A graceful neckline is the hallmark of youth for many women. Yet, aging, weight loss, and genetics often cause this area to loosen and wrinkle faster than your facial tissues. Lax neck skin, sagging jowls, and a double chin can affect your facial profile and make you appear older than your given age. Unfortunately, these neck concerns won’t respond to diet, exercise, or skincare treatments. Neck lift with renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Galiano in Chicago can restore a smooth, taut neck contour and eliminate the “turkey neck.”
As you age, your skin quality decreases. You start losing collagen in your 20s, and hyaluronic acid and elastin slow down production too. That means your skin is thinner, drier, and less pliable. These changes often appear on the neck first because the skin tissue is more delicate and less protected than the face. Neck lift restores the youthful contours of your neck by removing the excess skin and submental fat and tightening the internal structures for a smoother neck shape.
How Neck Lift Works
The incisions for neck lift depend on the extent of lax skin. Typically, Dr. Galiano makes an incision near the sideburns that follows the ear shape and stretches behind the ear to the lower hairline on both sides. Our plastic surgeon removes skin, fat, and other tissues and redistributes and sculpts the remaining structures. Dr. Galiano tightens the neck muscles and redrapes the skin, trimming away the excess and closing with sutures or skin adhesives.
A second incision is necessary for double chin correction in the submental area to remove the fat via liposuction or excision. A limited incision neck lift is used for mild to moderate skin laxity and restricts the incision around the ear only, but this approach provides less dramatic results.
Your neck and surrounding areas will be swollen and sore for several weeks or months, but you will notice results around two weeks after neck lift surgery. Most of the discomfort, swelling, and bruising resolve around this time, but it may take three to six months for all swelling to dissipate. A healthy lifestyle and sun protection can help you enjoy your neck lift results long-term.
While neck lift surgery can’t stop the aging process, the changes made by the procedure allow you to age more gracefully. The excess fat and skin are gone for good, and while the tissue may stretch and wrinkle again, you will likely look far younger than friends and family your same age.
If you struggle with turkey neck, jowling, or a double chin, schedule a consultation with our board-certified plastic surgeon to discuss neck lift. Contact Dr. Galiano in Chicago, Illinois, at (312) 926-4382.
