The neck is an area that shows early signs of aging and is susceptible to loosing its taught and smooth look through aging, sun damage, and weight gain and loss. Neck lift surgery can pull the neck skin tight again and can remove excess skin from the neck, restoring the neck’s appearance. However, certain things are not addressed by a neck lift surgery that can be better addressed by other procedures. Here are some guidelines that Dr. Kole uses to help determine which procedure is best for you to eliminate neck sagging and wrinkling.
“Turkey Neck”
If your chief complaint about your neck is that you have “turkey neck” or “turkey waddle”—excess skin that sags below the chin—then you are an optimal candidate for a neck lift. There are two procedures that can be done as part of your neck lift: a platysmaplasty alters the muscles in the neck, and a cervicoplasty removes excess skin. The first procedure will tighten the lax muscle to create more firmness in the area, and the cervicoplasty will remove some of the sagging skin to reduce the entire area.
Extreme Weight Loss
The neck is not only a victim of aging, but it is also very vulnerable to changes in weight. Many patients who have recently lost a great deal of weight come in for a consultation in order to reduce the sagging skin around their neck that is a result of weight loss. Again, a cervicoplasty is the best procedure for this problem, as it removes the stretched skin, pulling it taught again and restoring it to its natural appearance prior to weight gain.
Total Facial Rejuvenation
If you are looking to reduce the signs of aging on your entire face, then you should consider ancillary procedures like a mini face lift or liposuction in addition to your neck lift. Neck lift procedures completely address the sagging and wrinkling of the neck, but they do not address anything above the jaw line. If you also suffer from wrinkles around the lips or hollowed cheeks, you might consider the facelift procedure that includes repositioning of fat into sunken areas. If you are hoping to reduce large furrows in the entire face, you might consider a brow lift in conjunction with a neck lift. If your face has wrinkled and begun sagging due to gravity and age, we suggest that you combine procedures to address all areas of the face in order to produce the most natural and consistent-looking results.
Skin Damage
Neck lifts do not address any damage to the skin of either the face or the neck. While a neck lift will smooth out rings and eliminate sagging skin, they will improve the quality of your skin. In order to address this, you should consider Dr. Kole’s skin improvement options that include facial peels or injectable filler to improve the quality of your neck and facial skin and to fill up deep lines and wrinkles.
