Is There a Procedure to Remove Loose Neck Bands? (photo)

In thinner patients or after volume removal the bands will be more pronounced as you age.  I as well would suggest making a small incision under the chin and sewing the muscle together to provide you with the results based off your concerns.  If you were quoted for this as a stand alone procedure it does seem a little high.  I would recommend getting a second opinion to compare pricing.  That being said the surgeons work should be taken into high consideration as well.

 

"Injecting soft fillers like Belotero in this area can reduce lines, wrinkles and folds as well as improve skin texture with long-term collagen production. Fillers are being used more frequently to contour and lift rather than solely line fill. Of course, fillers are best used in combination with lasers and microneedling​ with PRP to get the optimal outcome.

I suggest getting a formal evaluation with a cosmetic dermatologist to create an individualized treatment plan that works for you. Best, Dr. Emer"

A lower face and neck lift will address this best and will cost $8000 on the low end. Find
a plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who performs hundreds of
facelifts, necklifts, facelift revisions, and facial procedures each
year. Then look at the plastic surgeon's website before and after photo
galleries to get a sense of who can deliver the results. Kenneth
Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

The bands that you're seeing are related to the positioning of the plastysma muscle below your skin. The treatment for this involves placing an incision under the chin to gain access to the muscle and then sew it together (like a corset). This would imprve the contour in the area.

The $20,000 you were quoted seems a bit high, but your surgeon may have been including different procedures in the plan. In the Seattle area you should be able to get the surgery done in the $6,000- 10,000 range including the anesthesia and operating room fees.

This is your platysma muscle sagging. If you would like to try something simple you can try botox to relax the muscles. 

 The bands are the result of the aging process and are called anterior platysmal bands. They can be tightened up with permanent sutures through a submental incision under local or general anesthesia for much less than $20,000. The  excess skin in the neck  will need to be addressed at the same time once the bands are tightened up, so a lower face and neck lift will probably be required.  If there is loose skin in the neck, a lower face and neck lift will be required.. Please see link below for examples

You would benefit from a platysmaplasty.  The loose bands are coming from the fact that the platysma muscle does not have a natural connection across the midline.  For lack of a better analogy the muscle tends to slowly drift apart from its counterpart and thus you have "banding" start to form.  With having a previous facelift you may be an excellent candidate. The procedure involves an incision under your chin, mobilization of the muscle to the midline, suturing technique and sometimes countouring liposuction.  20,000 is an insane number for that procedure.  I would suggest for more like 5-7 you could have a very successful result and minimal downtime.  Plan about a 10 day recovery and you'd be back in action in no time.  Hope that helps!

These are the inner edge of the right and left platysma muscles. Botox may be an option to reduce them although its use in this area can have some problems and it only lasts about 4 months. Surgery is the more permanent solution and should be dramatically cheaper than you were quoted. In this area of the country a lower face and neck lift as an outatient with a general anesthesia would be less than half of the fee you received.