The neck area is a popular concern for both men and women. Individuals of all ages complain about the “jowl” or “hanging skin” at that level, and for that reason medicine have developed a set of aesthetic techniques with a purpose to improve the angle formed by the mandible and the neck (cervico-mandibular angle), thus contributing to achieve a harmonious and youthful appearance.
Usually these types of problems in the appearance of the neck are due to hereditary factors and / or obesity, lifestyles, or the product of the decrease and laxity of the tissues as a consequence of the normal process of aging that our body suffers. Usually, to achieve better results, this is done in conjunction with other techniques such as facial rejuvenation or mentoplasty.
Cervicoplasty involves several techniques, including liposuction of the neck indicated in those patients who present only an excessive accumulation of fatty tissue at that level, with good skin quality and without flaccidity of the latter, while in the cases where there is redundancy and sagging muscle-cutaneous plicatura- stretching and resection of the different tissues through incisions that are hidden perfectly are suggested and it is important to mention that some patients require that we combine both procedures.
Undoubtedly, both men and women, regardless of age, have necks with excess adipose tissue (fat) and / or laxity with redundancy of skin at this level will benefit from this procedure.
Whatever the procedure to perform, our patient should be in good health, with stable weight, and must have a realistic expectation of the results.
The procedure is usually performed under local anesthesia and sedation carried out by the anesthesiologist, in rare cases some that requires general anesthesia. The average duration of surgery is 1 to 2 hours, and depends on the procedure to be performed in each case.
In the case of neck liposuction, this is done by means of minimum incisions (0.5 cm), located at strategic points (below the chin or behind the earlobe), and where special cannulas will be introduced through which the fat will be suctioned, whereas in those cases with muscle-cutaneous flaccidity requiring incisions, these are performed behind the earlobe, extending through the posterior groove of the auricular pavilion and then end up hiding behind the line of implantation of the hair, where in addition a drainage is exteriorized. In some cases, we also do a small incision just below the chin, and through which it is proceeded to remove the excess skin and fat.
Whatever the technique to use the scars are practically invisible since they are hidden in natural folds of the skin and with the hair surrounding, thus being completely unnoticed.
The patient is usually kept for 24 hours in the hospital, or depending on whether the neck liposuction alone, which could be treated as a short-term surgery, leaving the center once the residual effects of the anesthesia have passed, typically 3 -6 hours later.
The person should plan to rest, preferably in a semi-sitting position while lying down, avoiding the first few days to lower his head, take the prescribed medications as directed, and normally feed according to tolerance and ingesting plenty of fluids.
We recommend the constant placement of cold dressings on the neck to reduce inflammation and bruising, to make daily cleaning on surgical wounds, to maintain proper dressing and drainage care, as appropriate, to avoid being exposed to the sun for approximately 8 weeks and suggest to always use sunscreens for 3 months.
This period implies that the patient must maintain a bandage that will keep the neck covered, to be removed between the 4th and 5th day after the procedure, along with the drainage if that was the case, then the patient is re-evaluated again in a lapse of 10 days after surgery to remove the sutures and check the evolution.
In all cases where a neck liposuction is performed, our patient should wear a special medical compression garment (barbicuello) during the first weeks and because of the potential for inflammation of this procedure our patient is subjected to therapies with ultrasound and post lymphatic drainage -operative.
We can say then that depending on the technique used, recovery time is approximately 10 days, and the patient can return to their daily activities one week after the procedure, whereas initial swelling and bruising may take a little longer to reabsorb.
It is unlikely that neck surgery will present complications, but any surgical procedure, however minimal, presents risks and we must think of them as a possibility, and within which we can mention: the formation of bruises, infection, necrosis of the skin (especially in smokers), change in the capillary implantation line, or even alterations of the cicatrisation.