A beautiful neckline is almost essential for an attractive appearance. Thus, it is one of the most sought-after goals for patients seeking advice from a plastic surgeon. You want to ensure that you’re going to get the best look possible – and you want to ensure the neck lift option you’re selecting promotes that look.
Currently, there are many noninvasive or minimally invasive options available that promise improved contour in the neck: botox, liposuction, laser treatments, ultrasound treatments like Ulthera, radiofrequency treatments like Thermage, thread or suture lifts, etc. Although some of these options have merit and can produce small improvements in neck contour, none of them can reproduce the effects of a well-planned and executed surgical neck lift.
The typical patient seeking a neck lift is usually in his or her 40s to 60s; this means the most common neck problems they have, involve skin laxity, muscle laxity (platysma muscle), and accumulation of fat deep to the muscle layer in the neck. This deeper fat is not accessible with simple liposuction techniques. Thus, the only approach that can optimally treat these problems involves an advanced neck lift that focuses on the deep layer problems within the neck.
Why These Non-Invasive Treatments Don’t Address The Problem
Liposuction alone removes only superficial fat in the neck, which is not the primary problem with aging. This can make a small improvement in the contour of the neck in the right patient. However, it is often overdone and leaves a harsh, irregular appearance to the neck which is not youthful. It does nothing to remove deep fat, tighten skin or tighten the muscle layer.
Resurfacing with lasers is limited to improvements in the texture and color of the skin but it will not tighten skin or change the contour of the neck in any way. Any lifting effect is only very temporary.
Ultrasound (i.e. Ulthera) and radiofrequency treatments (i.e. Thermage) are designed to transfer energy deep to the skin layer. At best, they produce a slight tightening effect on the skin, which is mostly short-lived, and they do nothing to address the accumulation of excess tissue in the neck. Also, there is a growing concern that these treatments cause internal scarring that can make a subsequent neck lift more difficult.
Suture lifts (i.e. Trampoline lift) or thread lifts also can produce a small lift but most surgeons have abandoned the idea of lifting the neck with these techniques due to a high complication rate.
Addressing The Problem Requires A Comprehensive Neck Lift
At Dr. Dino R. Elyassnia’s cosmetic surgery practice in San Francisco, CA, we understand how to get the results you’re looking for with a traditional or short scar neck lift procedure. This involves removing deep fat and other excess tissue from the neck, then trimming and tightening the overlying muscle to produce a significantly improved contour. In many patients, this can all be done through a short scar under the chin without any removal of skin. When necessary, scars may be added behind the ears to trim excess skin in those patients with very loose skin. This type of comprehensive approach results in a beautiful neckline that currently cannot be achieved with non-invasive or minimally invasive treatments.