Do I really need to wear a drainage pouch after facial contouring surgery?

Hello. I’m Director Jo Hyun-woo of 입체성형외과.

Today, I’ll talk about whether you really need to wear the drainage pouch, also called a blood pouch, after facial contouring surgery.

Immediately after facial contouring surgery

Why do you wear a drainage pouch?

A drainage pouch must be worn after facial contouring surgery if there has been a lot of bleeding.

In particular, when cortical osteotomy is performed together, minor bleeding may occur from the area where the cortex has been cut.

Cortical osteotomy is a method of removing the outermost layer among the three layers of bone structure surrounding the jawbone.

Also, compression with bandages alone can stop bleeding within a few hours,

but if a large amount of bleeding occurs, it can cause problems if it collects inside, so it needs to be drained, which is why wearing a drainage pouch is necessary.

Can you ever not wear a drainage pouch?

In cases where only square jaw surgery and chin surgery are performed without cortical osteotomy, there are many cases where contour surgery is completed without wearing a drainage pouch.

However, in recent years, cortical osteotomy is often performed together to create a frontal contouring effect, so it is better to wear one to prepare for any emergency situation.

What is the role of a drainage pouch?

In any area, if bleeding occurs and pools after surgery, the human body naturally tends to absorb that blood.

However, if the amount exceeds what can be absorbed, it remains at the bleeding site and can harden like blood sausage, which is commonly known, and can be a major cause of slower recovery after surgery.

Therefore, the drainage pouch helps remove the blood before it hardens like blood sausage, encouraging faster recovery.

Zygoma reduction, square jaw, cortical osteotomy, chin surgery

At 입체성형외과, the drainage pouch is used for about 12 hours after facial contouring surgery and then removed.

So you do not need to worry about the discomfort of wearing it for a long time.

230-degree zygoma reduction, square jaw, cortical osteotomy, chin surgery

In the past, it was recommended to wear a drainage pouch for about 2 days after contour surgery.

Rather than focusing on the discomfort of wearing the drainage pouch, I think it is right to follow the medical team’s instructions well, with the goal of faster recovery and preventing other complications.

If you are considering facial contouring surgery, please also consider that wearing a drainage pouch can help with faster recovery and can help minimize the occurrence of other complications.

Thank you.