Is 38 y.o too young to have a neck lift?

Question

Ive lost a significant amount of weight post pregnancy, that now my neck is looking lax, and im embarrassed by it. I also have a bulging eye bag under one eye only (the side i always sleep on). Would it be worth having that eye bag removed on its own (to me its quite obvious, and i avoid having photos taken now because of it), as i dont really require surgery on my other eye. Could i have both procedures done at the same time? And what would the recovery time be?

Raymond E. Lee, MD · Answer

Thanks for sharing.  The youngest patient i have done and lower face and neck lift was 38 years old.  She also had significant weight loss resulting in loose skin and muscle. Regarding your lower eyelids, usually both eyes are operated on and it would be unusual for one eye but there are always unique circumstances. Eyelid surgery and facelifting can certainly be performed together and would be more cost effective as well. You would likely need 7-10 days off. Please follow up with an experienced board certified surgeon to see if you are a candidate.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

​A combination of non-surgical options like Kybella, PDO NovaThreads, Ultherapy and Thermage would do well in combination for skin tightening for the neck. VASER Liposuction (with ThermiRF, Renuvion and InMode FaceTite) is a great alternative for contouring and tightening the chin and neck and can be combined with a neck lift at the same time, if you're a candidate. I suggest getting a formal evaluation with a cosmetic dermatologist to develop a long-term treatment plan that works for you. Best, Dr. Emer.​

Guy Watts, MBBS (Hons), FRACS (Plast) · Answer

Thank you for your question. Face and neck lift surgery are not constrained to a particular age group. The decision to go ahead with surgery is dictated more by the changes in the underlying supportive structures and overlying skin. Significant weight loss results in excess skin, with time some of that excess skin may contract but for many patients it will persist. Significant weight loss can also result in laxity of the underlying supportive structures of the neck and face. Neck and face lift surgery can help to elevate the deep supportive structures and remove the excess skin. Neck lift surgery can be done at the same time as eyelid surgery. I would book a consultation with a plastic surgeon to discuss your concerns and aesthetic goals.RegardsDr Guy Watts

Ross A. Clevens, MD, FACS · Answer

Dear MissSydney,Age and health are important factors to consider when considering to undergo cosmetic surgery. You should consult a board certified facial plastic surgeon to learn if he/she is capable of doing both surgeries at the same time. My experience with those procedures is that, the Laser-Assisted Weekend Necklift allows minimal recovery time and thus patients are able to receive additional surgery as needed.Sincerely,Ross A. Clevens, MD, FACSClevens Face and Body Specialists

Angela Champion, MD · Answer

You are not too young to have a neck lift especially under the circumstances you described.  A neck lift would address the loose skin you have experienced after weight loss and pregnancy. Typically, you would want to do both eyes, but if at the time of your consultation, your surgeon agrees with you and recommends only doing the one, then yes, one eye or both eyes can be done at the same time as your neck lift. Be sure to consult with a board certified plastic surgeons to learn what your best options are and look at photos of what to expect.  Realistic expectations are important so definitely discuss those with your surgeon. Best of luck! ac

Dino R. Elyassnia, MD · Answer

38 years old is definitely not too young for a neck lift.  You may be a candidate for a short scar neck lift which only involves a short incision under the chin without any skin removal.  Surprisingly, the skin can look tightened simply by treating deep layer problems in the neck and treatment of the platysma muscle.  These maneuvers together create a longer deeper neckline which "takes up" the excess skin producing a virtual tightening of the skin.  The eyelid bag can be removed at the same time and though uncommon, one eye only can be treated if the asymmetry is significant.  The simplest way to accomplish this is with an incision inside the eyelid where fat can be removed.  This is commonly combined with some method to replace fat loss (ie fat grafting) in the groove below the eyelid bag.

William Portuese, MD · Answer

In our practice, a neck lift involves removal of fatty deposits in the neck( above and below the platysma muscle) and a platysma plasty.  A neck lift does not involve skin removal. When there is excess skin removal needed from massive weight loss, a lower face AND neck lift is required to tighten the skin. Eyelid surgery can also be performed at the same time to address one eye or both eyes, depending upon the presenting issues. For more information and many examples of both procedures, please see the video and the link below

Naveen Somia, MBBS, PhD, FRACS · Answer

Yes you can have both done together and the downtime would be about 2weeks.You will need to wear a neck support garment for 6 weeks.38 is not the usual age for a neck lift, but it can be following massive weight loss. If your skin tone is good you will have a nice resultall the best

Ben Talei, MD · Answer

The answer is yes and no.   38 is typically too young if you performed a lift in the standard fashion which would be a SMAS plication or some rendition of that.  Using the extended deep plane technique I have performed patients as young as 27 with incredible success.  The way this is performed is very different from the way almost all other lifts are performed and the results are much more significant especially in the midface.  This can be done awake or asleep with ease.  E news has a segment from my center earlier this week you can see if curious. I'm not sure if there is anyone along the Gold Coast who can perform this procedure as there are very few even in the states.

William Marshall Guy, MD · Answer

Hello MissSydney,The first thing to consider regarding any surgery is whether you are healthy enough for a surgery.  Based on what you described there is no reason you would not be a candidate.  After any form of significant weight loss, whether pregnancy related or possibly following bariatric surgery, then there is a lot of lax skin that remains.  No amount of exercise will improve this look as you have no doubt found.  There really is no limitation on age with regards to either your eye surgery or your neck surgery.  As long as your weight is within 15 pounds of where you think you will be, it would be a good time for surgery.  For the neck if there is extra skin and not a lot of fat then there are two options for removing the skin.  The first (and what I would recommend), is making the incision behind your ears and extending along or in your hairline, tightening the deeper tissues, and excising the excess skin.  The other option is called a direct excision where the incision is right in the midline.  This is an option but I would not recommend it at your age as the scar would be too noticeable.  For your eye if it is just a bag then removing that fat through a transconjunctival (through the pink part below the eye) leaves no external scar and can do a great job.  It would be quite easy and not really add much time to do both surgeries at the same time, provided your surgeon feels comfortable doing them.  I hope this helps and good luck.

Is 38 y.o too young to have a neck lift?

Answers (11)

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