I am not Mark, but another sailor, so I will jump in and say that yes, the swelling will go down. The extra skin on my neck made me nuts and I was almost to the point of making an appointment with a plastic surgeon to get my chin back, when just about overnight all excess flesh disappeared. As best I can recall, that was at about 6 mos. post treatment. Have talked to other people who have had that experience, so I can only counsel patience. As far as turtlenecks go, I think every single one of us bought at least a few. It sounds like you are doing very well, which is always good to hear.