Neck  Rejuvenation

As we age, different areas of the face and neck are affected differently. Some people develop wrinkling and sun damage in their entire face and neck. Some people seem to lose facial fat, while others accumulate fat in the neck and maintain good skin tone. Others may develop more exaggerated signs of aging in their neck.

Neck rejuvenation surgery can provide dramatic results, especially when combined with other rejuvenating procedures.

Who is a candidate for neck rejuvenation?

The best candidates for neck rejuvenation are patients in good health with realistic expectations. They have good skin tone and elasticity. It is helpful if they have a fat pad under the skin and on top of the neck muscles.

What conditions can be corrected and with which procedures?

• Loose, sagging skin under the chin requires tightening of the skin with a laser
• If the skin is too excessive, it may need to be removed with excisional surgery
• If you have visible vertical bands in your neck, the neck muscles will need to be tightened in the midline
• Fat deposits in the neck can be removed with liposuction or direct excision.

Your consultation

During your initial consultation, your doctor will discuss your goals for the surgery and explain your probable outcome of treatment. Your doctor will also help you decide which procedure or combination of procedures will best meet your cosmetic goals. You may be shown before and after treatment photographs of patients having similar conditions, and we will explain the treatment you can expect to receive. Before and after photographs may be taken of your neck to document the results.

The procedures

Neck rejuvenation procedures are generally performed as outpatient procedures, in our surgical suite, using local anesthesia. Each procedure may be combined in order to maximize improvement.

Lasers can be used to tighten the skin that is only a little loose, while neck liposuction is accomplished through tiny incisions placed behind the ears and under the chin. With neck liposuction, little straw-like cannulas are used to suction the fat away.

Endoscopic surgery through a small incision placed underneath the chin may be used to tighten the neck muscles if you do not have excessive skin.

A necklift may be the best approach if the excess skin is significant. The skin is pulled up and back and the excess skin is removed. This provides a new, more pleasing neck and jaw line. The incisions are hidden inconspicuously behind your ears.

Your doctor will help you choose the procedure or combination of procedures that will best meet
your goals.

What is the recovery process like?

Depending on the extent of the procedure, you may have some swelling and localized bruising which can be covered with make-up. Both are generally gone within 4 to 10 days. A bandage will be placed underneath your chin and an elastic bandage is wrapped around your neck and head. The next morning you may remove the bandage. However, it is important that you continue to wear the elastic garment at night for 2 weeks.

Any sutures that require removal are taken out after about a week to ten days. Over the next several months, as the healing process occurs, the soft suppleness of the neck skin will return.

Following your neck rejuvenation procedure, your pulled back and tightened neck will have a youthful, more defined profile. You may resume normal activities almost immediately. Most patients are active and going out by the next day.

This information is intended to supplement, not replace, a consultation with a board certified physician. To find out if you could be a candidate for one of these procedures or to learn more information about these procedures, we invite you to contact one of our doctors for a private consultation.

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