5 months post op of Neck Lift, my neck looks wrinkled and the skin is stuck out. Is this normal? (photos)

Question

James Bonaparte, MD, MSc, FRCSC · Answer

Thanks for the question and photo. I agree with Dr Galitz below, at this point your neck should look smooth and contoured. A little background regarding neck lifts. When we do this procedure, we often do two things. One, is make a small incision under you chin (as you can see). This allows us to get to the midportion of an important neck muscle called the Platysma. The platysma is the muscle  you see in people who have "bands" in their skin. its actually a very thin muscle and intimately attached to the skin. We then lift the skin off this muscle so we can see it. Then, we make the incisions on the side of your neck as you mentioned and often up behind your ear. All across your neck we lift the skin off the muscle and then PULL the muscle back and stitch it in place. This applies alot of traction and we then either stitch together the muscle in the middle and/or cut the muscle. We then of course, put things back together. In some occasions, the muscle isn't tightened enough, its over tightened or the muscle scars abnormally as it is healing back to the skin. All these things can cause problems however they typically can be corrected, with care. To me, it may be that you have some "adhesions" between the muscle and skin resulting in all that pulling. Sometimes people need a procedure to release these and then really, you need to hope for the best that you heal better. Your best bet is to see a board certified surgeon in the usa or a Royal Collage approved Head and Neck and Facial Cosmetic Surgeon here in canada.

Andrew Winkler, MD · Answer

The "necklift" procedure (or mini-lift) means different things to different surgeons.  There are innumerable variations of this procedure. What is true among all of these procedures is that a necklift is a less aggressive version of a facelift. Invariably, this also means less results.  It is difficult to say of your results are normal without seeing your "before" photos or knowing what technique was performed.  Generally speaking, however, the necklift produces fairly modest results. In young (<45 y.o.) patients with mild neck issues this is all that is needed. However, most people seeking improvement in the neck are not candidates for a necklift, but are good candidates for a facelift, which addresses the lower face and neck.

Richard Galitz, MD, FACS (in memoriam) · Answer

Simply put....At five months after a neck lift you should have a smooth neck with a youthful shaped contour. If not then you have gotten a less than ideal result and some correction should be offered by your surgeon or you should consider going elsewhere. Your neck size, body weight, and skin type all seem from the photo to be very average so there is no reason not to expect an ideal result

5 months post op of Neck Lift, my neck looks wrinkled and the skin is stuck out. Is this normal? (photos)

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Everything you need to know about Neck Lift

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5 months post op of Neck Lift, my neck looks wrinkled and the skin is stuck out. Is this normal? (photos)

Answers (3)

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Everything you need to know about Neck Lift

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.