Neck Lift Surgery in Newport Beach

An aging neck is inevitable. Typically, one will start to see the neck bands and/or a double chin. Then loose skin develops and the skin starts to hang down. At this point, one is a good candidate for a neck lift. When it becomes more severe, the loose skin hangs from the chin to the collarbone and there is loss of definition.

Ideal neck-lift candidates are in relatively good health and have realistic expectations. Excellent candidates are non-smokers, since smoking can lead to recovery complications.

Patients who would like to avoid a surgical solution may be good candidates for minimally invasive options such as Botox.

There are three incisions: one under the chin and one behind each side of the ear and into the hairline. The chin incision is a small horizontal one that hides under the chin (submental) crease. The ear incision starts from the earlobe then moves up behind the ear crease then towards the hairline and down and along and into the posterior hairline.

A neck lift primarily treats the neck. A lower facelift, on the other hand, focuses primarily on the jowls and loose jawline and secondarily on the neck. The lower facelift will have additional incisions that travel up in front of the ears and sideburns.

A neck lift is often combined with a lower facelift for optimal results in both the lower face and neck. This combination allows for greater results in the neck than a neck lift alone.

You have a couple options for anesthesia. Dr. Lee at Faceology® MD performs neck lifts and other facial procedures under local anesthesia and oral sedation. You take a relaxation pill and the neck is numbed with a local anesthetic called lidocaine.

This makes patients very relaxed and sleepy. In fact, most patients will drift to sleep during this procedure. Dr. Lee has performed thousands of neck lifts in this manner.

The other anesthesia option is IV (intravenous) anesthesia. Here, we have an anesthesiologist help you drift off to sleep with the help of IV medication. Rest assured, all procedures under any type of anesthesia are performed in an accredited surgical center.

Neck recontouring will take about one hour to perform. This may vary depending on the degree of aging in the region and the specific anatomy of the patient. Also, a male patient’s neck lift will take a bit longer to perform than a female patient’s neck lift.

The acute recovery is typically seven to nine days. You will not be completely healed by this time, but by about a week, enough of the swelling and potential bruising will have gone down that you can be out without anyone noticing.

You are seen one day after your surgery to remove your dressing during a follow-up appointment, then one week later to remove your sutures, and then one month later. You can return to exercising two weeks after your neck lift.