Age: Liposuction of the Neck
Treatment decisions about neck problems can be very diverse as the problem often involves the underlying muscle as well as excess fat, weak chins, and poor skin quality. In my hands, I prefer liposuction of the neck when the patient is generally young with good quality skin. At times, opening the neck with an incision under the chin is preferred because I can remove fat that is below the muscle that can’t be removed with liposuction alone. This helps to flatten the fullness in the submental area (immediately beneath the chin). I can also tighten the muscle and place a chin implant if needed. Notice not only the reduction of fullness immediately beneath the chin but also the improved definition of the mandibular border. This is a great procedure in general because the procedure is relatively minor and the results are quite impressive.
Age: 51 Neck Lift
This female patient desired improvement in the neck and lower face area. She has the appearance of a prominent chin, loose skin below her neck, and large jowls.
She is seen here five months after a full neck lift with liposuction of her jowl fat and placement of the fat in the indent between her chin and her jowls in order to make for a smooth, well defined youthful jawline. The neck muscles were tightened and the loose neck skin was removed from the incision behind the ears. She is pleased with her results, more so after she was able to see the photos of the improvements in a side-by-side comparison.
Age: 56 Neck Lift and Neck Liposuction
This is a 56 year old female that is 5’2″ and 150 pounds who was interested in neck improvements. She told me that the neck that she has is something that runs in her family. You can see in the pre-operative photos that she has fullness in the neck, no neck angle, and no jawline, per se. It appears as if her face runs into her neck, lacking a boarder to distinguish the two anatomic regions.
We discussed options at length. Focusing on the neck solely, we have several alternatives:
1. She can do nothing and she can live with what she has.
2. I can perform liposuction on the neck alone.
3. I can do a full neck lift with an incision beneath the chin, behind the ears, and in the post ear hairline behind the ear.
4. I can do an anterior neck lift with liposuction.
These alternatives get us to different endpoints. Liposuction alone will be of benefit if the skin is good. It must spring back and have excellent elasticity. A full neck lift is good but the incisions are more extensive and the recovery is longer. A limited anterior neck lift requires relatively good skin as in a liposuction candidate, but is better because the fat beneath the neck muscle can be treated as well and this often makes a huge contribution to the neck improvement.
She elected for an anterior neck lift with liposuction of the neck. She is seen here in her post-operative photos about eight months after surgery. There is a significant improvement with some minor irregularities (as I expected). This suited this patient well, as she enjoys the tremendous benefits obtained with minimal incisions, cost and recovery. Not every procedure needs to be a “home run.” Sometimes patients are perfectly satisfied with a triple or double.
Age: 37 Liposuction of the Neck
This woman complained of fullness under her chin. We considered her to be a good candidate for liposuction because she is relatively young with good skin, had no neck muscle banding and had a strong jaw line. The procedure was performed under local anesthesia. The “after” photos were taken at four months post-operatively.
Age: 70 Neck Lift
This woman wanted improvements in her neck. She has a weak chin and a full neck. She had a previous face and neck lift performed elsewhere. We performed liposuction of her entire neck and a full neck lift (removal of fat below the muscle and contour of the neck muscle). It is more difficult to obtain ideal results on a thick full neck; but in this case there is a very significant improvement in the area below her chin. Overall, she has a more youthful appearance.
