Will get neck/lower facelift in a year or so but can I do anything now to improve and delay?

Question

I know I'll need surgery but want to avoid as long as possible. Will morpheus8 help improve jawline/neck area at all? Will it hurt results from future facelift? Is profound rf better?

Mitchell Hagen, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question! I get this question a lot in my practice so I will tell you my approach. Once a patient has decided they want to go the surgical route with a facelift or necklift within the next year or two, I tell them they should stop all invasive treatments. Morpheus and Profound are great tools but the results take some time to show and there is still significant healing that has to occur with these treatments. I do not believe they provide enough results to make it worth the hassle for a patient that has decided they are having surgery in the near future. If a surgeon tells you differently, they are trying to take your money. That being said, there are some other treatments that are great in the meantime such as botox, facials, filler (typically lip filler only), and quality skin care. Another option that patients do not always recognize and surgeons often fail to discuss is laser resurfacing at the same time as a facelift. Laser resurfacing with a CO2 can improve skin pigmentation, skin quality, and some of the fine lines and wrinkles that a facelift is not able to address. I always recommend seeing several surgeons to get their opinions. You should always feel comfortable with your surgeon and their explanations should make sense to you. I hope this helps and good luck!

Ali Cetinkaya, MD · Answer

It's great that you're approaching this thoughtfully. If you know you'll need a lower facelift or neck lift in the future, there are things you can do now to improve and maintain results &mdash; without interfering with surgery later on.

Michelle Lee, MD · Answer

Hi Linda! I recommend doing Sofwave, as opposed to Morpheus, if you are planning for surgery in the future. Morpheus can lead to scarred and damaged tissues that may make future surgery more complicated. Sofwave, on the other hand, is much lower risk and more predictable. Sofwave results are complimentary to surgery.

Lucian Ion, FRCS · Answer

Hello, and thank you for your question. If you’re planning to have a lower face and neck lift in the future but want to improve your appearance in the meantime, it’s important to understand how certain non-surgical options might affect later procedures.

Energy-based treatments can create a modest amount of skin tightening, but they also produce deeper scarring in the tissues. This scarring can complicate surgery down the road, depending on the extent of the changes. For platysmal bands, botulinum toxin may be a good choice—especially if the banding is due to active muscles—because it relaxes the muscles and can also help refine the jawline. An added benefit is that botulinum toxin does not produce deep scarring.

Gianfranco Frojo, MD · Answer

I highly recommend against using energy based devices in the face/neck, especially if you are truly considering a future facelift/necklift. The energy creates a lot of scar in the tissues. This makes future surgery more challenging due to the scar burden and sometimes stiff tissues that do not move as much as non-treated tissues. I would go see an American Board of Plastic Surgery certified surgery who has experience in facial rejuvenation. This ensures that your surgeon has done proper accredited real plastic surgery training.

Nashielli Torres Espinosa Chiu, MD · Answer

Dear patient,
Thank you for your inquiry. It’s understandable to want to delay surgery and explore non-invasive options for improving the jawline and neck area. Treatments like Morpheus8 and Profound RF, which combine microneedling with radiofrequency energy, can offer temporary improvements in skin tightness and texture. However, it’s important to consider the long-term implications of these treatments.
As a facial plastic surgeon, I advise caution with these devices. They can induce fibrosis, or internal scarring, which may complicate future surgical procedures and affect the quality of your tissue. While you might notice some improvement for a few months, these treatments do not address the underlying structural issues causing sagging.
A surgical facelift remains the most effective method to reposition and secure facial tissues to their youthful positions, providing long-lasting results. If you’re considering delaying surgery, it’s crucial to weigh the potential risks and benefits of interim treatments.
I recommend consulting with a board-certified facial plastic surgeon to discuss your goals and develop a personalized plan that ensures both immediate satisfaction and long-term success.

Ajaya Kashyap, MD · Answer

Thank you for your query. Morpheus and other nonsurgical treatments can help as can threads or fillers. Autologous fat or fillers alone can be a great help as well. Please find an experienced Board certified Plastic surgeon who can examine you and help you with all your concerns. All the best!

Edward Daniele, MD · Answer

Morpheus 8 will certainly improve the skin texture and possible perform *mild* skin tightening. It is not a substitute for a facelift, but skin care and resurfacing is always relevant and goes hand in hand with surgical options. 
It will not hurt the results from a future facelift and will actually improve and augment the results. It may not "delay" the need for a facelift as they truly address different things. But it will certainly give an improvement. I have no experience with profound RF but morpheus 8 is a great RF microneedling option.

Jeffrey M. Darrow, MD · Answer

Through a combined use of some judiciously placed fillers along your jawline in addition to some radio frequency treatments of the skin of your jawline and neck, you may get a modest improvement that may help to delay your desire for surgery. There are some surgeons who feel that the radio frequency treatments change the character of the tissues in the face and neck so that the face lift/neck lift done in the future maybe slightly more difficult although good results can still be achieved.  Discuss this in detail with your plastic surgeon. Best wishes.

Warren Schutte, MD · Answer

If you want to improve jaw/neck overall skin aesthetics now, prior to surgery, I advise starting aggressive skin resurfacing treatments such as UltraClear, CO2, RF microneedling, etc. These treatments boost collagen production and help overall dermal aging. If you find a clinic that performs UltraClear, you can also add on "skin coring" with your laser to get rid of a small portion of excess skin at the same time as laser.

Will get neck/lower facelift in a year or so but can I do anything now to improve and delay?

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