{"id":22431,"date":"2022-03-07T13:57:21","date_gmt":"2022-03-07T21:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/?p=22431"},"modified":"2022-03-17T10:22:42","modified_gmt":"2022-03-17T17:22:42","slug":"neck-lift-genetic-double-chin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/neck-lift-genetic-double-chin","title":{"rendered":"I Got a Neck Lift at 25 to Remove a Genetic Double Chin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ansley is a 25-year-old woman living in McDonough, Georgia, who got a neck lift in October 2021. This is her story, as told to Jolene Edgar, edited for length and clarity.<\/em><\/p>

I was always insecure about my profile, especially when I saw myself in pictures. Whether I lost or gained weight, my double chin was a permanent fixture. My nose was another source of insecurity; I would research plastic surgeons who were highly skilled in rhinoplasty<\/a>. About eight or nine years ago, I came across Dr. Nayak’s Instagram. [Dr. Laxmeesh Mike Nayak<\/a> is a board-certified facial plastic surgeon in Frontenac, Missouri.] I used to watch his live surgeries on Snapchat, and I remember thinking he was the only doctor I would ever trust with my face. <\/p>

A year or so ago, I saw a video he posted of a twentysomething getting a neck lift<\/a>. I had never considered this surgery for my double chin; I thought my only options were liposuction<\/a> or Kybella<\/a>. But I knew, from researching those treatments on RealSelf, that the results wouldn’t be as dramatic as a deep neck lift. I figured, I’d rather invest in a one-time permanent solution than put money into treatments that require multiple sessions or don’t offer a significant improvement.<\/p>

[Dr. Nayak explains why less invasive options would not have given Ansley the result she was after: “When the layers of the neck that are deep to [or underneath] the platysma muscle are full or oblique, the platysma drapes over them in that same shape. Suctioning away the overlying subcutaneous fat yields no improvement, as the actual problem, deep to the platysma, is left untreated.” He goes on to say that in cases like Ansley’s, he’s not tightening the muscle but rather sculpting the neck into shape. “I separate the platysma like drapes, go behind the muscle, and sculpt away the overgrown structures, to create the ideal angular shape. The platysma is then just passively closed, and it follows the new foundation. Once the foundation is fixed and the platysma repaired, there is often still a little excess subcutaneous fat, which I sculpt meticulously to fine-tune the final form. I aim to preserve as close to 100% of it as possible, because it’s this fat that keeps the overlying skin supple and elastic. Aggressive debulking of that layer by suction or sculpture makes the neck age more rapidly.” Dr. Nayak tells us that he’s always done this procedure on young people with genetic “subplatysmal” neck concerns. “We’re fixing the anatomical issue they inherited,” he says, likening the scenario to a twentysomething getting a rhinoplasty.]<\/em><\/p>

I’m not gonna lie—my friends and family thought it was crazy to get a neck lift in my 20s. They would tell me they thought I was beautiful and that I didn’t need any work done. But they knew my heart was set on it and that no one was going to change my mind. I decided to have a rhinoplasty at the same time. [She also had buccal fat reduction<\/a> and fat transfer<\/a> to the cheeks.] <\/p>

Since I was an out-of-town patient, both my consultation and my pre-op had been done virtually and over the phone. I had an in-person appointment the day before my surgery with Dr. Nayak and his wonderful pre-op coordinator, Gina. At that visit, we went over post-op instructions so that my caregiver, my mom, would know what to do. Dr. Nayak and I also recapped goals and what to expect after surgery. <\/p>

Honestly, going into surgery, I wasn’t nervous at all. I was more excited than anything. This was something I’d been wanting to improve about myself for so many years. Dr. Nayak and his staff had spent lots of time with me in the weeks before surgery, preparing me for everything.<\/p>

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>
View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/a>

A post shared by Dr. L. Mike Nayak (@nayakplasticsurgery)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>