NECKLIFT (Platysmaplasty)

Necklifts or neck improvement surgery can be performed for numerous problems.

Fatty necks (liposuction)

Fatty necks, with fairly good skin are best improved with liposuction. I have performed a great number of these procedures with excellent results. The scar is a very small 3mm scar under the chin. The down time is minimal and the area takes a few months to settle completely.

Platysmaplasty

If one has not too much loose skin but just platysmal bands, a platysmaplasty which means the approximation of the platysma muscle responsible for the bands is approximated in the midline with some wider undermining of the skin. This leaves a well hidden 4cm scar under the chin crease.

Platysmaplasties are often performed in conjuction with a facelift if there is too much skin over the neck as then the loose skin of the neck and face can be corrected at the same time.

Anterior cervicoplasty

If there is a lot of loose skin over the neck there are 2 ways in which to correct this loose skin. These 2 ways are letter with an anterior cervicoplasty or a facelift with or without a platysmaplasty.

The way to decide between these 2 methods is that if you do not want to change the appearance of your face at all then an anterior cervicoplasty is the way to proceed. With an anterior cervicoplasty you will need to accept a vertical line scar down the front of your neck. This is a good scar. This technique is the most efficient way to deal with loose and poor neck.

An alternative way to correct the skin over the lower neck is to hid the scar over the posterior hairline. This cannot correct loose skin under the chin/jawline area but can improve the skin over the lower neck.

If you need your sagging face taken care of and you are not happy to accept an anterior neck scar (scar in front of the neck), then you will need a facelift with or without a platysmaplasty or liposuction to the neck. In this way both the face and neck can be corrected including hiding the different scars.

In my experience the small scar is very well accepted.

In people who do not wish to accept the scar, a necklift can be performed by excising skin from the posterior hairline starting behind the ear and extending along the hairline down the posterior aspect of the neck. This will usually improve the skin of the neck below the neck crease.