Neck Lift Surgery

Neck Lift Surgery is a surgical application used to improve aesthetic problems in the neck area. Aesthetic problems of the neck area are usually caused by anatomical, structural problems and surgical correction of the defective anatomy is required for their correction.

The skin in the neck area is quite thin. There is a thin layer of subcutaneous fat tissue under the neck skin. Exceptionally, the subcutaneous fatty tissue layer may thicken under the chin. Under the neck skin, there is a thin, curtain-shaped muscle called platysma. This muscle starts from the bottom of the neck and rises to the centre of the face and is in continuity with the SMAS layer of the face. Apart from these, the deep muscle structures, salivary glands, deep fat compartments and skeletal structure of the neck region also closely affect the neck aesthetics.

Causes of Deterioration of Neck Aesthetics

Among the reasons for the deterioration of neck aesthetics;

• Loosening and sagging of the neck skin
• Relaxation and prolapse of the platysma muscle in the neck
• Enlargement of the neck subcutaneous fat pads
• Enlargement of the neck submuscular fat pads
• Small jaw skeleton
• Drooping hyoid bone structure
• Enlarged and sagging salivary glands can be counted.

Especially in the advanced stages of facial ageing, the soft tissues on both sides of the face sag and accumulate under the chin. When patients lift their cheeks up, they can observe that the accumulation under the chin and neck and sagging neck skin improves. Sometimes, what patients define as double chin sagging and double chin fat is actually the sagging of the tissues and merging to the midline under the chin.

Neck sagging, jowl formation, loss of the jaw line and neck transition make the person look older and tired. For this reason, one of the basic building blocks of facial rejuvenation surgeries is neck lift or neck aesthetic surgeries.

Who is a Suitable Candidate for Neck Lift Surgery?

Neck lift surgery is suitable for individuals whose aging in the neck area makes them look older than their age. It is preferred that candidates for neck lift aesthetics are healthy, non-smokers and have realistic expectations. People who are considering facelift and who also have neck sagging, neck wrinkles and jowl problems should also consider neck lift surgery during facelift surgery. Otherwise, a young face / old neck picture emerges, which is one of the clues that reveal that the face is operated.

Neck Lift Surgery Techniques

Neck lift surgery is not a single operation, but the common name of a group of operations. During the examination, the physician and the patient decide together which technique is suitable for which patient in neck aesthetics.

Neck Lift via Facelift

Neck lift surgery performed through facelift is the most common operation of neck aesthetics. This surgery is performed simultaneously with facelift surgery. Using the incisions in front of the ear and behind the ear of the facelift surgery, the neck is reached from the side to the midline. The neck skin is separated from the platysma muscle. Looseness in the platysma muscle is tightened with suturing techniques called ‘corset’ technique. Afterwards, the neck skin is stretched sideways and the excess skin is removed behind the ear. This surgical technique is the most effective and ‘low scar’ way to get rid of excess skin on the neck and sagging neck skin. Since this technique can only be performed through facelift, patients with excess skin on the neck should decide very well whether they want neck lift during facelift surgery. Otherwise, you should know that if you change your mind in the future and want to have a neck lift surgery, facelift surgery scars will have to be repeated and the cost of surgery will increase.

Neck Lift via Under Chin

In this approach, a 3-4 cm incision is made under the chin. Through this incision, subcutaneous and submuscular fat tissue under the chin can be excised. Platysma muscle is separated from the skin. The platysma muscle can be shaped with suturing techniques. In summary, it is a procedure for shaping the muscle and fat tissues under the skin. After the procedure, the neck skin is expected to adapt to the new neck contour. This technique is suitable for young patients, especially for young men. This technique is not suitable for older patients with loose and sagging skin. Since excess skin is not removed, folds, wrinkles, bands and unwanted shape changes can be observed in the neck skin. In male patients in whom we perform neck lift via under the chin, we often prefer to place a prosthesis on the chin tip in order to balance the volume deficiency caused by the fat tissue removed from the neck.

Deep Plan Neck Lift

Deep plan neck lift surgery can be considered as an extension of deep plan facelift surgery to the neck. During deep plan facelift, we proceed under the SMAS layer of the face. When we follow this separation plane towards the neck, we proceed under the platysma muscle in the neck. When we hang the SMAS layer upwards in facelift surgery, this pulling force is transmitted to the neck thanks to the platysma muscle and the neck/under the chin is stretched like a hammock. This technique is suitable for individuals between the ages of 40-50 who are in the early stage of facial ageing, with relatively thin subcutaneous fat tissue in the neck, prominent neck bands, limited skin surface ageing and low skin laxity.

