Would PRP help neck? (Photos)

Thank you for your question. You submitted a photo of your neck, stating you’re 36-years-old, have an area of what appears to be loose skin on your neck, and ask if PRP will be helpful to it.
I can share with you the way I counsel patients with very similar situations as yours. A little background: I’m a Board-certified cosmetic surgeon and Fellowship-trained oculofacial plastic and reconstructive surgeon. I have been in practice in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years. Helping people with their neck rejuvenation through a multitude of options is something we do in our practice every day. Especially significant is our use of PRP in our practice, so I’ll help you understand what PRP can and cannot do.
The choice of any type of intervention is based on a proper diagnosis, and understanding the limits of the tools you want to apply. PRP stands for platelet-rich plasma, which is a concentration from your own blood of the wound healing and growth factors that stimulate collagen, generate blood supply, and have a lot of different things that can help tissue improve. We use PRP in our practice for acne scars, wrinkles, skin discolorations, under eye dark circles, and in conjunction with Acellular matrix for hair loss.
Often, people feel or interpret PRP as capable of filling and lifting. When  trying to improve the appearance of volume, PRP can stimulate fat under the skin to blossom and increase in volume, but it’s not going to be as effective as injectable filler. With lifting in an area, say over the cheekbone where there is a layer of fat, it can help be a cushion and may create some subtle volume, then it can lift.
In your situation, it is probably not appropriate to use PRP as a standalone. PRP can help the neck skin texture and quality. Without the benefit of a physical examination, it appears you have a platysmal band, which is a muscle called the platysma, and that band is an attachment to the skin. Often, we can interpret this as a splitting of the muscle. Sometimes, a localized of atrophy makes the muscle more prominent. There are a variety of options to address that muscle, from minimally invasive such the use of Botox® to relax the muscle, moderately invasive such as a suture suspension procedure, and more aggressive such as platysmaplasty and neck lifting surgery. I think those are more appropriate based on your photos.
An evaluation is not limited to the narrow area of the photograph of your neck, but a proper evaluation. When I see my patients, I take pictures, have them lift the different areas, and I show them their photos on the screen about what we can possibly do based on the issue, then they decide what they’re comfortable with. Sometimes, it’s a stepwise approach, like a little Botox® first to see how things look. If that isn’t as beneficial, we look at other options. We look at whether or not there’s truly redundant skin, or if there is volume loss in the face. With volume loss, we can do something called structural volumizing to expand the volume in the face, and help lift the neck. That’s a different strategy which depends on your facial anatomy, which we can’t appreciate with the photo you submitted.
I think you will find a lot of opinions about what’s best for your neck. It’s important you find a doctor who can guide you in a way you’re comfortable with. There are a lot of options and technologies being promoted, and there’s no shortage of people who are ready to offer their best solution. The majority of the time it’s well-meaning, but often it might miss the mark unless there’s good communication between you and the doctor. Meet with qualified, experienced cosmetic surgeons which I think is ideal because they are able to do everything from minimally invasive, to more advanced cosmetic surgery, and can give you an overview based on experience as to what is best for a 36-year-old woman with this issue. I hope that was helpful, I wish you the best of luck, and thank you for your question.This personalized video answer to your question is posted on RealSelf and on YouTube. To provide you with a personal and expert response, we use the image(s) you submitted on RealSelf in the video, but with respect to your privacy, we only show the body feature in question so you are not personally identifiable. If you prefer not to have your video question visible on YouTube, please contact us.

Thank you for your question. I suggest that you move forward and consult with a board certified facial plastic surgeon.
Best wishes,

Hello, thank you for your question and photos. In your case, Plasma Rich Platelets would not seem to be an effective treatment. Your problem lies in the platysma muscle band which can be smoothed out using Botox, which is a purified protein used to relax muscles. This should help considerably, but if not, you may want to look into surgical options such as a neck lift. I recommend scheduling an in person consultation with a board certified facial plastic surgeon and discussing your goals for treatment. Good luck!