Dressing after surgery: how long should I wear compression after my neck lift?

While every surgeon is different in their surgical technique, they also vary in their postoperative care protocols. I personally do not advocate for routine use of compression dressings after a neck lift.

Compression dressings apply firm and constant pressure to the skin and its underlying blood supply. This blood supply has already been disrupted by the surgery itself. For tissues to heal well after surgery, adequate blood supply is critical. For this reason, I do not have patients apply compression dressings routinely after surgery.

Prior to the routine use of drains after surgery, it was very common for surgeons to tightly wrap patients with compression dressings after facelifts and neck lifts. This was to help prevent fluid accumulation under the skin. With the placement of drains, however, the need for compressive wrappings is simply not there. Drains help evacuate the postoperative fluid that accumulates after surgery and the lack of compressive dressing allows for the best blood flow to skin during those first few days (arguably the most important) after surgery.