Can My Moderate Neck Webs Be Fixed?

Q: Dr. Eppley,  I was tested for Noonan’s syndrome and tests came back negative. I have lived with a relatively mild variation of a webbed neck since I was an infant. Judging from the pictures attached to this email.

A: In cases of mild/moderate webs in a male I am less than enthusiastic about webbed neck surgery in these cases for 2 reasons:

1) The indirect central diamond excision on the back of the neck leaves a visible which, while in a female with long hair remains hidden, that would not be the case for a male.

2) In my experience moderate non-syndromic neck webs are the most resistant to sustained change because the tissues are often stiffer and less mobile which makes for the potential of some relapse.

I would not say I would never do webbed neck surgery in the non-syndromic patient but we have to be careful about creating a visible scar if we can’t get significant improvement.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon