What is a Neck Lift?
A neck lift is used to address sagging skin and neck bands. This procedure uses small incisions around the ears and sometimes under the chin to tighten loose skin. Your surgeon will also repair the underlying muscles to eliminate bands. Your neck area looks smoother and more defined, giving you a more youthful appearance.
Neck Lift vs. Neck Lipo: Which is Better?
Comparing neck lifts with neck lipo means talking about what they are intended to treat. Some people will benefit more from a neck lift, while others will see better results with neck lipo.
Neck lipo works best for people with submental fat but good skin elasticity. If you have a double chin and your surgeon removes the fat, elastic skin will tighten to give you the slimmer, sculpted neck you want. Candidates for neck lipo alone have concerns about submental fat but no major concerns about sagging or loose skin.
A neck lift works better for people with signs of aging, such as sagging neck skin. While mild skin laxity can sometimes be treated with non-surgical methods, more significant sagging will respond better to a neck lift. This procedure also addresses signs of aging, like separated neck muscles that cause the appearance of bands.
Can I Have a Neck Lift and Neck Liposuction?
Many people have a combination of loose neck skin and accumulated fat. As a result, many people benefit from a neck lift that includes neck lipo. During your neck lift procedure, your surgeon will use liposuction as a sculpting tool to give your neck more shape and definition. Combining the two procedures does not increase your recovery time and can give you substantially better results.
A submentoplasty offers an excellent option for many people. This procedure removes excess fat using neck lipo, then tightens your skin with small incisions. Less invasive than a full neck lift, this procedure lets people benefit from submental fat removal without the full recovery time. The best candidates for this procedure have enough laxity to cause sagging after lipo but not enough for a full neck lift.
What is Recovery Like After Neck Surgery?
People who have neck liposuction usually experience bruising and swelling after surgery that improves over the following week or two. People with low-activity jobs can usually return to work within a few days. You can resume most normal activities within two weeks.
People who have a neck lift typically need five to seven days before returning to work. Some more intensive procedures may require up to two weeks. Bruising and swelling fade within a few weeks, and most people can resume normal activities after three to four weeks.
Combining neck lipo with a neck lift does not extend the recovery time. Since the neck lift recovery is typically longer, you can expect to follow that timeline.
