Cosmetic Surgeons add Neck Lifts to Their Repertoires
One of the lesser known aesthetic surgery choices that has grown more popular in recent years is a series of procedures that collectively are referred to as the ‘neck lift’. Individuals who are troubled by excess or sagging flesh around their necks can have the condition corrected without devoting the downtime and cost that accompany a face lift.
For some people the aging process brings changes in the neck region that can be unattractive. We can lose definition in the neck and along the jaw line due to fatty deposits, weakening muscles and loose skin. The result can be a sagging chin or multiple chins; bands of fatty tissue around the neck; or loose skin along the neck that is known as “wattling.” Today’s cosmetic plastic surgeons have methods to improve all of these conditions.
Significant weight loss as well as aging can contribute to unattractive neck contours. For some who are still carrying excess weight, liposuction in the neck area can help through the removal of excess fat. For people who have loose skin as the result of weight loss, the cosmetic plastic surgeon may recommend cervicoplasty to remove the excess flesh.
This procedure involves incisions under the chin and behind the ears, allowing access to neck muscles and skin. The surgeon will trim parts of the skin and lift the remaining portions into place. It will be secured with sutures or a tissue adhesive. After closing the incisions the surgeon will fit the patient with a compression bandage that must be worn for a week or more – but should allow good functionality.
The term ‘wattling’ refers to the wrinkled effect comparable to the look of a turkey’s neck, or to the appearance of ‘bands’ around the neck that destroy the definition of neck and chin we all carry in our younger years. Much of this is due to the weakening of neck muscles as a result of aging, along with fat deposits that combine with the weakened muscles to allow the banding effect.
The cosmetic plastic surgery choice for this condition is called platysmaplasty, which involves the tightening of neck muscles and even partial removal of stretched and weakened muscles. If there are substantial fat deposits in addition to the weakened muscles, the surgeon may also opt for liposuction to remove them. If the skin is released from the underlying muscle, it will often respond with some reshaping on its own, as neck tissue retains some elasticity during the aging process.
There are also new, less invasive procedures that have been developed in recent years to provide aesthetic improvements to the neck region. Endoscopy (use of a tiny camera) allows for minimally invasive procedures to access the neck’s muscles and pockets of tissue or fat. Botox is also an option for excess fatty tissue in the neck, as odd as that might seem. It can relax parts of the platysma (A subcutaneous muscle of the neck, extending from the face to the clavicle) that are responsible for the “band” appearance or look of fullness in the neck.
While a neck lift may be a less severe choice than a face lift to rejuvenation of the area beneath the chin, nevertheless it is a procedure that will require carefully planned down time. Expect to take a week off from work and expect those first few days to be spent resting your head comfortably on a pillow or two (or three). You’ll have to suspend athletic activity for at least three weeks. However despite the down time, with all the options available for aesthetic plastic surgery just below the chin, you should be able to find a mix of procedures that will specifically address your personal desires for a slimmer, more youthful neck.
