During neck lift surgery, doctors remove sagging skin to create a more contoured jawline. A combination of techniques is used to get rid of unwanted fat and tighten muscles. The procedure can eliminate a double chin and wrinkling on the neck, more commonly known as a "turkey neck".
Suitable candidates have excess fat and skin around their necks but retain adequate skin laxity. The outpatient procedure is completed within 1-2 hours. Doctors use either local or general anesthetic.
Patients with double chins will need to undergo a fat removal procedure. Liposuction is an option for patients who only have fat above the platysma muscle (the muscle that sits around the neck). The specialist will make incisions under the chin or behind the ear. They then insert a cannula to suck out any excess fat. As liposuction is unable to treat sagging skin, it is only recommended for younger patients.
In most cases, excess fat sits above and below the platysma muscle. The muscle below the platysma is surrounded by fibrous tissues, which is not safe for liposuction removal. In such cases, a lighted retractor is used to directly remove more fat than possible in a liposuction procedure.
After fat removal, surgeons will target the muscle through a platysmaplasty procedure. With age, the muscles in our neck pull apart and stretch against our skin, which creates banded folds on the neck. During this procedure, doctors will attach both sides of the platysma muscle to other surrounding muscles. This produces a more toned and tighter appearance.
The final step is cervicoplasty. Surgeons will remove any excess, sagging skin and pull the remaining skin taut to iron out wrinkles and fine lines.
These procedures are usually performed through an incision around the front and back of the ears and a small incision under the chin.
The surgery requires two weeks of downtime. Patients may experience bruising and swelling. They need to keep their heads elevated when sleeping and avoid applying a cold compress to the area as it could affect blood circulation. Like most surgeries, a neck lift comes with its risks. These can include internal bleeding, allergies to the anesthetic, blood clots, infections
and nerve injury.
