Can a neck lift be done without incisions around the front of ears on African American?

Thank you for the question. It would be difficult to get a natural-looking result without any incisions around or in front of the ears. That said, in some cases, the incisions can be planned more posteriorly -- behind the ear and then following the hairline in the back. This is relatively uncommon, but can be an option. If you have a history of keloids, planning the incisions behind or in the hair may help a little. But you should plan for scar management after.

Thank you for submitting your question to the RealSelf community.  The short answer is "yes", you can have a "necklift" without incisions in front of your ear.  Typically the submental area (aka under the chin) needs to be treated with either liposuction, muscle tightening, or both.  This does require a small incision (less than an inch) under the chin for access.  The tightening from the sides of the neck can be performed by access behind the ears.  So, in essence, the neck can be adequately addressed.  The jawline (and jowling) would not be adequately addressed via this approach.  Keep in mind that even if you cannot see potential scarring, you would still feel it, and it could bother you for years (not just the feel, but discomfort as well).  In my practice, any patient who gives a legitimate history of keloid scarring will not be operated on.  For a cosmetic procedure, it is not worth the risk.

Yes it's possible to do this just with an incision under your chin and behind your ears. It may compromise your results, in that you may not get the best possible results. It all depends on how how much skin laxity you have and what your plantsma muscles look like. 

At our office, I perform the Laser-Assisted Weekend
Necklift that leverages the leading technology in facial plastics to ensure our
patients have a short recovery of several days en route to experiencing a natural appearance. The procedure is usually performed under local
anesthesia with sedation. A small, hidden incision is created in the natural
fold under the chin. Then, instead of using a scalpel, I use a
laser, liposuction, and sometimes a chin implant to improve the appearance of a
sagging face, jowls, and neck.I suggest you consult a board certified facial plastic surgeon
to receive the highest quality knowledge, treatment, care and skill
available. A consultation provides you
the opportunity to relay your concerns and desired outcome to the surgeon while
the surgeon can assess your health profile and discuss his/her pertinent
advice.

Hello.  Without photos or in office exam, it's hard to give a definitive answer since it really depends on the amount of skin tightening you seek for your neck.  If it's minimal improvement, it's possible to limit the incisions to behind the ears.  As the amount of lax neck skin increase, the more aggressive the surgeon needs to be to achieve a good outcome.  That necessitates extending the incisions to around the ear (with incisions placed in natural curves of the ear).  If you have a strong history of forming keloids, the best option may be to avoid surgery and try minimally invasive options.  Your results won't be as dramatic, but it's way better than getting disfiguring keloid scars.  Take care.

Most neck lifts require at least a small incision in front of the earlobe.  If you have keloids with liposuction, thenkeloid formation is a valid concern.  You might want to consider a smart lipo or a non surgical technique, which would have minimized to no scarring.

A real facelift/neck lift requires incisions beginning in the temple area extending in from of the ear down around the lobe, in the crease behind the ear and along the hair line. This incision allows the best complete facelift. Hypertrophic scarring and keloid formation are always a risk. As far as i know - there is no perfect way to predict or prevent. 

Thank you for your question. If your a candidate which I don't if you are because I don't  have any pics of you, but a trampoline lift could be an option for you. Another name for the this lift is the no scar neck lift. There are no scars located in front of the ears. You need to see a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who is experienced with this type of procedure. This type of surgery takes about one hour to proform. I hope you find this information helpful.  

Thanks for your question. If the skin is inferior to the level of the jaw line the incision behind the ear should suffice. As tissue sags at the level of the Jaw, the pull of the skin will fold in front of the ear requiring the incision for the tailoring of the skin.good luck in your search

Good news – the answer
should be Yes. None of my patients want scars in front of their ears – African
American not. In most cases, I am able to place the suture line just inside the
front edge of the ear. That way it’s hidden from view. I also frequently hide
the posterior scars in the hair-line behind the ears. Women (and some men) want
to pull their hair up or back and hiding the suture line in the hair allows the
hair to grow over the area further masking any scar. My strongest
recommendation is to look at Before & After photos – lots and lots of them
– and make sure the surgeon’s you’re considering are showing the side views.