Neck Lift

Over time, the delicate muscles and skin of the neck and lower face are subject to sagging and losing definition. This can result in the formation of jowls along your jawline, the dreaded “turkey wattle” effect, a double chin or wrinkled skin on your neck. These concerns can drastically age your appearance, even if other areas such as your face and chest are still taut and youthful. If you find your self-confidence suffering due to signs of aging on the neck, a neck lift can effectively restore the skin and musculature of your neck with younger-looking tone and tightness.

Dr. Steven Daines performs expert neck lifts for his patients in Newport Beach of Orange County, CA, and the surrounding areas. Dr. Daines is a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon whose expertise lies in the advanced rejuvenation of the face and neck. He is one of the few Orange County plastic surgeons who has dedicated his practice exclusively to cosmetic and reconstructive surgery of the face and neck. If you are interested in creating a naturally slimmer and more supple appearance to your lower face and neck, Daines Plastic Surgery can help make your aesthetic goals a beautiful reality.

What is a Neck Lift?

A neck lift, sometimes referred to as a lower rhytidectomy, is a plastic surgery procedure designed to restore a more youthful, sleeker and tighter appearance to the neck and the area beneath the chin. When signs of aging extend beyond the face and begin to affect the neck and jawline, it can create an unbalanced look that clashes with your facial contours. This is especially true if the neck is aging faster than the face or you’ve previously had a facelift or other procedure done to rejuvenate your appearance.

Neck lift surgery primarily focuses on correcting the loose skin and muscles that create the appearance of a “turkey wattle” or deep horizontal wrinkles along the neck and jawline. While noninvasive treatments can provide temporary results to improve the signs of aging in the neck, they cannot directly address the underlying structures that have begun to weaken or sag and impact your appearance. By retightening stretched muscles, lifting the soft tissues and eliminating excess skin, a neck lift can effectively sculpt new contours that give your silhouette a more youthful look. Excess fat may also be adjusted or removed as necessary to help you reach your goals. If your neck seems to be aging at a faster rate than other areas of the body, particularly the face, a neck lift with Dr. Daines can enhance and refine your neckline to restore a rejuvenated appearance for years to come.

Who is a Good Candidate for a Neck Lift

As with any surgical procedure, patients interested in neck lift surgery should be in good overall health, are nonsmokers and have realistic expectations for what this procedure can do for them. You are likely a good candidate for neck lift surgery if you have excess skin along your jawline, under the chin and around the neck that causes the area to look saggy, heavy or wrinkled. Concerns that are commonly addressed with a neck lift include:

• Sagging skin along the jawline, or jowls
• Fat deposits beneath the chin, or submental fullness
• Loosened platysma muscles resulting in a “stringy” look to the neck
• Horizontal neck bands
• Stretched, excess skin on the neck resulting in a “turkey wattle”

A neck lift can be performed as a stand-alone procedure or paired with additional rejuvenation treatments depending on your unique concerns and goals. Patients who are still satisfied with the appearance of their face may find that a neck lift is all that is needed to enhance their overall appearance. However, a facelift, or rhytidectomy, is often performed in conjunction with neck lift surgery to help patients comprehensively address a wide range of aging concerns on the face and neck. This offers individuals the benefit of a single operation and a single recovery period.

What to Expect From Your Neck Lift Procedure

Your neck lift surgery will be tailored to address your concerns, so the specifics may vary depending on your unique needs, aesthetic goals and facial anatomy. The overall effect will remain the same, however, by creating more youthful contours and eliminating the signs of aging in the neck. To ensure that you feel confident and prepare for your surgery, Dr. Daines will discuss the details of your procedure and what to expect during the consultation process.

Neck lift surgery is typically performed on an outpatient basis under general anesthesia or local anesthesia with heavy sedation, depending on your preference and Dr. Daines’ expert recommendation. A traditional neck lift can take between one to three hours to complete if it is performed as a stand-alone procedure. Any additional aesthetic procedures performed, such as a facelift, will increase the length of your operation as well as your recovery process.

During your procedure, Dr. Daines will create small and discreet incisions that will ensure any visible postoperative scarring is minimal. Generally, incisions are placed behind the natural folds of the ears and within the hairline near the sideburns. A second incision may be placed under your chin, depending on your specific case and concerns. Through these incisions, Dr. Daines may remove fat along the jawline, tighten the platysma muscles into a more uplifted position or redistribute pockets of fat to restore fullness to areas with volume loss. Next, any excess, lax skin will be trimmed away to eliminate the appearance of wrinkles, sagging or jowls. Finally, the skin will be redraped over your neck to restore a sleek and youthful neck contour and sutured into place.

Recovering From Your Neck Lift Surgery

Immediately following your neck lift surgery, you will likely be experiencing some initial tightness and soreness in your neck area. You will also have mild to moderate bruising and swelling visible in your treated areas. Compression bandages can be worn to help reduce residual swelling and speed up the recovery process after your procedure.

