I have platysma bands in the front of my neck. How can I make them less noticeable? (Photo)

Thank you for your photo and question.  Platysmal bands are best treated by botox/dysport/xeomin every three months as it causes the muscles to relax and disappear under the skin.  If you have loose skin over the plastysmal bands, Ultherapy would be helpful in tightening the skin in addition to the neuromodulators.Good candidates for Ultherapy have mild to moderate skin and soft tissue laxity. Patients may notice that their facial tissue begins to feel loose, and feel and look less firm. Ultherapy treatments can tighten loose skin on the face, neck, sagging skin under the chin and soften lines and wrinkles on the chest.Another option would be surgical intervention.  I recommend you have an in person consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon.  Good Luck!

Maybe it's me but I don't see improvement on neck bands with Ultherapy when I treat sagging necks. Ultherapy helps tighten the skin but not the bands.  I do see good results with Botox, although it never makes the bands look as good as a result that can be obtained by surgical neck lifts done by my plastic surgical colleagues. Botox results on neck bands often last a little longer than botox on the face but not more than five months and three to four months is common.  ThermiTight is a minimally invasive procedure with downtime that can improve neck bands, but again, not giving the same great result as a surgical neck lift, but there are no incisions made with ThermiTight. Only a needle is used to make an insertion site for the small radiofrequency rod (cannula) and no stitches are needed. Swelling and some bruising may occur for a couple of weeks or longer.

I suggest botox for a non invasive improvement, but if really bad and you need both neck lifting and bands then a platysmaplasty is needed.  VASER/Thermi help make significant improvements.  Best, Dr. Emer.

The only effective way to address platysmal bands for a comprehensive and durable result is with surgery.  Botox is a Class C treatment for this problem which is not durable, expensive over time, and far less efficacious. Ultherapy is completely useless and ineffective for platysmal bands. I have included a link below to one of my postop patients for your review. 

You have 2 options:1.  Botox to weaken this muscle and make the band less noticeable.  You will have to repeat this every 3-4 months.2  Surgery - this entails going through an incision under the neck to pull the bands back together and sometimes also cut the band.  May also need to tighten the neck behind the ear.       

As already mentioned, you have a few options:Botox/Dysport/Xeomin will provide a temporary reduction that lasts 3-4 months.Radiofrequency (such as Exilis or Pelleve) or Ultherapy (Ultrasound) can provide a longer term solution.Invasive techniques such as Precision SmartLipo or Vaser can also provide a longer term solution.Ultimately, an in-person consultation in an office where there are multiple options for treatment can provide you with the best solution.Good luck!

Hi! Great question! If you're looking to stick with the non-surgical options there are two interventions that will help. One is botox or dysport injected into the bands. This will last around 3 months and works very well! Also, you can do Ultherapy to the neck area. We see great results in tightening and lifting in the neck, after one treatment! Best, Dr. Grant Stevens

The title says it all.  Platysmal bands respond beautifully to small injections of Botox/Dysport into those ropy strands of muscle.  Once these bands relax, you will need to assess the overall draping of skin and the platysma over the neck to determine any need for further smoothing/tightening using Ultherapy or a new RF technology called Infini.  

A temporary way to treat those bands is by injecting Botox to the muscle that lasts about 3-4 months and you will need to have it retreated. I find this treatment very unpredictable in some patients it works well in in some it does not. You at times need to return to touch up the treatment. The way to treat those band with a longer lasting affect is by performing surgery such as a platysmaplasty during a lower face lift or neck lift.Good luck!

Thank you for your question.  The best treatment for platysmal bands is Botox injected into the bands.  We are seeing more and more of this secondary to Kybella injections dissolving the fat and revealing platysmal bands so often now we are combining kybella injections with botox injections to the neck (not at the same time).  Regards, Dr. Matt Elias