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Question About Lipo to Tighten the Jowls and Neck After a Facelift

asked 1 year ago by Mia 229 in San Jose, Ca
Latest answer by Michael R. Macdonald, MD
Question viewed 1,185 times
Tags: jowls, neck, female, tightening

I recently had a facelift and everything is coming back. I am really concerned with my jowls and my skin from my neck and that's the reason I had this done and I used a great surgeon. I was told that having lipo to tighten my jowls and my neck would be the best solution.

My question is would that only be a band aid for a short time and then come back again and was also told that I can't have anything done for 6 months from the surgery date. I'm just trying to understand all of this.

29 answers to Question About Lipo to Tighten the Jowls and Neck After a Facelift

Lipo for jowls

As we age, certain areas of our face lose volume selectively more than others. This may accentuate the jowl. One key aspect of a youthful appearance is maintaining facial volume. Sometimes adding volume to other areas will create a youthful look and diminish the jowl.

Marc Schneider, MD
Fort Myers Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction to Tighten Jowls and Neck

Liposuction will remove bulk but will not, as an isolated procedure, tighten the jowl and neck skin in a revision of your previous facelift. It is best to wait at least 6 months after the first operation. Make sure you and your surgeon agree on the goals of any future work.

Richard W. Fleming, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Tighteting jowls and neck

You will get some relaxation of the face after the swelling resolves. Unless you had a lot of fat I wouldn't liposuction your face. It can tend to leave some irregularities.

Robert N. Young, MD
San Antonio Plastic Surgeon

Lipo after a Facelift

Whether or not liposuction may help after a facelift really depends on the individual and his/her neck features. If there is a significant degree of fat, then liposuction will improve the neck and jawline. However, the problem of excess skin remains. After about 30 years of age, the elasticity of the skin decreases to the point that if liposuction was successfully in removing excess fat, you could be left with dimpled, redundant skin. Ideally liposuction, if appropriate, would be combined... more

Gregory J. Vipond, MD
Pasadena Facial Plastic Surgeon

Reoccuring jowls and neck laxity after a facelift will likely need revision

Reoccuring jowls and neck laxity after a face / neck lift likely will need some type of revision. Liposuction could handle some of these issues, if these issues are related to excessive fatty tissue. The concern with just employing liposuction is the layering of the skin. With the reduction of fat, the skin will be of relative excess and may or may not redrape the way you would like it to. Also often the reoccurance is not due to loosening, it is often due to the loss of... more

Philip Young, MD
Bellevue Facial Plastic Surgeon

The suggestion that you wait at least 6 months after your liposuction surgery was good advice

The suggestion that you wait at least 6 months after your surgery was good advice. Although you will look much better than you did before as early as 3-4 weeks after surgery, post-op would healing and remodeling continues for at least 6 months and often more than a year following surgery. During this time, skin will continue to tighten and the contour will continue to improve. As a result, you may find that you are very pleased with your results and may not need any further treatment... more

Michael R. Macdonald, MD
Bay Area Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.drmmacdonald.com

Lipo to Tighten the Jowls and Neck After a Facelift

Liposuction by itself does not tighten tissue but laser liposuction such as Smartlipo may have limited tightening effect

Sam Naficy, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction In the Aging Neck

In general, liposuction does not work in the aging neck and should not be done as it can actually make the neck sag more and be more difficult when it comes time to do a real face and necklift. Liposuction only works in the younger patient who has tight skin and fat without any platysmal banding.

Rod J. Rohrich, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction of the jowls

If you skin was loose enough to warrant a Facelift, I feel that removing some fat in the jowl region might give you some short term improvement, but once the swelling is gone, that skin will likely sag and you might need more skin tightening.