Most patients feel comfortable returning to work or other regular activities after about one to two weeks of downtime, though bruising and swelling may still be present at this time. It is essential for your recovery that you keep your head elevated at all times — even while sleeping — and avoid turning or twisting your head fully until your incisions have completely healed. Strenuous activities such as working out will typically need to be avoided for about one-month post-op, or until Dr. Daines gives you clearance to do so. Dr. Daines will provide you with detailed aftercare instructions to ensure you avoid complications and have a smooth recovery.

Your Neck Lift Results

After your neck lift procedure, most patients can expect to see their final results within four months of their surgery as residual swelling diminishes. Incision lines will continue to mature and fade for about six months to one year. Once your full results arrive, you will be able to enjoy a smoother, slimmer and more defined neck contour, as well as a more distinguished jawline. Whether your neck lift was performed on its own or combined with another procedure, you’ll appear noticeably younger with new contours that complement your natural features — Dr. Daines is committed to ensuring that each patient enjoys beautiful, elegant results that never look “pinched” or overdone. 

The results of your neck lift surgery will be long-lasting and should age gracefully with you over time. While no procedure can stop the effects of time, you can prolong the results of your neck lift by maintaining a stable, healthy weight and practicing good skincare habits.

CAN I COMBINE NECK LIFT SURGERY WITH OTHER PROCEDURES? 

A neck lift can be combined with other cosmetic procedures as part of a comprehensive surgical plan to rejuvenate your facial profile. In fact, this often provides the most balanced, natural-looking results by ensuring harmony between the face and neck, creating a smooth jawline that blends in seamlessly with your new contours. Combining surgeries also allow for a more dramatic transformation while saving you time and money — while the procedure itself will take longer, scheduling them together will shorten the overall length of time you spend on the operating table or in recovery by providing the benefit of a single surgery.

The neck lift is most often combined with facelift surgery, but other options include chin augmentation, eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), a brow or forehead lift and facial fat transfer. Each of these procedures on its own will rejuvenate your appearance, but combining them can more effectively address your areas of concern and provide you with enhanced results. If you’re not ready to commit to an additional procedure, nonsurgical techniques like dermal fillers or Botox® can also be combined with a neck lift to temporarily erase the signs of aging in the face, lips or around the eyes.

Depending on your aesthetic goals, Dr. Daines will develop a customized surgical plan tailored to your specific needs and recommend the right procedure (or combination of procedures) for creating the look you want. He understands that your facial structure is highly unique and will take the time to examine your features, listen to your concerns and explain the risks before discussing your options and crafting a personalized treatment plan just for you. Other factors that he will take into consideration include your age, gender, ethnicity and lifestyle to ensure a balanced and proportional result that rejuvenates your appearance while enhancing your natural contours. 

No matter what your surgical plan entails — whether you combine your neck lift with a chin augmentation, facelift or some other procedure — Dr. Daines has the skills, artistry and experience to transform your appearance without losing what makes you unique, using safe and reliable techniques you can count on. 

NECK LIFT VS. KYBELLA

If you’ve considered neck lift surgery, you may have come across Kybella during your research. As a nonsurgical treatment option, Kybella seems like a great alternative for transforming your neck contours and sculpting a more youthful facial profile — and for some, it can be. Kybella is an injectable treatment primarily used to dissolve submental fat and eliminate the full, unflattering appearance of a double chin without surgery or downtime. For those with good skin elasticity and minimal sagging, Kybella is an excellent solution that can permanently banish unwanted fat beneath the chin, but it can’t provide the same dramatic results as a neck lift. 

If you experience additional signs of aging such as loose skin, wrinkles and horizontal neck bands, then neck lift surgery will provide more comprehensive rejuvenation that is better suited to your needs. Unlike Kybella, a neck lift can reshape the underlying skin, muscle and tissues and pull them into a lifted position, sculpting more youthful contours from the inside out. Depending on your concerns, neck lift surgery can also remove excess fat or skin to eliminate the appearance of a “turkey wattle” or double chin and restore lost volume for a smoother, more defined neckline that enhances your facial profile. The result is a sculpted, balanced look that will last for years to come and complement your natural contours.

Depending on your concerns, either a neck lift or Kybella may be able to provide the results you desire. Dr. Daines can determine which approach is right for you during an initial consultation, where he’ll evaluate your needs and goals to make an informed recommendation.

Schedule Your Neck Lift Consultation at Daines Plastic Surgery

If you are interested in neck lift surgery to address your double chin, refine the appearance of your jawline or remove excess skin that has contributed to jowls, it’s time to schedule a consultation at Daines Plastic Surgery in Orange County. Double board-certified Dr. Daines will take the time necessary to explain the procedure in detail and determine how he can address your specific concerns during a personalized surgical approach. To schedule your consultation with Dr. Daines, contact our Newport Beach office today at 949-209-1622.

*Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon Dr. Steven M Daines has written information about Neck Lift that has been carefully reviewed. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us using our form below.