Neck Lift Shaping Deep Neck Structures

During neck lift surgery, growths in the deep muscle structures in the neck, growths and sagging in the salivary glands under the chin, fat growths under the platysma muscle, hyoid bone problems that determine the neck angle can be corrected. Failure to correct these problems in patients with problems in deep neck structures will lead to incomplete neck lift surgery results. However, shaping of deep neck structures requires a more comprehensive surgery and advanced surgical experience and is more risky than classical surgical approaches in terms of complications.

Open Midline Neck Lift

It is a technique used in patients in the advanced age group with advanced neck skin sagging. The skin is removed by cutting from the midline of the neck and a vertical incision remains visible from the outside. It is rarely used in cases where excess neck skin and sagging neck skin cannot be corrected with classical techniques.

Liposuction Only

The neck can also be shaped only with liposuction (fat suction). Fat is removed through 2-3 millimetre holes under the chin and a corset is worn for a week after the procedure. The procedure can be performed under local anaesthesia. One of the basic principles of plastic surgery is that the skin can stretch unlimitedly but can recover very limited. In weight gain processes, the fat tissue under the neck and chin can grow and stretch the skin. When we remove the fat tissue with liposuction, a relative abundance occurs in the skin. This abundance makes the skin look saggy and unwanted folds and wrinkles may occur. This excess skin can be especially evident when you turn the face left and right.

Liposuction is also an inherently imperfect procedure and always leaves behind roughness. Liposuction should be performed in very small amounts, with very thin cannulas and only in young patients in patients with double chin fat, fat under the chin and fat on the neck. Aggressive application of the procedure may cause problems that can only be solved with face and neck lift surgery. In case the skin adheres to the muscle and scarring occurs on the skin, roughnesses that cannot be solved even with surgery may occur.

Liposuction + Chin Tip Advancement

We have mentioned that we perform liposuction in young patients and in a very conservative manner. Even in this patient group, the fat removed creates a loosening of the skin. Adding the volume removed from under the chin and the jowl area to the tip of the chin allows the total volume to be distributed without reducing it. For this purpose, the fat taken from under the chin can be transferred to the chin tip, or the chin tip can be advanced by placing a prosthesis on the chin tip or by genioplasty (jawbone advancement) surgery.

Neck Lift Surgery Preparation and Postoperative

During the preparation process for neck lift surgery, you should inform your doctor about your medical history, allergies, smoking and drug use. Complications of this surgery increase in patients who smoke. Neck lift aesthetic surgery is performed under general anaesthesia. After neck rejuvenation surgeries, we usually use a drain to drain the blood and fluid accumulation in the surgical field. After neck lift surgery, corsets that allow the skin to heal in accordance with the new neck contour can be used. Drains are removed in 2-3 days and sutures in 5-7 days. It is expected to have swelling and bruising after neck aesthetics, and bruises decrease within 7-10 days at a level that you can return to social life. After neck lift surgery, you can return to social activities after 2-3 weeks of rest.

Alternatives to Neck Lift Surgery and Additional Treatments

There is no non-surgical alternative to neck lift surgery. In cases where the platysma muscle in the neck is hyperactive and pulls the face down, neck botulinum toxin can be applied as a preventive measure. It is important to obtain a smooth neck surface in neck lift surgery. Unfortunately, thread neck lift techniques give results that are far below what can be achieved with surgeries and cause dissatisfaction. You should know that technological devices introduced under the name of non-surgical neck lift do not give results comparable to surgery. The alternative to neck lift surgery is not to have surgery and to settle for the current situation.

In neck aesthetics, there are some applications that we use in addition to neck lift surgery. The most prominent among these is chin tip aesthetic procedures. Chin tip aesthetics makes the results of neck lift surgery more prominent.

Neck lift surgery is usually performed as a whole with facelift surgery. This combination increases the effectiveness and naturalness of both surgeries separately.

Neck Lift Surgery Prices

Surgery prices in neck aesthetics vary according to the type of procedure, the hospital and the experience of the doctor. Another factor that determines the prices of neck aesthetics is whether it is applied to the chin tip. Neck lift prices can also be affected by other accompanying surgeries. You can contact us at the contact number to get information about the average prices of neck aesthetic surgery.

For more detailed information about Neck Lift Surgeries, you can access www.yeniyuzyenihayat.com, which is one of the most comprehensive Turkish resources on the internet in the field of face and neck aesthetics, created by Assoc. Dr Ozan Bitik by clicking on the BLOG section of our website.