A face lift procedure is very common among plastic surgery procedures. Unfortunately, many people forget about the aging of their neck and they don’t look right after a face lift procedure. Their face looks smooth and youthful but they give themselves away because their necks still have wrinkles and show a laxity and lack of elasticity. The ideal procedure for these kinds of people would be a neck lift with face lift procedure. This ideally is done at the same time and gives the person the benefit of a young looking neck and a young looking face. The recovery time is just about the same for each procedure alone so it is worth it if the person has a wrinkly neck.
Where are the Incisions?
A neck lift with face lift procedure includes a cervicoplasty or platysmaplasty, which is the neck part of the surgery. Liposuction can be done along with the cervicoplasty to get rid of excess fat in the area. The surgeon makes an incision in the chin area (below the chin) and sometimes makes another one behind the ears. The incision frees up access to the platysma or neck muscle. Fat removal is then done if necessary and the platysma is tightened. Then excess skin is pulled up and out toward the ears and the excess is trimmed and the areas sutured. Some sutures dissolve on their own and others need removal so ask your surgeon about that.
The surgeon may put in a drain that works to get rid of blood and fluids for the first day or so. The drain is removed when it quits draining and the wound is allowed to heal. The procedure is done under general or local anesthesia but, if it is done as a neck lift with face lift, the procedures are usually done under general anesthesia. A compression bandage is applied after the surgery to keep the swelling down.
The Surgery
Then the face lift is performed. A second incision is made along the temporal hair line and is extended to below the ear. The incision is matched on the other side and the skin is dissected away from the underlying fat and tissue. Any loose muscle is tightened up and the skin is redraped over the face. Excess skin is trimmed and then the area is sutured with clips or sutures. The sutures or clips are removed in about 4-5 days along with the cervicoplasty sutures. All drains should have been removed by that time and the healing can begin.
Recovery
Having a neck lift with face lift takes no longer to recover than for each procedure on its own. The added advantage is that you look more youthful and you don’t give away your age by having a wrinkled neck and a smooth face or vice versa. Like any surgery, however, you need to be prepared. You should avoid aspirin or anti-inflammatory medication for at least a week before surgery. You should quit smoking a month before the surgery and not restart smoking for a month after the surgery. You can’t use nicotine gum or patches, either. You should talk to your doctor about what kind of medications you need to take the day of the surgery and which ones you can forego.
