Necklift

Our face and neck area sees the signs of ageing long before the eyes in many cases, and droop neck skin is not only noticeable, but notoriously hard to improve without surgery. If your skincare is no longer holding back the hands of time, and your neck skin is becoming increasingly more delicate, sagging or wrinkled, you might find necklift surgery is the best option for you.

The muscles in the neck gradually loosen, which in turn leads to the slack skin and sagging look otherwise known as ‘the turkey neck’. It’s not uncommon, but it’s hardly a desirable look either. A necklift can reverse these complaints and is frequently performed in combination with other facial rejuvenation surgery, including a facelift.

The necklift - also called a platysmaplasty - is designed to tighten loose and drooping skin on and around the neck, whilst removing fatty deposits from the neck, jaw area and jowls too. As a general rule, neck lifts are more suited to those aged 45 and over, whose platysmal muscles have started to weaken, however, sometimes younger people develop fatty and sagging tissues due to genetics, so it’s worth booking a consultation to find out if a necklift can help you.

During a necklift procedure which is performed by Mr Ahmed under general anaesthetic an incision will be made on either side of the face; from just in front of the ear, extending behind the ear and will run through the hairline. A small incision is made under the chin also. The muscles are assessed before being tightened where necessary. Any excess fat from the neck is removed either by liposuction or surgical excision before excess skin is removed. The incisions are closed with stitches and a bandage applied. The stitches are removed usually day 7 post-surgery.

You can usually return to work 2-3 weeks after neck lift surgery, but it’s important to let yourself recover. Any pain can be managed with paracetamol and you should expect some swelling and bruising. Since the incisions are made behind the ears, with necklift surgery the scarring is usually kept to a minimum.

The effects of a necklift are long-lasting. Of course, as with any form of facial rejuvenation surgery, you will continue to age, but this form of surgery will help you maintain a more youthful appearance to the area for longer than if you didn’t have a necklift. The skin is tightened, giving you a more defined neckline and, because the skin is stretched to be more firm, wrinkles can be smoothed out to some extent.

As with all cosmetic surgery, there are some risks and side-effects associated with a necklift. Aside from bleeding and swelling, you may experience some initial tightness to the neck skin. Numbness to the treated area is also sometimes reported, however, in most cases, this gradually decreases and returns to normal.

A full consultation with Mr Ahmed would be needed to measure the skin’s elasticity and work out which course of treatment is most suitable. In some cases, a combination of rejuvenation treatments will be suggested to get the most satisfactory result possible.