Frequently heard complaints from our Baby Boomers:
“My neck doesn’t match my upper face”
“I’m pleased with my face, but not my neck.”
“I can’t stand this loose skin right here!”
‘I’ve got my mother’s neck, I always dreaded that this would happen.”
‘It’s just the fullness right here I can’t stand. No matter what I do it won’t go away.”
Visible signs of an aging neck include excess fat, loose and wrinkled neck skin, fullness along the jawline creating jowls, and prominent muscle bands creating abnormal neck contours. Each of these areas can be treated with a variety of procedures.
Nonsurgical treatments include Botox for relaxation of the muscle bands, chemical peels and laser treatments to tighten wrinkled skin, and Coolsculpting or Kybella, two different noninvasive treatments used to diminish excess fat. Such procedures are variable in their success but certainly worth considering. Filler materials offer little help for the aging neck but are very useful over the face.
Surgical treatment can address the loose skin, unwanted muscle bands, and excess fat.
Younger patients who have good skin tone but have fat beneath their chin can often be treated with liposuction alone under local anesthesia, through a small undetectable incision under the chin. This can dramatically improve the jaw line.
As we get older skin tone is lost and the skin of the neck appears loose. There are no good nonsurgical procedures that tighten skin. A neck lift with incisions around the ears allows for muscle and skin tightening. This procedure often involves using internal suspension sutures to favorably contour the neck. A necklift can be combined with a facelift to gain improvement of the jowl area.
Men have similar complaints but may be reluctant to have excisions around their ears. The option of a direct neck lift, a more limited procedure, can provide dramatic results. This short procedure can prove to be a terrific option for men who are willing to permit a direct excision and subsequent scar on the front of the neck, hidden in the hair bearing skin.
These are some of the modalities for treating unfavorable features of the neck. Considerations of specific goals are part of a cosmetic surgical consultation. Helping determine which exact procedure is best suited for each patient is important for the long term result.
To see what would work best for you, contact us today to schedule your initial consultation!
