Necklift patients commonly present to the office with complaints of loss of neck definition and ‘bands’ in their neck. This is often described as a ‘turkey neck’. Most patients start to develop neck laxity and loss of jawline definition in their late 30s and early 40s, but some patients can develop these issues earlier. In patients with platysma muscle laxity (the bands), they require a corset platysmaplasty, or muscle tightening, to address their concerns. This tightening of the platysma muscle will result in a more defined jawline, a sharper cervicomental angle, and an overall improvement in neck contour.
To determine if a patient needs a submentoplasty or a necklift, the amount of skin excess of the neck has to be evaluated. A submentoplasty involves only a submental incision under the chin which allows for tightening of the muscle and undermining of the skin but little to no skin excision. This is usually a better procedure for younger patients (20s-40s) with minimal skin excess. A necklift involves a submental incision, and bilateral incisions around the ears which allows for more skin excision. This is ideal for older patients (>50) with more skin excess. A necklift is often combined with a short scar facelift to address concerns about facial aging as well. Both the necklift and submentoplasty can be done under local anesthesia using tumescent technique. Click on this link to see patients with both submentoplasties and necklifts, and book a consultation at Contour Plastic Surgery and MedSpa.