Julio Garcia, MD
Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon

lvcosmeticsurgery.com

Several months after Face Lift will lipo tighten jowls and neck

I have performed Face Lifts for over 20 years and IMHO, fat can't merely be lipo'd out of the face in anyone over 40 years old without causing sagging skin. The jowls are tightened by resecting and tightening the SMAS layers. The neck is tightened by doing the same with the Platysma muscle and removing excess skin through a formal Neck Lift. If a small amount of neck skin exists, this can be removed through an incision under the chin alone. It's standard... more

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD
Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction will not tighten skin of jowls and neck after Facelift Surgery

If you have excess fat and NO LOOSE SKIN in your neck after Facelift then Liposuction may help. New laser Liposuction may also help tighten the skin a small amount. However if you truly have jowls and neck folds caused by skin laxity Liposuction will not adequately tighten neck and jowl skin. In fact using Liposuction near the angle of the lips can cause serious irreversible nerve injury and a crooked mouth. If you have significant jowls and neck laxity after a Facelift it is... more

Brooke R. Seckel, MD
Boston Plastic Surgeon

www.drseckel.com

The Honeymoon is Over - Facelift.

There is a period in the early going after a facelift when the swelling can make you look tighter than any surgical result can ever be. I call it the honeymoon period. Then that last bit of swelling resolves and patients look at that minute jowl or neck laxity and focus on it too much. Ask to see your before pictures and look in the mirror with those images available. If you still want tighter skin, Thermage it rather than remove more volume. more

Ritu Chopra, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction of Jowls in Facelift Redo

Secondary procedures such as a little liposuction of jowls may help get you the best result. Certainly do nothing until at least 6 months and ideally 9 months post initial procedure. Sounds like you have a good conscientious surgeon that wants to do the right thing. Usually when surgeons do little secondary improvements, no charges are made. If in doubt , visit a local surgeon certified by ABPS and a FACS with major hospital privileges. Make sure you... more

George Commons, MD
Palo Alto Plastic Surgeon

www.pacfps.com

Liposuction After A Facelift

A facelift is one of the most difficult procedures to do. The key component of a successful facelift is robust lift of the deeper tissues. As such, it is not unusual to see many patients have an inadequate correction post procedure with many types of lifts. Liposuction after a facelift can be performed if there is an isolated fat located in a portion of the neck. This can be performed as early as 6 months after a facelift. If there is excess skin laxity... more

Anil R. Shah, MD
Chicago Facial Plastic Surgeon

A facelift should correct these issues

You didn't mention how long ago you had your facelift, or your age, but I would expect a facelift to correct the issues you are concerned about. Liposuction does not tighten anything, it only removes volume from areas that need volume reduction. Usually, if this is necessary, it is performed in conjunction with a facelift. If you have recurrence of laxity, then you will most likely need a minor revision to your facelift to lift the tissue and get rid of the excess skin. The only... more

Andrew Campbell, MD
Milwaukee Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.campbellplastics.com

Gfacelift vs lipo

If there is loose skin lipo is not the answer and can actually make it worse because you are reducing volume.think of a balloon if you take out air or volume you cause more sagging.If there is a lot of fat some surgeons do lipo and a lift but if there is loose skin you need a lift.

Robert Brueck, MD
Fort Myers Plastic Surgeon

Facelift revision

If you really have loose skin the liposuction won't tighten it. If there is a little extra fat, it is reasonable to do. Loose skin will need surgical revision at some time. It might be that your skin was sufficiently sun damaged that it will never be as tight as you might wish for.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction after Facelift

Liposuction removes fat without truly tightening facial tissues. After facelift, liposuction can therefore reduce pockets with excess fat; rarely, it is a great option for remaining jowls. Skin laxity cannot be treated by liposuction alone. I agree that waiting for healing to take its course is advisable. Talk to your surgeon! As an experienced facelift surgeon, he will be able to explain to you his approach.

Frank P. Fechner, MD
Worcester Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.drfechner.com

Facelift and liposuction

Treating the jowls may require some removal of the fatty component or redraping of the soft tissue. Liposuction does not tighten the jowl .

