What is the newest method for performing a neck lift?

Newer techniques are important and will be covered in my answer below. Most important is finding the best plastic surgeon possible.The best recommendations to improve your neck appearance depend on your needs, desires, and most importantly an examination to determine the best procedure for you. Your plastic surgeon will evaluate you for five main features that will determine your best options for neck line improvement:Amount of excess fat typically found beneath the chin, and in the upper neck. This requires liposuction with small cannulas or direct removal especially if the fat is beneath the platysma muscle.Presence of Significant (Platysmal) Banding – this requires bringing the muscles together in the upper/mid neck to a more youthful position and occasionally their release. This procedure is called a platysmaplasty or platysma plication. Mild banding can be treated non- surgically with Botox or Dysport but this requires injections 3-4 times a year for maintenance.Amount of excess/redundant skin (cutis laxa) and condition of your skin. In advanced stages this is called a Turkey Waddle or Gobble deformity. For example, younger age, darker skin colors and no large weight loss history most likely means there will be better elasticity and therefore better post-surgical contraction. In milder cases if not too much fat is present there will be enough skin shrinkage with just lipo alone. Mild to minimal skin tightening using non-surgical means like the Sciton Laser SkinTyte procedure, Ultherapy or Thermage could also be considered. My personal preference for non-surgical skin tightening of the neck is the Sciton Laser BBL SkinTyte® procedure as there is no down time, more comfortable procdure, is effective and is a more targeted treatment. For redundant upper and mid excess neck skin: I prefer the LiteLift® (lower facelift ) procedure or MACS for skin re-draping for mild to moderate excess skin management as there are minimal scars and the skin is lifted vertically allowing for minimal hidden scars resulting in a natural appearance “non pulled” appearance. However: for moderate to severe skin redundancy , a neck lift or traditional lower facelift (e.g.Lite Lift®, MACS and others) is needed with or without lipo for best results. For advanced Turkey Waddle correction wither a traditional facelift or posterior neck lift often with a platysmaplasty is required with more extensive scars that extend at the hairline behind your ears. The advantage of a facelift procedure rather than a posterior neck lift is that your lower jawline (e.g. jowls and marionette lines) are also improved at the same time.Chin deficiency. If you have a weak chin then you will not have adequate chin support to your neckline skin which affects your entire neck line. Sometimes especially in younger individuals this is all that is required and this can be done in the office under local anesthesia. There are a number of different sizes and shapes and your plastic surgeon will pick the optimal one for you.Presence of prominent Digastric Muscles or Submandibular gland fullness from laxity or enlargement. Although not a major concern for most patients, if present then partial resection is usually the best solution.

The type of necklift incision will depend upon your gender, your hairline and preferred hairstyles, any scars from previous surgeries, and a variety of other factors.  As a general rule, a #necklift #incision starts right in front of or within the hairline on the temple, follows the curve of the front of the ear, travels underneath the earlobe, and ends at the hairline behind the ear.  There are also shorter #scar techniques preferred by many patients, which do not have incisions in the hairline.  Some patients who wish to have liposuction or tightening of their neck will need an additional incision under their #chin, which can be hidden in a natural skin fold.Local anesthetic is usually used in combination with #intravenous #anesthesia during a necklift operation, allowing you to sleep peacefully through the procedure. Though general anesthesia may be requested, it is not necessary in most cases.  A necklift and any additional procedures you may add are #outpatient procedures usually performed in a surgery center. In some cases, your surgeon may advise you to stay in a post-op care facility for a single night. 

It is important to be realistic with your desired results. Necklifts are designed to remove only deep grooves and #wrinkles, not fine ones. Smoothing out every tiny line in your face would leave you with an eerie, unnatural, and undesirable result. The goal should be to make your necklift look as natural as possible, simply turning back the clock a few years.  

Thank you for your question. There are no real "new" surgical methods for perfoming a neck lift. Generally speaking, there are lateral and medial platysmaplasties. Surgeons have different opinions about whether to pull the platsyma bands (neck muscle edges) laterally as part of a facelift or suturing them medially via a submental incision. I hope this helps!

