Neck Lift Alone?

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Dr. Yang,

I am 40 years old and have extra skin under my chin that has bothered me for years. Lipo was done last year but it still looks the same if not worse. I consulted with the doctor who did my lipo and he said I would be more pleased with the results if I had a mini-face lift along with a necklift . Another doctor suggested that a Mini-facelift alone would correct the problem 90%. After reading your posts, I am almost certain I need the necklift. Is it common at my age to have a necklift alone? Or do most in my age group go ahead with the mini? I also emailed you privately with a profile photo. Thank you for your time and commitment to this board.

 

Hi Sarafina,

I consulted with the doctor who did my lipo and he said I would be more pleased with the results if I had a mini-face lift along with a necklift . Another doctor suggested that a Mini-facelift alone would correct the problem 90%. After reading your posts, I am almost certain I need the necklift.

Is it common at my age to have a necklift alone?

I don’t think that it is common to have a necklift at age 40, although I think it is an overlooked procedure for younger patients. Why not avoid the incision that goes in front of the ear, and instead hide it in the crease behind the ear.

As the face, deflates in the later 30′s to early 40′s I think that the lower face tends to sag first, prior to any neck sagging. To restore an smooth defined jawline, and a heart shaped face from a front view, a lower facelift (mini-facelift) can help to do this. If the neck is perfect, then a mini-facelift will be sufficient.

However, if a patient wants an improvement in the profile of their neck, then I will utilize the necklift procedure which is a platysmaplasty +/- liposuction performed from under the chin. I wrote a post about the MACS lift which is a type of mini-facelift, you can decide for yourself if your think the neck improvement is sufficient. http://messageboards.makemeheal.com/vie … hp?t=65970

If you had a mini-facelift with your liposuction under the chin, there is a chance that you may be happy with the results, assuming that you don’t have any muscle bands. If you do have muscle bands, it is very difficult to improve the muscle bands using a mini-facelift technique.

Or do most in my age group go ahead with the mini?

I think that most younger people get a mini-facelift without a true necklift. A mini-lift may tighten some loose skin, but if the true reason for the “excess neck skin” is actually from platysma muscle bands, then the neck skin may become tighter, but the muscle band will still protrude. Over time the muscle band will stretch out the neck skin again.

I think that many plastic surgeons overestimate how much improvement the neck will improve with a mini-facelift alone.

I like to offer a necklift only for younger patients if their jawline is good enough to wait on the lower facelift. Why? I think the best chance to deliver a good lower facelift result is the first time. So I would rather leave the lower face alone (untouched) until there is enough aging that occurs in order to show some improvement.

I can either offer a mini-necklift (submentoplasty) for younger patients with minimal to no skin excess and good skin elasticity. This should improve the neck profile without need for incision around the ears. If the patient’s neck skin is not elastic, or there is enough extra skin to require skin removal, then I think that incisions behind the ears (post-auricular incisions) are more easily hidden than incisions in front of the ear (pre-auricular incisions). Yet most plastic surgeons are quick to offer a mini-facelift which may involve the incision in front of the ear only (an S-lift).

Best,

Dr. Yang