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  • Neck Lifts Are Usually Not Done Alone
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Hey, this is Dr. Rick, a plastic surgeon in Scottsdale. We're here again for the question of the week. A comment that I get from a lot of patients is "Can I get away with just a face lift or can I get away with just a neck lift?" This is really a complicated question, and you really have to evaluate a patient's face.

I'll tell you, there's not very many people that can just get away with a neck lift, and the reason is, the face and the neck go together, and usually aging occurs at the same rate in both areas. Now, patients who do qualify for just a neck lift are more young-aged patients who just have looseness of the skin on the neck and possibly some muscle bands that are showing early on, but they don't show the aging process of the mid face or the lower face. Those are patients that actually could have just a neck lift procedure, and have a really, really nice result. As we get older, and both areas become aged, it looks very awkward when you do a neck lift but not a face lift, or a face lift but not a neck li9ft, because those subunits go together.

So this is really more of a physical examination question that could be answered at the time of your consultation. And again, just remember, it's not worth it to just do the neck and not do the face if you need it. If you're really looking for the rejuvenation altogether, generally you need your face and neck done together. But if I feel like you're a good candidate for just a neck lift, I'll be honest and tell you that.

I'll see you next time, for the next question of the week.

Neck Lifts Are Usually Not Done Alone

Dr. Richard Brown talks about the difference between a facelift and a neck lift surgery and why a neck lift is not often done on its own.