Neck Lift Questions

Healthy individuals with excess fat beneath the chin and neck  and bands created by the neck muscles are best suited for this procedure.  Often this condition is accompanied with skin laxity and droop of the jowls and neck skin.

Dr. Fustok will perform  the surgery  based on the candidates needs and skin condition. The surgery can take between 1 to 5 hours depending on the neck lift technique used and if it is combined with a face lift, brow lift or other facial surgery.

The neck lift procedure is performed largely through incisions concealed  beneath the chin.  Patients with good skin elasticity may also have a suction assisted neck lift technique using tiny incisions under the chin. Patients with mild to moderate neck skin laxity and banding will require a neck lift with a platysmaplasty.  Liposuction or direct fat removal may be performed with this type of neck lift as needed. If there is substantial excess skin and laxity the doctor may prefer to do well concealed incisions in front and behind the ears, tightening the deep tissues and muscles while trimming  and redrapping the skin to achieve a more sculpted and youthful appearance.

4 to 7 days with liposuction only, 7 to 10 days with a neck lift and platysmaplasty, 10 to 14 days with a classical neck lift  and facelift combination

1. The procedure is usually done as an outpatient procedure and you will go home the same day.
2. There is generally  mild discomfort after a neck lift, with  a feeling of tightness beneath the chin from the correction of the platysma muscle. You can expect swelling and bruising after a neck lift for at least two  weeks, and slightly longer with a facelift.
3. A compressive elastic chin and neck strap is often applied following a neck lift with liposuction, and occasionally after a neck lift with platysmaplasty or a classical neck lift; compression is most often maintained for two weeks following neck lift, however it may be longer in selected cases.
4. Numbness can occur around the incision and elsewhere. You may also notice a change in how your face moves, tightness, tingling, sporadic sharp pains, pulling, burning, or cold sensations. These feelings are transient and usually subside within the first few weeks.