A neck lift operation is a procedure that helps patients with signs of aging in the jawline and neck areas. These procedures are also referred to as lower rhytidectomy in technical contexts.
Neck lift surgeries can treat:
- Loose skin on the neck,
- Excessive fat and skin on the jawline, which causes sagging
- Fatty areas under the chin.
Sagginess of the skin in the neck can be caused due to hereditary factors, environmental conditions, and excessive stress.
What Is a Neck Lift?
Neck lifts are beneficial for patients with double chin or turkey neck problems. Some patients experience this even though the skin in the other areas is firm and healthy. A neck lift alone will help them eliminate this problem in these cases. However, patients often prefer additional operations such as brow lifts, fat transfers, and eyelid surgeries alongside their neck lift operation. This way, they can rejuvenate their entire face and achieve a youthful appearance.
Let us briefly explain what these additional operations do to paint you a better picture.
- Brow Lift: Brow lift operations correct the deeply seated or sagging brows.
- Fat Transfer: As the name indicates, these operations involve transferring the fats around the face. Surgeons transfer fat into the lips and cheeks to add fullness to them and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
- Eyelid Surgery: This operation reshapes aging eyes, giving them youthful and well-rested looks.
Neck lifts, when combined with these procedures, can make a person look a decade younger.
What not to expect from a neck lift surgery
Neck lift surgeries are just restorative procedures. It does not change the actual appearance of the patient. If that is what you are after, you should look into face reconstruction operations that are more surgical.
Neck lift surgeries cannot stop the process of aging. You will look younger after a neck lift; however, the effects of this operation will fade away in time.
At their cores, neck lifts are surgical operations. There are some alternative non-invasive treatments to these surgeries, yet they do not provide the patients with the same results. They may delay the need for a neck lift for some time.
How Can You Prepare for a Neck Lift Surgery?
As a patient, there are some precautions you can take to reduce the chance of any complications.
- Diet and medications
If you are taking aspirin or any other blood-thinning medication, you should stop taking them a week prior to your operation. Otherwise, some complications may occur. It would help if you were careful about what you eat—eating light foods until your surgery date could affect how your body deals with this operation.
- Other preparations
You should also stop smoking before your operation if you are a smoker. Smoking can slow down the healing of your wounds. Besides, smoking is proven to accelerate the aging process. It would be best if you tried to quit it altogether.
Be sure to arrange a ride for your home. You will not be allowed to drive after your surgery because of the effects of anesthesia. For your information, we offer rides for our patients to their accommodation. Serving our patients without going for the easy ways is our principle.
How Is the Entire Process of Having a Neck Lift Surgery?
We will examine the process of neck lift surgery under three titles: before, during, and after the operation.
Before the Operation
You will wait to undergo your surgery. You will first meet with your surgeon, and together, you will discuss your goals and expectations for the surgery. After doing some analyses, your doctor should decide which surgical method is more suitable for you.
Achieving the desires of our patients is essential. Should you choose to have your surgery in our clinics, our surgeons will devise a plan to fulfill your demands.
During the Operation
Doctors will apply local anesthesia once you are ready for the operation. Anesthesia eliminates any chance of feeling pain. After that, your surgeon will begin the surgery.
Liposuction is the most common method in neck lift operations. You will get rid of the excess fat on your neck with liposuction. However, liposuction is not effective against sagging. Your surgeon may apply a different method to correct sagginess.
Stretching the skin is effective against loose skin cases. Your surgeon will cut a small line under your chin. They will pick the skin on your neck, lift it, and carefully stretch it. Once our surgeons get the ideal stretch, they remove the excess skin.
After the Operation
Your doctor will prescribe you some medications.
You will most likely experience some swelling and bruising after your operation. You may have to wear protective items to reduce the chance of any risks.
Recovery Period after Your Neck Lift Surgery
The swelling and bruising we mentioned will worsen after the second day. But they will start to fade away after a few days.
The doctor will remove any bandages and suture them a week later.
Your wounds will have healed by the second week of your operation. However, you shouldn’t do any heavy physical activity until you reach the fourth week.
Avoid contact with water for a few days until your bandages are removed in the follow-up session.
You may experience stiffness in your neck muscles and some numbness during the healing period. That is normal.
You should avoid drinking alcoholic beverages and smoking and limit your stress levels and sun exposure.
If you carefully follow your doctor’s bits of advice, then you should be clear of any complications.
Do Insurance Companies Cover Neck Lift Surgeries?
Most health insurance companies do not cover cosmetic surgeries as they are optional. But you should check it to be sure.
Alternative Procedures for Surgical Neck Lifts
Some people are not a fan of surgical interventions. But some non-invasive treatments could be effective alternatives to surgical neck lift procedures.
Ultherapy
Ultherapy treatments use ultrasound energy to correct sagging, loose skin on the neck. Ultherapy could be it if you seek a non-surgical neck lift treatment. Since these treatments do not require surgery, you don’t have to worry about downtime in the hospital.
Neck Exercises
If you seek a more natural neck lift treatment, you could try doing some neck exercises. Doing neck exercises could improve blood circulation in your neck and tightens the sagging skin.
Planning to Have a Neck Lift Surgery?
Neck lift prices are lower in Turkey when compared to ones in the EU or US. Getting a neck lift in Turkey is reasonable. You can achieve your aesthetic goals and travel at the same time. We can gladly provide further information on the neck lift costs if interested.
