Recreating beauty
necklifts
Improvement of an aging neck is a powerful way to enhance the appearance of the whole face. With a firm understanding of the anatomy and age-related changes of the face and neck, we have designed and developed multiple techniques which give our patients beautiful necks.
PF
“I cannot believe the new me! My facelift and necklift were probably the best ever done!! Thank you to Dr. Patel and his team. Michelle was so kind to me after surgery. I had a wonderful experience and I am afraid I keep on looking in the mirror all the time. I used to avoid mirrors.” Gayle M 63 Yrs Old with “was looking older than I felt” – Amsterdam, Netherlands
necklifts
All the structures of the neck are affected by aging: skin, subcutaneous fat, muscles, fascia and bone. Techniques to improve the neck include minimally invasive (non surgical) techniques like High Intensity Focused Ultrasound, Long-pulse Nd:YAG lasers, Radiofrequency treatments, Thread Lifts and PRP.
More invasive but also more effective techniques include surgical facelifts with necklifts, isolated necklifts, neck liposution with tunneling, Giampappa sutures and Platysmaplasty.
PF
“I saw six surgeons in LA and New York, all of whom said they could not fix my botched facelift and necklift. I kept on hearing Dr. Patel’s name but I didn’t see him because he was local! Big mistake. It could have saved me a lot of time and money if I had taken my friends’ advice and seen Dr. Patel first! I have put my photos on the internet to show what magic he did. Thank you is not enough” Marcia T 59 Yrs Old with “Botched Job” – Salt Lake City, Utah
what is a necklift?
Necklifts can be performed with or without a facelift. Results are always more impressive when a necklift is combined with a facelift. However, some degree of improvement can be achieved using the limited incision techniques we have developed which will improve the loose skin, the angle of the neck, the jawline and the neck bands.
Minimally invasive surgical techniques often combine approaches to give the best results. Incisions are always hidden to give beautiful results.
PF
Will a necklift help me?
The following changes can be helped with a necklift:
- Neck laxity
- Neck bands
- “Fatty” neck
- Loss of neck angle
Again, it is best to combine the necklift with a lower facelift if at all possible. With modern techniques, we don’t need to do the “full monty” but can give beautiful results with more limited surgery.
PF
“I have been asked for my ID for proof of age five times after Dr. Patel’s necklift and facelift. It hasn’t happened for more than 2o years. And I have two boyfriends!” Gloria R 52 Yrs Old with “Living the Life” – Salt Lake City, Utah
Why is the neck so important?
We often think of the face and the neck as distinct entities. However, these amount to one congruous structure with the beauty of the face depending upon the neck and vice versa.
The illustration shows how just changing the contours of the neck make the whole face look much older. The power of the neck must never be underestimated.
We make a point of giving our patients the best possible neck: men and women always notice the first changes related to aging in the neck, and then the jawline.
PF
What other procedures may be performed with necklifts?
Facelifts are the most commonly performed procedures at the same time as a necklift. Results are illustrated on our Facelift Page.
This patient had a Hammock Lift together with neck liposuction. A Hammock Lift essentially rejuvenates the top two-thirds of the face but it is also very effective in giving my patients an excellent neck and jawline.
A Hammock Lift improves the forehead, brows, frown lines, upper eyelid (fullness, heaviness, wrinkles), crows’ feet, lower eyelid fat pads, lower eyelild laxity, cheek position and the secondary effect is a nice improvement in the jawline and the neck. It is not a substitute for a face and necklift but with many patients we perform a Hammock Lift first followed, some months later by a lower face and necklift: this gives the best results.
PF
“I had a excellent eye lift done by Dr. Patel. He knows what he is doing and is very pleasant. Dr.Patel was easy to get an appointment and he works with you. The office staff was very pleasant and made you feel calm.” D. Gull Highly recommended for eye lift surgery – Salt Lake City, UT
HOW WILL I BE ASSESSED?
