The Ideal Neck Lift Candidate

It’s all too common to focus on the more obvious signs of aging like a heavy brow, sagging cheeks or deep lines around the nose and mouth. These issues can be effectively addressed with a facelift, perhaps the best-known type of cosmetic surgery for those who want to take a few years off their appearance. But just as time and the elements take a toll on the upper and midface, so a loss of volume, loose skin and drooping muscles appear on the lower face and neck. These concerns can take the form of aesthetic issues such as:

• Jowls
• A double chin
• Fullness under the chin (submental fullness)
• Loose skin under the jaw
• Horizontal, banded neck wrinkles
• Prominent platysma muscles between the jawline and collarbone

For clients who show these signs of aging along with upper facial concerns, a facelift alone will not offer the best results. Combining a facelift with a neck lift will nearly always be their best course of action. A neck lift will ensure that the final look is balanced, polished and youthful from the brow to the décolletage. Performing the procedures simultaneously will allow Dr. Huettner to create the most cohesive outcome.

In other instances, clients have had a facelift without a neck lift before and are seeing their neck age more quickly than their face.

Additionally, some patients experience aging more prominently on the neck due to factors like genetics or a face-focused skincare routine. In any of these cases, it may be appropriate to perform a neck lift on its own.

Dr. Huettner performs neck lifts for both men and women with aesthetically optimal, natural-looking results. While patients are typically 40 to 60 years of age, the procedure can be appropriate at any age as long as the client’s concerns warrant surgical intervention and the client is generally healthy. Ideally, neck lift clients will be in good physical health, non-smokers and at or below a BMI of 30.

Dr. Huettner at Manhattan Plastic Surgery NYC will evaluate you, your concerns and your medical history at your consultation and will determine with certainty whether a neck lift is right for you. She may also recommend other options or procedures that will complement your neck lift or offer better results at this time.

The full neck lift procedure follows a few simple steps to sculpt the neck, tighten the skin on the neck and jawline and create smoother contours below the chin.

After the patient is comfortably asleep with anesthesia, small incisions will be made behind each ear and under the chin. Incision placement will be optimized for each patient to avoid readily visible scarring. For patients who are having a facelift performed at the same time, Dr. Huettner at Manhattan Plastic Surgery NYC will typically combine some incisions from both procedures to prevent multiple scars in the same area.

Then, through these incisions, Dr. Huettner can access both the skin and its underlying structures. She may eliminate or reposition pockets of fat that have fallen out of place, particularly those that cause submental fullness or a double chin effect. She may also tighten the vertical platysma muscles that often result in a stringy look along the throat.

Finally, Dr. Huettner will trim away loose or excess skin that causes jowls, sagging or wrinkling at the jawline and along the neck. The skin is then gently pulled taut over the newly sculpted fat and muscle tissue for a smoother, tighter and more lifted look. The sutures used are small and consistent to ensure scars heal evenly with minimal visibility.

Neck lift patients typically require seven to ten days away from usual daily activities. Though most clients feel comfortable without pain medications within a few days, there will be visible bandaging, bruising and swelling for about a week. Most clients prefer to stay out of the public eye until any residual discoloration can be hidden with makeup.

We also recommend waiting a month or so before returning to more strenuous activities like cardio exercise to avoid injury or damage to your results.

Dr. Huettner at Manhattan Plastic Surgery NYC will schedule regular follow-up appointments with you to monitor your recovery process and clear you for certain activities as you heal.

You can expect your neck lift to last several years. And, even as your initial results fade, you will still be able to enjoy younger-looking skin and contours as you age. While cosmetic surgeries like neck lifts cannot stop the aging process, they are designed to turn back the clock and give your skin a fresh start.

As one of New York City’s elite plastic surgeons, Dr. Huettner specializes in highly customized cosmetic procedures. With a small and exclusive patient base, she spends more time one-on-one with every patient to develop a personalized surgical plan – not only a personalized combination of procedures, but also a personalized approach to every treatment. She accounts for each client’s personal preferences, natural appearance, primary concerns and other needs.

For neck lift patients, Dr. Huettner at Manhattan Plastic Surgery NYC will first meet with you at your consultation and talk to you about your aesthetic goals. She will get to know you and your priorities for plastic surgery, and will also evaluate your skin and facial structure to offer her professional opinion on what you may need to get your best results. Then, she will create a plan for your surgery that may include small adjustments to the traditional neck lift process. These adjustments allow her to target your specific concerns, minimize invasiveness and provide results that meet – and exceed – your expectations.