Neck Lift (Platysmaplasty) Before And After Photos

You will stay overnight after your surgery so that Dr Hunt’s team can keep an eye on you and to ensure that you have adequate pain relief. The 24 hours after your surgery are the most uncomfortable.

After that you will be discharged with a prescription for pain medication, and instructions to take it very easy for the first 48 hours after you get home.

You should plan on taking up to two weeks off work to allow a full recovery.

To the external eye, we simply see the skin but underneath the skin lies the fat pad of the neck. There are two fat pads, one being in front of the muscles of the neck located under the chin. Below this, the other muscles of the neck, known as the platysma, and deep to this a further deep fat pad. Underlying the muscle with a fat pad is a deeper series of muscles related to swallowing as well as the salivary glands that are located under the jaw line. In different patients, different proportions of fat, muscle and skin will create a less well-defined neckline. It is these structures that are the target of different procedures to address the neck.

Patients will come to me, both male and female, at many different ages seeking a neck lift (platysmaplasty). In a younger patient, it is often due to a disproportionately large fat pad under the chin which can be addressed with liposuction. With the signs of ageing, there can be laxity of the tissue and descent of tissue as well as splitting of the muscles in the midline of the neck. All patients are assessed during a consult. The procedure chosen to achieve an improved neck contour will depend on the patients age and individual circumstances.

Neck Fat removal with Fat Dissolving Injections or Neck Liposuction

In some situations, if a patient is suffering from excess fat deposits in the neck, fat-dissolving injections such as Belkyra can be used. In cases where there is a larger volume of fat, liposuction may well be an option, although liposuction relies on a younger skin type that will contract once this fat has been removed.

Neck lift Surgery or Platysmaplasty

A neck lift (platysmaplasty) will address the deeper muscles of the neck and will involve an incision underneath the chin. During this procedure, the muscles, which are described as the “corset of the neck”, are often brought back together in the midline to support the deep structures.

Often the separation of the muscles happens with ageing and the quality of the skin in these patients is often unable to contract to the new form of the neck so will require removal of the skin and tightening. Removal of excess skin in a neck lift (platysmaplasty) is performed with an incision behind the ear which often then extends down the neckline.

The bulk of neck procedures will involve a surgical technique and for this reason, they are best performed in a hospital. I choose to perform the procedures in a fully accredited hospitals under general anaesthetic given by a fully qualified anaesthetist.

Surgical rejuvenation of the neck can take anywhere from an hour, if only liposuction is required, to a number of hours for a formal neck lift or platysmaplasty. A formal neck lift (platysmaplasty) is often due to signs of ageing and many times, it will be combined with a facelift (rhytidectomy). If having a neck lift (platysmaplasty) and facelift (rhytidectomy), the procedure will take between four and five hours.

A neck lift (platysmaplasty) will rearrange the surgical anatomy of the neck to achieve a more defined contour. Patients will continue to live life and as such, the tissues will continue to age. As tissue is prone to the effects of gravity, in some cases, a revision of a neck lift may be required after 10 to 15 years.

• Blepharoplasty – Eyelid Surgery
• Otoplasty – Ear Surgery
• Rhytidectomy – Facelift
• Deep Plane Facelift
• Brow lift – forehead lift
• Lip lift
• Genioplasty – Chin Surgery
• Lower Facelift – Jowl Lift