- Examination of the neck structures as described under the “Conditions” Neck section on our main website will allow us to determine if an isolated neck rejuvenation procedure is a reasonable option.
- It is important to remember that with the neck, tissue restitution occurs: this is a concept that is not well-known in plastic surgery or, is at least not well appreciated. Essentially, what you see immediately after surgery is NOT what you get in the medium or long term.
- The skin of the neck and décolleté is prone to develop fine lines, deep-set lines, loss of skin elasticity and discoloration. Neck skin is thinner than facial skin. The face has 30 times the pilosebaceous units than the neck or chest and 40 times that of the hands and arms. Therefore, neck skin responds more slowly to any surface skin treatments like lasers and chemical peels.
ISOLATED NECKLIFT PROCEDURES
EXPLAINED
This patient had an isolated necklift procedure where liposuction, Giampappa sutures to tighten the tendons and excision of a small amount of skin behind the ears was done. This was not a full facelift and necklift so you can see that although there is an improvement in the neck, there is still some laxity and presence of jowls.
However, the patient has a more defined neck and a better jawline. This procedure takes about one hour and 30 minutes (compared to a full facelift and necklift which takes 3 to 5 hours and is more involved)
ANOTHER EXAMPLE WITH EXPLANATION
This lady had a Hammock Lift procedure which includes improvement in the forehead, brow, upper and lower lids and cheeks as well as a secondary improvement of the jawline and neck.
The improvement in the neck is from liposuction and limited incision neck tightening. Again, not as great a result with the neck as we can get with a proper facelift and necklift, but an excellent result with an isolated neck procedure. Patient sent her sister in for the same procedures!
BY COMPARISON, YOU CAN SEE THE MORE PRONOUNCED IMPROVEMENT IN THE NECK (AND LOWER FACE) WITH A FULL FACELIFT AND NECKLIFT
These photos allow you to compare the more definitive results that may be obtained with a proper facelift and necklift. It is important to understand the differences in results with more limited procedures. Caveat Emptor!
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHERE WILL MY SURGERY BE PERFORMED?
Most neck lifts are performed in an operating theatre for the sake of sterility and your comfort.
WHAT KIND OF ANESTHESIA WILL BE USED?
Isolated neck lifts may be performed with sedation anesthesia or general anesthesia.
WHAT KIND OF SUTURES ARE USED?
Most sutures used during a neck lift will be removed in one to two weeks. Deeper sutures used to address the platysmal bands dissolve slowly over many months.
DO YOU USE LASERS FOR THIS SURGERY?
The use of resurfacing lasers at the same time as undermining tissues in the neck is unwise. We can use fractionated lasers at a later date to improve the texture of the skin.
HOW LONG DOES THE SURGERY TAKE?
Most midface lift procedures take 60 to 90 minutes operating time.
HOW MUCH BRUISING AND SWELLING WILL I HAVE?
Bruising is limited to the neck. There is minor swelling. We will have you use a neck dressing which provides pressure on the operated site, thereby reducing the amount of bruising and swelling. Again, the use of ice on-and-off for the first few days helps.
DOES INSURANCE COVER NECK LIFTS?
Cosmetic surgical procedures are never covered by insurance.
HOW PAINFUL IS A NECKLIFT?
There will be mild to moderate discomfort after surgery: prescription pain medication is usually only necessary for one to two days. There will be generalized decrease in sensation over the neck because of the extent of undermining of the tissues: this improves over weeks to months.
ARE THERE ANY RESTRICTIONS AND WHEN MAY I RETURN TO WORK?
You will wear the neck dressing every night for two weeks and as much as you can during the day for those two weeks. Most patients can resume normal activity within a few days, including returning to work.
WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON RISKS OF NECK LIFTS?
One must mostly remember that the results will be limited. You may find that some of the laxity of the neck skin and deeper bands remains after surgery. Serious side effects are rare after this type of surgery.