My neck skin has become lax. What can I do to reduce this? (Photo)

Thanks for your question. Skin tightening is best achieved with the application of heat in one form or another, +/- additional mechanisms such as RF micro-needling with heat. There are many devices which deliver heat to the dermis, which acts as a microinjury, thus stimulating the body's healing cascade. The body response is then the development of new collagen and elastin- which produces smoothing and tightening. Great examples of this are Sofwave (micro-focused ultrasound energy) and Morpheus8 (RF micro-needling). To get a greater degree of tightening you need to deliver heat also to the layer under the skin- the fatty layer where we have the "fibro-septal network". Therapeutic heat delivered here provides an even greater degree of tightening and longer lasting results, but there is some downtime and you need to use a probe moving under neath the skin (inserted just through needle pokes, so still non-surgical and we refer to it as "minimally invasive"). A great example of this is the FaceTite procedure. And sometimes we do combinations, such as FaceTite + Morpheus8 to deliver the maximum result possible in a single procedure. That combination is called "EmbraceRF". FaceTite and EmbraceRF require that you wear a compression garment post procedure for 3 days, then at bedtime only for about a week. In the future to prevent recurrence you would simply do maintenance procedures. For example, a Sofwave treatment every 1-2 years is a great "no downtime" option. I hope that helps!

Morpheus 8 is a non-invasive skin and soft tissue tightening treatment that is consistently amazing in our patients. We use the Morpheus to exact fractional induced RF into the skin or tissue in order to tighten collagen and stimulate contraction of the tissue. For acne scars, it is quite useful to build collagen in patients who have atrophic scars but is not very productive for ice-pick scars which require TCA Cross. For tissue tightening, Morpheus is ideal for the face and neck and we often combine it with CO2 laser or Ultherapy to further enhance results. Chemical peels and skin resurfacing should be done at least 5 to 7 days after, but can be performed earlier, depending on treatment severity. Avoid exfoliating skin treatments before Morpheus and expect a period of 2-4 weeks for skin contraction to set in.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

You may be a candidate for FaceTite. This minimally invasive procedure tightens skin using RF technology. General anesthesia is not required as the patient is kept comfortable with local anesthetic. Results can be enhanced by adding Morpheus8 treatments. You can learn more about these treatments by visiting my website or a local provider near you.