Is It Possible to Do a Skin-only Lift for Lower Neck?

"These are all natural parts of the aging process. What we can do is try preventative treatments or get a neck lift / face lift earlier in the aging process. There are numerous non-surgical options available, and some can be used in combination to get best outcomes, but you would need a consultation with an expert.

Some options for skin tightening include:

- Thermage radiofrequency to heat the skin, tighten it over time, and prevent the aging process
- Ultherapy high-intensity ultrasound to contract the muscle, tighten the face and neck, and prevent the aging process
- PDO NovaThreads or InstaLift threads for immediate lifting without surgery and long-term collagen production
- Sculptra injections for collagen production to areas of the face and neck with crepey skin or early sagging
- BTL Exilis Ultra, Venus Legacy, and Thermi250 for monthly collagen stimulation with facials
- ThermiRF, Renuvion (J Plasma), or Inmode BodyTite for internal heating and tightening with or without surgery
- Fillers (or facial implants) to contour the jawline and chin to improve the appearance of the neck
- Face lift / neck lift with fat grafting and fillers if you need a significant improvement​

​I would suggest getting a formal evaluation with a cosmetic dermatologist. Best, Dr. Emer​​​​"

Necklifts are designed to remove only deep grooves and #wrinkles, not fine ones. Smoothing out every tiny line in your face would leave you with an eerie, unnatural, and undesirable result. The goal should be to make your necklift look as natural as possible, simply turning back the clock a few years.  #Liposuction is often used during the neck lift if necessary. During your initial examination, your chin will be evaluated along with the neck and jawline. A weak #chin implies a lack of chin support for the skin along the neck line. In younger individuals a chin implant alone is usually all that is needed to improve the appearance of the neck. Subsequently, it will also improve the overall #balance of the face and can create the illusion of a smaller nose. As a stand-alone procedure, chin augmentation can be performed in the office under local #anesthesia. For individuals with signs of #aging in the neck, a chin implant added to one of the recommended procedures above, will provide optimal results.The type of necklift incision will depend upon your gender, your hairline and preferred hairstyles, any scars from previous surgeries, and a variety of other factors.  As a general rule, a #necklift #incision starts right in front of or within the hairline on the temple, follows the curve of the front of the ear, travels underneath the earlobe, and ends at the hairline behind the ear.  There are also shorter #scar techniques preferred by many patients, which do not have incisions in the hairline.  Some patients who wish to have liposuction or tightening of their neck will need an additional incision under their #chin, which can be hidden in a natural skin fold.If you are not a candidate at the time of your #consultation, your board certified plastic surgeon can recommend alternatives to address your concern. Consulting with a board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in #neck lift procedures is important to ensure you are receiving the best advice, care, and surgical experience possible.

The neck lift is typically reserved for those patients with loose neck skin, banding of the muscle and minimal to no jowling. The incisions are behind the ears and just in front of the earlobe. Another incision may need to be placed just under the chin to address the bands of muscle that appear with aging. I am not sure what you mean by skin only, but failure to address the underlying muscle will not lead to a long lasting result.

This is called a posterior neck lift and leaves a scar in the back of the neck. If your hair is long, you may consider the tradeoff as worthwhile. Others may not be happy with a vertical scar in the back of the neck.

The modality to be used to im-prove neck contour  is based on the physical exam. Non-invasive therapies are only useful for minor corrections. Skin only incision are not useful because skin is elastic and will only relax over time. More often than not, the underlying structure (muscle, deep and superficial fat) need to be tightened, some removed and repositioned. This type of lift tightens the neck muscle (platysma) if they are loose or splayed. During this procedure a 3cm incision is made just behind the chin crease and the muscle in the neck is accessed and tightened with sutures in way a corset would be tightened. Chin implant and liposuction can be done through this same incision.

Thanks for the question.  This type of lift carries a high risk of complication with possible injury to nerves in what's called the posterior triangle of the neck.  Also, with skin only lift procedures there is a high incidence of recurrent sagging of the skin.  I would not recommend this type of a procedure to any of my patients.

A neck lift commonly tightens tissue and muscles of the neck and removes excess skin. Neck lift incisions are hidden in natural creases under the chin and around the ears. A neck lift or face lift help smooth the facial skin and restore a youthful appearance. Primary or first-time face lifts must lift multiple layers of the face and neck to have adequate, long-term results. Skin only lifts may be appropriate for minor touch-ups after already having a face lift. Lastly, neck lift incisions placed behind neck are not routinely performed.

Only after a comprehensive evaluating can a face lift plastic surgeon help determine appropriate options for you. Best of luck.

Dr. Chaboki

 

It is certainly possible to only require a skin only neck lift that can be accomplished by only elevating the neck skin from the sides.

I would recommend a neck lift using incisions behind your ears and into the hairline. Skin can be redraped and muscles tightened and fat aspirated, if necessary.  The scars are well-hidden and heal well.

I can assure you that a midline incision down the back of the neck will leave you with loose skin in the front midline of the neck much sooner than a more traditional necklift with incisions around the ears and under the chin.  Also, in almost all patients, unless you do something to tighten the muscles, you won't get the beautiful angular depth you are looking for.  

It is a poor idea for patients to try to dictate their surgery since they have no training or experience.  The best plan is to go to the most highly regarded plastic surgeon in your area and ask them what they would suggest for you.  Remember, you wouldn't tell a pilot how to fly the plane or a chef in a nice restaurant how to cook your meal either.