What is Platysmal Suspension?

Liposuction alone does not address one of the major changes that occurs to the neck/facial complex with aging. The platysma, which is considered one of the muscles of facial expression, loses tone and literally becomes looser over time. We refer to the cords that form below the chin as "platysmal bands". A platysmaplasty, which can be performed in isolation, or in combination with a Facelift, tightens and re suspends this muscle. A "Giampapa" suture, which is an... more

There are many different techniques for platysma suspension. Dr. Giampapa popularized the suture chin/neck sling. His technique is performed from an anterior AND posterior approach. Other techniques just rely on the posterior (behind the ear) technique with stitches placed to lift and secure the frontalis muscle. Some techniques utilize skin resection but this depends on the amount of skin laxity.

A chin implant and augmentation can improve the lax tissue under the chin by pulling up the tissues that are causing the sagging double chin. It can improve the neck lift even more than when a neck lift is done alone. A neck lift done well though can significantly tighten the neck. The key is how the platysma muscle is treated. This muscle is essential to how the neck looks. When doing a neck lift, the platysma must be tightened from just under the chin to the bottom of the neck area. This... more

After a certain age, submental liposuction can be counterproductive making the laxity under the chin worse. The platysma and neck skin sag together. In most cases, submental platysmaplasty is the best way to approach this problem. This procedure creates a muscle sling which will lift the neck. This will produce a long lasting jaw neck line without redundancy. However, if there is a true skeletal deficiency causing a weak chin, then a chin or mandibular implant is extremely helpful in... more