What type of incisions can I anticipate with a neck and facelift procedure? (photo)

You can anticipate a 2 inch incision under the chin in the submental crease. You can also anticipate incisions hidden along the sideburn, the front of the ear, and down around the ear into the back of th neck. hairline. All of these incisions are so well hidden after they heal that they should not be noticeable after 1 year. I would recommend seeing a board certified or board eligible plastic surgeon with aesthetic surgery training/experience who can perform a full exam and provide safe recommendations.

Typical incisions for a facelift or necklift run in front of the ear, following the natural curves, behind the ear cartilage and then around the back of the ear and down the hairline. For the neck, an incision under the chin hidden in the natural crease is often needed. I would discuss specifics related to your surgery with your surgeon, however.

Greetings, and thanks for the question. This is a common one we get in clinic. The majority of facelifts have incisions that are designed to provide access to the areas at and below the ears down to the area of the adams apple. Modern incisions are designed to blend into natural transition points/skin tension lines. I typically place them at the base of the hairline in front of the ear, then blending into the transitional zone along the front of the ear and ear canal before wrapping around the earlobe and forming and upside down U hugging the back of the ear until following the hairline behind the ear. By putting the incision at the border of all the hairlines, skin can be removed as much as necessary without creating a hairline "step-off" anywhere. This incision provides access to the skin and muscle that will be resuspended to eliminate jowels and the lateral loose neck. The other incision is placed in the wrinkle just below the chin. This incision provides access to tighten the loose central neck. Just as important as the location of the incision however is the type of facelift. Skin heals best when there is no tension on the incision and this is achieved with a deep plane facelift. The skin is left connected to the underlying muscle, which does the actual holding. With optimal placement and a deep plane approach, the incisions are usually not noticeable after 2-3 months.