Necklift and Muscle Tightening Without an Incision Under the Chin - Is This Possible?

A necklift is not a singular procedure with a singular #method, but rather is an umbrella term describing a large range of operations with varying #incisions and skin-lifting #techniques, which have been developed and improved upon over the years.  Your board certified plastic surgeon will be familiar will be able to pair you with your perfect match of surgical approach based on your skin type and desired 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.
The #scars will mature within six to twelve months from the surgery date. It is during this time that the rejuvenating effects of the facelift will become apparent and the real result will be seen. We find that scar reducing product, BioCorneum , appears to be very effective. If you have certain concerns about the procedures and #healing process, it is recommended to call your board-certified surgeon or their medical staff and discuss those #concerns.

The appearance of the neck is a combination of skin, muscle, fat, and bone primarily. Each patient has unique anatomic variations. Younger patients primarily have a excess neck fat or inadequate bone, which contribute to a soft, underdeveloped neck. Older patients more commonly have excess, sagging neck skin and muscle.

Potential options to improve the neck & jaw line without an incision or surgery including Botox Cosmetic or neck liposuction. Some patients may benefit from a lower face lift with an incision around the ears, but without an incision under the chin.

Incisions under the chin are very well tolerated by patients. It's hidden from view and blends with the natural crease. Incision in this area may be required as part of a lower face lift or neck lift, or chin augmentation with implant. Incisions are very small, typically less than a couple centimeters.

Only after a comprehensive evaluation by a plastic surgeon specialist can he/she help determine appropriate options for you.

This is all a matter of terminology. Muscles can be suspended or repositioned without necessarily tightening. The neck muscles, namely the platysma can be repositioned by pulling them superiorly and laterally with a neck lift accomplished via the MACS lift technique using a very small incsion under the chin and larger incisions behind the ears.

The modality to be used is based on the physical exam. Non-invasive therapies are only useful for minor corrections. 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.

The submalar incision is very small and is not noticeable after healing occurs. I don't know why a patient would prefer facelift incisions, which are longer and more likely to be noticed to an incision under the chin, which is less than an inch long. To get to the platysma bands, you do need the sub mental incision.

If you have significant neck bands centrally, you will have to have a midline submental incision to treat them properly.

Neck aging is extremely variable. From slight skin excess or prominence of the platysma muscle bands to the the extreme "no neck", "turkey neck" etc. Mild forms of aging can be treated with SCITON's SKINTYTE (google it or look it up on YouTube) and muscle pillars can be nicely smoothed with expert Botox applications. I use both in my practice with pleasing results. For the more advanced cases, a surgical procedure is needed if the outcome is to be pleasing.

Generally, agressive improvement in the neck requires attention to excess laxity of skin and the platysma muscle.  The plastysma muscle is a very thin muscle that runs all along the chin and jawline to the collarbone.  With the incision under the chin, the surgeon can suture the middle portion of the platysma together creating a corset to tighten the central neck.  The platysma does run almost all the way to the ears.  So commonly, the surgeon can also elevate the muscle , pulling on the platysma laterally to suture it to a higher position giving a tighter look.  Depending on your physical exam and your desired results, you can discuss with your surgeon which approach or combination of approaches work best for you.

A necklift certainly can be done without an incision under the skin.  Using the standard facelift incisions around the ears, the muscles can be pulled back, fat suctioned, and the skin tightened.  However, if the muscles have a visible separation under the chin and/or there is a great deal of fat below the chin, more will need to be done.  A very small incision in the crease below the chin allows the muscle separation to be closed, the muscles tightened, and the excess fat removed.  The results will be fabulous and the scar not noticeable.  Let your doctor recommend what will be best for you. 

Occasionally, with someone who is young and has only excess fat, liposuction of the neck will be all that is needed. This does require a very tiny incision under the neck, however. Neck lifts, otherwise, are usually a part of a Facelift. When done with one of the modern techniques, such as the MACS Lift, the ligament from the ear to the posterior edge of the muscle is reconstructed and the muscle is tightened without the incision under the chin in up to 90% of cases. The advantage of this technique is that you also correct the problems in the lower face that are always present with the neck deformity. The procedure is also no more involved and has no longer recovery than a neck lift alone. If you choose a neck lift alone, however, to achieve a significant, long lasting result, an incision under the chin is almost always required.