around the tapes until they come off. Thereafter wait two weeks after surgery until shaving right over the incision line.
8. All neck sutures are dissolvable so suture removal is not needed.
9. You may begin driving after the second postoperative day if you are off
pain medications and can think clearly.
10. It will take 4 to 6weeks until the treated neck tissues feel more supple and normal feeling returns to the skin.