What Does The Scar From A Direct Necklift Look Like?

Q: Is there some place on the web to view close up frontal photos of scars from direct excision neck lifts? Do surgeons use traditional sutures that can leave trackmarks  or are there other methods to close the site that won’t leave tracks?

A: Like a traditional facelift, the closure and the subsequent scar of the direct necklift is critically important. Since the direct necklift is fully exposed, it can be argued that the final scar is even more important than a more hidden facelift scar.

To see good close-up pictures of direct necklift scars, go to my blog…www.exploreplasticsurgery.com…and search under direct necklift. There are several blogs that address direct necklift scars and show photos of them. If you can’t find them let me know and I will send some to you to review.

The closure (suturing) of the neck wound is done with very small sutures that are removed a week later. Because the size of the suture is so small, they can not leave track marks. In my out of town patients who can not come back for suture removal as they have returned home, I use small dissolveable sutures that do not leave track marks either. Track marks are primarily the result of using large sutures that are left in a long time.

Another way to judge the outcome of a specific type of incisional scar is to look at the number of scar revisions that have been needed from the procedure. In my Indianapolis plastic surgery practice, I have yet been requested to do a scar revision from a direct necklift in a man. This can be explained by the great healing capability of bearded skin and the incidental scar therapy of daily microdermabrasion. (shaving)

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis Indiana