Cosmetic Surgery
Neck Lift
What is a Neck Lift?
For many people, an obvious sign of an aging face is the excess skin and fat under the chin and in the neck area. The neck lift, also known as submentoplasty, is a surgical procedure that lifts and rejuvenates a sagging and/or full neck and jaw line. This procedure can consist of a variety of surgical techniques that are selected based on the specific needs of each patient.
Who is a Good Candidate for a Neck Lift?
The best candidates for a neck lift include healthy men and women who are bothered by unwanted sagging skin in the neck area. Many patients complain that the excess skin that drapes down below the jaw gives them a prematurely aging face, and it can be an undesireable feature. Before being considered for any type of neck lift, patients should be in good general health, and within 10 pounds of their ideal weight.
Types of Neck Lift Procedures
Liposuction of the Neck
This is a non-surgical procedure called Tumescent Sub-Mental Liposuction, or Liposuction of the Neck. Patients must first meet certain criteria before being considered for this type of neck lift, and being in good general health is foremost. During the procedure, the patient is injected with a solution of diluted local anesthetic that causes a temporary reduction in the size of the blood vessels, so there is less bleeding and bruising, but increases the thickness of the skin by more than 2 times. Small cannulas are then inserted into tiny incisions on either side of the neck, permitting more accurate extraction of fat, thus resulting in better contouring of the neck and chin. While extracting the fat, the cannulas create "tunnels" in the neck area that will eventually compress and grow together, resulting in a firmer and more contoured neck.
Direct Neck Excision with Z-Plasty or W-Plasty
This type of neck lift procedure is most often performed on men, but some women can also be good candidates. With this procedure, sagging skin, muscle and fat are removed directly from the front of the neck, and the incision is closed into a "Z" or "W" shape. This type of incision usually heals very well, and much of it is hidden in the natural creases of the neck. This can also be a good follow-up procedure to a face lift to remove any excess skin still apparent after healing. It is typically performed here in the office under local anesthetic and takes about 1 hour.
Traditional Neck Lift
The traditional neck lift is a procedure that is predominantly performed in conjunction with a full face lift. The skin of the neck is separated from the underlying tissue so the platysma muscle is exposed. The back edges of the muscle are then pulled upward and secured to the bone just behind the ear with only a short incision needed along the front of the ear. We perform this procedure in the outpatient surgery center under general anesthesia when combined with a face lift or other procedures like a brow lift or eyelid lift.