There are several ways to perform neck lifts depending on the problem.  Without a picture or an examination, it is difficult to advise you with any accuracy.  An incision under the chin can help tighten muscles and reduce banding of the neck.  Suspension stitches from behind the ear can also help tighten the neck muscles by pulling them tight from the sides.  Again, each patient must be approached individually.  It sounds like you have had several consultations and just need to decide which doctor you think will do the best job for you. 

There are various ways to address the neck. An in person consultation will allow your surgeon to evaluate your neck and determine how it should be addressed. The most important thing is to make sure that your surgeon has had success with their recommended technique.It is very common to have the platysma sewn at the midline. When paired with a facelift, that elevates the SMAS, this midline plication can act as a sling. The sling supports the tissues and contours the neck cervicomental angle. Fat above and below the platysma should be addressed and excess skin is removed behind the ear. I have seen excellent results with, and without, midline plication.Reviewing your surgeon's before and after photos will help you get a sense of their anticipated results.

This is a great question, but photos would be need to be specific to you. One of the most requested procedures is about  improving the neck. But what you must understand; what is causing the neck sagging and the bands? The tissues that were above the jawline are now below the jawline, and to correct the problem we must put things back to where they use to be (anatomically). Because of this, an isolated neck lift is not usually recommended or appropriate. The best correction is with lower facelift or a cevical-facial lift. As for dealing with the bands I have found that the lateral tightening (on the side) is more effective and lasts longer than the mid-line plication, which is not an anatomical procedure. The liposuction is usually used to contour the neck and define the jawline. However every patient is different. That is why we have different techniques and why the surgical procedure is not the some for everyone.Consult with a qualified facial plastic surgeon. Look at their results and you need to feel comfortable with the surgeon. Please look at my gallery of before and after photos below. Best wishes.

Bringing the platysma together in the midline is most certainly not unnatural.However, this doesn't mean that your surgeon was wrong in suggesting tightening the platysma from the side and performing limited liposuction.  This is a very good option.  In most cases involving work on the neck this is exactly what I and many other surgeons do, but I also frequently combine that with a platysmaplasty (sewing the muscle together in the midline) if indicated.There are a variety of platysmaplasty techniques, but the basic concept is similar among all.As we age, the middle edges of the platysma muscle on either side begin to drift apart leading to the formation of distinct vertical bands in the neck.  Tightening the platysma from the side is helpful, but in many cases a platysmaplasty is a great way to bring those muscle edges back to the middle creating a natural sling type of support for the neck and restoring a youthful neckline.Sometimes sewing the platysma together is needed, and sometimes it is not.  The key for a surgeon is to be very comfortable with a variety of technique options and more importantly be able to truly understand the patients goals and how to get those to match the end result by tailoring the procedure to the individual.Good luck to you.  A necklift can give some amazing results for someone in your situation.

Neck lifts are of 2 types: 1 is the lower face/neck is pulled back under local and it tightens the jawline and neck for roughly $8800 on special;  the 2nd method is a platysmaplasty which is under local also and only addresses the skin and muscle under the chin in the anterior neck and runs $5500 on special.. Both get liposuction done at the same time to remove excess fat. Often both types are done together depending on what all is needed.  Both do great and are so worth it. Sincerely, David Hansen,MD

The New Necklift is the result of over 8 years of development and over 2000 procedures performed. It permits patients to have significant improvement in the areas under the chin as well as the jowels. It is a combination or hybrid procedure of minimal incision necklifting combined with thermoplastic/laser/radiofrequency techniques pioneered by our clininc. It can be performed in under an hour. Not all patients are candidates for the "New Necklift". The MIA center or Minimally Invasive Aesthetic Center specializes in technology aided and minimal incsion techniques.

There is no "newest" neck lift, but there are lot of solutions to the problem, depending upon what the problem is.  Without photos, of course, we don't know.  And remember, plastic surgery is an art more than a science.  So it's easy to become confused when talking to several surgeons.  We all do it differently.  But if you express your specific concerns with your doctor (neck too tight, unnatural look) he/she can better avoid those issues.  I almost always carefully remove at least some fat, though it's important to leave an adequate amount under the skin to avoid irregularities and unnatural skin tone.  Additionally, I tighten the muscle from under the neck in most patients, and from the sides in others.  In some, I tighten from BOTH the front and sides in order to get a better sling effect.  However, I am most careful in preventing anything that begins to look or feel artificial.  After all, not looking natural after plastic surgery is the most common fear I hear from my patients.