seroma in neck following neck lift

[kpeeler55]

I had a chin implant and neck lift 3 weeks ago.  The day after surgery, I went in to have the drain removed.  When the PS took off the dressing, the drain was not there.  He searched in the trash can and had his nurses looking for it.  In about 2 more days, I developed a seroma.  It was drained 3 times.  Now I have a horrible lump across my neck which I'm assuming is scar tissue from the seroma.  I keep going back to the PS to keep a watch on it, and he keeps saying, "Well, I don't feel a drain in there.  But if it's there, it will manifest itself at some point."  This PS only does faces and necks and has been in the business for 20 years.  Yet, he doesn't really seem to have an answer for what's happening to me and I'm very concerned that the reason this has happened is because it wasn't drained properly and because perhaps, the drain is still inside my neck.  I'm scared to death

[seroma]

I had a seroma following a neck lift in June of 2008 and I still deal w the scar tissue swellng up and distorting my jawline! Seromas are the worst!! They tell you that it will resolve and mostly it does but it will take years. I am on a daily dose of acne strenth antibiotics to keep the swelling down. I had to have e extra surgeries! One to remove tje deep disolvable sutures which we thought could be causing problems (will never know for sure) and another to remove necrotic fat! Seromas are way worse than we hear about! Also after it heals, the skin doesn't anhere to the underlying tissue and creates a sliding plane so likely will need a revision in a year!! Hang in there! Time heals all wounds.
Seroma

[Howard Rosenberg, MD]

The most likely explanation for the lump is scar tissue resulting from a seroma.  This will resolve with time.  IF a segment or all of the drain were actually still im place (unlikely), then with time you will actually feel it as the surrounding scar tissue softens and it could be readily removed.