Back in the day, aging was considered inevitable. The best option people had was to embrace their aging and say goodbye to their youth gracefully. Today, thanks to dedicated surgeons like Bruce B. Kadz, options are available to help us look and feel our best for as long as we possibly can. Here at Kadz Plastic Surgery in Beverly Hills, CA, our neck lift treatment is just one of the things we improve the lives of our patients with.
When plastic surgery first stepped into the limelight, it was very rudimentary. It was mainly focused on fixing birth defects or imperfections that would seriously affect a person’s ability to live everyday life. Plastic surgery has evolved immensely since then, however, and we now offer countless ways to keep patients feeling good in their skin, enhancing their natural beauty, and tackling imperfections. Now people can seek plastic surgery as a way to enhance their confidence and defeat negative self-consciousness.
Who Is an Ideal Candidate for This Procedure?
While we’ll go over the specifics of your candidacy during your consultation with us, there are a few generalized things you can use to determine your own candidacy prior to giving us a call. Any adult who is relatively healthy and does not partake in heavy or prolonged smoking and drinking is a perfect candidate. Anyone who does not have any chronic illnesses or conditions that require them to be on certain medications is also an ideal candidate.
You might consider this treatment if you don’t like the appearance of your neck, whether that be because of excess fat, extra skin, or a stretched-out appearance. Those with undefined jawlines, wrinkles/fine lines on the neck, or the dreaded “turkey neck” are exactly who we are looking for. Those who have undergone separate anti-aging facial treatments may seek out this surgery to even out their appearance so that their neck matches their face.
Who Is NOT an Ideal Candidate?
Our treatment is for just about anyone, and the most common reason someone might be exempt from this surgery is that they can’t take the time off of work to schedule the appointment. Besides that, those with unhealthy tissues who lack proper laxity in the skin of their neck will not be ideal for this treatment. Those who are taking blood-thinning medications or have blood that clots too much or not enough may also need to consider this treatment carefully.
What Causes Loose Neck Skin in the First Place?
There can be a few different underlying causes, but by far the most common one is the natural aging process. The layers beneath our skin are filled with proteins called collagen that help our skin stay elastic and wrinkle-free. As we get older, our skin experiences something called “laxity,” when our bodies slow down their collagen production. This is why the skin begins to sag and we can start seeing wrinkles.
Other than aging, genetics is the second-most common reason our patients seek out this treatment with us. Some people are naturally genetically predisposed to excess neck fat and loose skin, even from ages as young as 30. Workouts and diets can make fat disappear from other areas of the body, but most people find that these lifestyle changes don’t target the problem area.
Neck Lift 101: What You Need To Know
What Does a Lift Entail?
The goal of the procedure is to diminish signs of aging and tighten the skin of the neck to give the face an appearance of youthful contouring. The surgeon will begin with an incision and will get rid of or redistribute fat, trim away excess skin, and restructure the tissue within.
Lower Rhytidectomy
This is the term for a specific target of the neck lift procedure. A lower rhytidectomy focuses on removing the appearance of jowls, sculpting the jawline with better definition, and removing stubborn chin fat. This procedure aims to enhance the neck’s natural contours by removing a portion of the platysma, which is the neck’s main muscle. A lower rhytidectomy also involves tightening the neck’s loose skin.
Platysmaplasty
This particular procedure focuses more exclusively on the neck by working to enhance it. A platysmaplasty does not involve the removal of chin fat, but rather only removes fat from the neck itself. Similar to the lower rhytidectomy, the platysmaplasty procedure also solves the problem of tightening up loose neck skin.
How Quickly After My Session Will I See My Results?
You will begin to notice the results of your treatment in the weeks that follow your appointment. The skin will relax and heal over the next four to six weeks after your session. You’ll be able to see the full extent of your improvements a few months after your appointment, once the incision sites diminish and the skin settles into its new wrinkle-free positioning.
The longest it might take for you to see the full benefits of your surgery is about six months, and you should continue to see gradual improvements each week or so leading up to the half-year mark.
How Long Will My Results Last?
We make sure that our treatment is as permanent as it is possible to be. That’s why our patients regularly report enjoying their benefits for an average timeframe of ten to fifteen years! Your personal timeline may be longer or shorter depending on the extent of your treatment, your body’s responses to the surgery, your age, and your everyday lifestyle choices.
Can I Do Anything To Make My Results Last Longer?
There are quite a few things you can do to make sure you maintain your benefits far past the ten-year anniversary of your surgery. The obvious ones are to keep your body happy with ample hydration, trade junk food for fruits and veggies, maintain a balanced diet full of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, and don’t be shy with sunscreen, especially during the hot hours of 10 AM to 2 PM.
The lesser-known things you can do involve adding an anti-aging serum to your daily skincare routine and staying mindful of your posture. Anti-aging creams don’t solve any issues on their own, but they are great for maintaining results from your neck lift surgery and giving your skin the moisture, collagen, and hyaluronic acid it needs to maintain youthfulness for longer. Your posture is important because neck bands can develop the more you strain your neck by bending it forward.
Your Neck Lift Appointment: What To Expect
Your Consultation With Us
When you meet with us for the first time, we’ll go over your health at the time of your appointment with us as well as the history of your health to determine your candidacy. We’ll discuss your goals for treatment and talk through what plan of action is best suited for your unique needs. We will map out a timeline of what you can expect once your treatment begins, including the specific steps we’ll take for your neck lift procedure.
Your Pre-Treatment Preparation
We’ll go over the specifics of what’s expected of you during your consultation, but there are a few general things you can be aware of prior to your first appointment with us. Because the treatment requires incisions, we usually ask our patients to avoid alcohol and nicotine products for three months before their surgery. It’s best to schedule your surgery several months after you’re done with any prescribed antibiotics or other medications that can cause the blood to thin.
At your consultation, we’ll discuss whether local or generalized anesthesia is best for you. If you choose the latter, you’ll need to avoid eating for eight hours prior to your appointment time. Be mindful of your regular eating habits and ensure that your appointment isn’t scheduled to interrupt any meals.
Post-Treatment Advice
As the skin heals and swelling goes down, we advise our patients to take it easy on their jaw/neck area in the weeks that follow their appointment. We typically also advise refraining from overly strenuous activity for a while following treatment, as too much strain can cause the incision sites to take longer to heal. We also tell our patients to avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, as the skin is sensitive after the surgery.
Bringing Back Your Youth Is Within Reach
Embrace the modern-day plastic surgery options available to you and rejuvenate yourself from head to toe. Our office has helped thousands of people fall back in love with themselves. Dr. Bruce Kadz has had decades of experience improving the lives of everyone who walks through our doors. Call us today here at Kadz Plastic Surgery in Beverly Hills, CA, and take the first step toward a refreshed quality of life.
