Sagging, Rugged Neck Skin After Endotine Cheek and Neck Lift Doctor Answers, Tips
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Sagging, Rugged Neck Skin After Endotine Cheek and Neck Lift

My mother went for a Endotine Ribbon cheek and neck lift a month ago due to sagging skin. But her neck and cheeks are starting to sag again and she's worried. The ribbons are also very noticeable now, and she has rugged skin under her neck. Is there any chance that she will stay with those signs permanently?

14 Doctor Answers | Asked by Claudia RG in Mexico
+3

Entotine facelifts are a waste of money.

In my career, I have been witness to all sorts of foreign objects placed in the face to support an ersatz facelift.  They never work.  They are foreign bodies that get encapsulated and thus isolated from the surrounding tissue.  They don't make sense and they don't work.  A well executed facelift is safe and gives predictable good results using the patients own tissue.
+3

Unfortunately, the result she has will probably get worse

Whether they call them minilifts, week-end facelifts, wire lifts, etc. the end result is the same in patients who need a conventional facelift. Minilift = mini-result! You have to remove the extra skin and tighten the deeper tissue to get a good result. She can have a full facelift at about 9-12 months later.
+3

Avoid any lift that has a brand name attached to it - they are gimmicks

To Claudia RG, Hi! In a few months your mom will - hopefully - look like nothing happened. Then she will have to consider a real facelift. To look younger (rather than pulled), and to have the result last, you really have to REPOSITION the skin and the fat upward. You cannot just pull on the skin.

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+3

Some good news

The endotines are absorbable. They can take a long time, but you can count on them going away. The bigger issue is the early sagging. In most instances this indicates that a revision will be needed, as retrospectively, the tissue re-suspension was not adequately addressed. Fortunately, a secondary procedure is usually no problem, but it should be done after consideral healing time - 9 months to a year if possible. It would be advisable to have a frank discussion with the surgeon on a... more
+3

She might need a revision facelift or a minifacelift

Unfortunately, there is no magic solution for sagging facial and neck skin yet. Sounds like your mother might need to have her skin tightened with a facelift or a mini facelift. I've had to do that in the past for patients who had strings, threads etc. placed trying to tighten their skin. Usually we had to remove the strings, but the ribbons should absorb after a while. Have your mother wait for several months to see how her healing is going, and then consider additional tightening and... more
+3

Ribbon lifts / Endotine

I wish I could tell you that further sagging would not occur. However with suspension techniques, they tend to be short-lived, in my experience. Visible suture material also typically does not improve without treatment. Fortunately, it is possible to perform revision surgery in the majority of patients and convert their surgeries to bidirectional facelifts / cheeklifts, and usually remove the ribbons / strings / Endotines in the process. This usually accomplishes the goal of the rejuvenation... more
+3

It sounds as though she didn't have the right procedure

If she already has sagging skin in the neck, she really needed a true facelift done . Unfortunately, many patients hope they can get a great result with a lesser procedure and their doctors imply that they can, when the reality is that a minimal procedure isn't enough. Now she will likely have to endure the costs of additional surgery that wouldn't have been necessary had it been done properly in the first place.
+2

Endotine device will dissolve, but it is not the gold standard for lifting.

The Endotine appliance will eventually resorb since it is a dissolvable device. Unfortunately, most of the effect achieved with Endotine will be lost if the tissue was not surgically lifted, fixated and removed. This is the shortcoming of not only Endotine, but also the Thread Lift and other non-invasive types of procedures.
+2

There are no shorcuts

Here is what I tell patients: Small procedures get small results. To help a truly sagging neck a more involved procedure is usually required. This involves tighttening the platysma muscle in the middle of the neck and lifting it from behind. A simple pull from the side tends not to last.
+2

Recurrence of sag after endotine lift

Some surgeons like to use endotine because it seems to be a less invasive approach which appeals to patients. Unfortunately there can be proeblems with this technique: recurrence, visibility of the endotine, irregularity of the lift, etc. Traditional necklifts are more enduring and predictable. The good news is that the endotine will disolve in time. As always preoperative consultation should give the patients the alterantives available and limitations and expectation of each approach.... more
+2

Endotine Necklift

Unfortunately, the marketers of Endotine and those who purchase the product will try to use it is places where it doesn't do well.  The best treatment for sagging skin and a heavy neck is a SMAS based cheek and neck lifting procedure.  The Endotine, like the thread lift before, will not last and is often visible.  The Endotine works well for forehead lifts and mid-face lifts. 
+2

Neck lift and endotines

I would imagine with very thin skin, the endotine ribbons would be very noticeable. It sound slike your mother needs a better quality neck lift.
+2

Good neck lift will correct platysma separation

In order to get a great Neck lift, a doctor must address the weakening of the platysmal bands - these are the two waddles that develop with age. Anatomically, the platysmal muscle separates in the midline. The endotine procedure does not address the real problem. My favorite and most reliable treatment is the corset Platysmaplasty, make sure your doctor performs this procedure.
+2

Endotines are resorbable

The bad news is that the endotines are resorbable and don't maintain the result. Furthermore, they typically require minimal surgery, which does little to really rearrange the tissues and create a dramatic effect. The good news is that the endotines resorb, leaving little permanent effects. This means that it can be repeated and since little rearranging was performed, a true face lift correcting the neck and face can be carried out. That is also bad news because I am sure that is not what... more
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