When to shower after a neck lift?
Written by Mark Domanski, MD
There is a talented brain surgeon in Northern Virginia. He is good. He lets his patients shower their heads the day after brain surgery! I guess he isn’t good enough for them to shower the day of brain surgery.
Why were patients traditionally told to keep incisions dry?
The classic medical teaching was to keep incision lines dry. I think this was true a hundred years ago when most people didn’t have safe drinking water. Today, there is less bacteria in the tap water than on your skin – which is why you shower. If we do not shower, we smell – from bacteria.
Can I wash a neck lift incision with soap and water?
I am comfortable enough with my neck lift sutures that I let my patients shower the day after their procedures. My patients can use their regular soap and water – and in all my years of practice, all my patients have been gentle with their incision lines.
Does showering increase the risk of infection after surgery?
In all the medical malpractice cases I have reviewed, I have never seen a case where a patient had an infection from showering. The medical literature bears this out – patients who are allowed to wash their surgical sites after surgery earlier have higher satisfaction rates and no greater rates of infection.
In all my years of medical practice, I personally have never seen a patient have an infection showering with a surgical incision.
When should you avoid showering after a neck lift?
However, I believe there is one important risk with showering after surgery – getting lightheaded when standing and falling over. So, if a patient is not yet steady after surgery, they should not be showering.
Bottom Line – showering after a neck lift
In conclusion, in my practice, showering the day after a neck lift surgery is generally permitted. No greater risk of infection, and patients feel better.
Aesthetically Yours,