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Things coming back after face lift

Looking at your pre and postop pictures there is significant improvement. If what you mean is that 3-4 weeks after surgery you looked tighter and now things seem to have relaxed, then your are experiencing the normal postoperative evolution of the healing. You likely had liposuction already at the time of the original surgery. Might you need some more ? maybe. The real issue is that in many facelifts after about a year a limited "tuck up" is quite usefull and should be done... more

Andrew Pichler, MD
Sacramento Facial Plastic Surgeon

Facelift concerns

Maybe you had a type of Lifestyle lift whose beneficial results can be quite short! However, there is some return of excess of the neck and face during the first six months as the swelling goes down. I would recommend going back to see your plastic surgeon if he is certified by the American Board of PLastic Surgery. If not, seek another opinion with a plastic surgeon that is a certified by ABPS.

Edward J. Domanskis, MD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Smart lipo after a facelift to tighten jowls and neck

If there is still excessive fat in the jowls and the neck then Smart Lipo (laser) can be effective in helping to remove that and possibly tighten the skin. If it is just loose skin, then this may help but not quite as much. It's probably a good idea to wait at least six months from the time of surgery to make sure things have fully settled out.

Kenneth L. Stein, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Revision Facelift with Liposuction

I typically do not recommend liposuction as a primary tool in revision facelift. The key to a good facelift result is proper tension and direction of pull on the underlying muscle. Smoking, excessive sun exposure, genetics, and poor skin elasticity can greatly affect a facelift result. Regardless of technique utilized, it is possible for recurrent sagging to occur with these risk factors. I would recommend waiting a full 6 months prior to... more

Paul S. Gill, MD
Houston Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction of jowls

Its difficult to see if what intervention you may need without a photo or more importantly a physical exam. Although liposuction can defat a part of the jowls, usually, jowls are due to skin laxity. Liposuction alone will have limited effects on skin excess/laxity. Therefore, you may need a procedure to tighten that excess skin in the jowls. Please visit with a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss your options.

C. Bob Basu, MD
Houston Plastic Surgeon

Facial liposuction for neck and jowls following face lift

Facial liposuction generally does not tighten the skin of the jowls; it merely makes them appear less prominent. Some practioners, not me, endorse the use of thermage or other skin tightening devices such as laser lipolysis for this purpose

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Laxity after Facelifting

Sometimes when we begin to lose elasticity in our skin, we may experience some laxity after a facelifting procedure. If this occurs and you are not satisfied, a "tuck up" may be performed shortly after the initial surgery. "Shortly," may vary from doctor to doctor, but generally 4-6 months is about right. A bigger concern that you may need to review with your plastic surgeon is the possible need for a "skin resurfacing" procedure. In... more

Jon E. Mendelsohn, MD
Cincinnati Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.351face.com

"recently" can mean a lot of things.

Typically because the swelling leaves the upper face before it leaves the jowls and neck, the neck and jowls for a time may look relatively worst. This does correct with time. However, there are some patients who may benifit from either liposuction or a touch up of the lift, but this should not even be considered till at least 5-6 months have gone by. Dr. Mayl Fort Lauderdale

Nathan Mayl, MD
Fort Lauderdale Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction to tighten skin?

I would agree with holding off on any further surgery for 6mo. to allow wound healing to take place. It may take 6mo. or longer for scars to fully mature and realize the final results of the procedure. I would also agree that liposuction done to tighten the skin further may lead to disappointing results. In fact, excessive liposuction may lead to even more skin sagging or contour irregularities. I would try to be patient and continue to followup with your... more

Stephen Delia, M.D.
Boston Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction does not tighten skin (despite the hype)

Dear Mia 229, Without photos it is difficult to give a specific answer, so the answers are fairly general. After a Facelift, there will be some relaxation of the skin which is unavoidable. Some people with poorer skin quality due to age, sun exposure, smoking, or genetics may have more relaxation than patients with good skin quality. Your surgeon is correct to want you to wait before doing any more surgery. In the early healing stage, there is significant scar tissue... more

Lawrence Tong, MD
Toronto Plastic Surgeon

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