Are you tired of wearing scarves and turtlenecks to hide the loose skin on your neck? You might be suffering from “turkey neck”, a condition that causes the skin on your neck to become loose and wrinkled. Turkey neck often happens as we age due to the decreased elasticity of our skin in addition to weak muscles. Thankfully, there are procedures that can significantly decrease the appearance of turkey neck, including a facelift and a neck lift. But which one is right for your needs?
Facelift vs Neck Lift
A facelift is a procedure that addresses skin elasticity in the middle and lower areas of the face. It involves making small incisions behind the ear and pulling the skin and underlying tissue upwards. This helps to correct wrinkles and fine lines around the mouth, jawline, and the cheeks, giving a long-lasting youthful appearance.
A neck lift is similar to a lower facelift, but places less emphasis on the sagging cheeks and laugh lines by focusing solely on the neck. During this procedure, your board-certified plastic surgeon will make incisions further behind your ear and closer to your hairline to remove the excess skin of the neck. This allows the surgeon to tighten your neck muscles and smooth the skin, significantly decreasing the appearance of a turkey neck. This procedure would likely be ideal if you’re wanting to focus more on the areas of your neck and not as much on your face.
Should I Combine A Neck Lift and Facelift?
If you are interested in treating your turkey neck and other areas on your face, your surgeon will likely recommend a facelift and neck lift combination procedure. Having both procedures done at the same time not only cuts costs, but saves you from recovering from multiple surgeries at different times. At your consultation, your surgeon will help create an individualized treatment plan that fits best with your needs.
Author: Dr. Eric Chang
Few plastic surgeons offer Dr. Eric Chang’s rare blend of impressive credentials and genuine compassion. After becoming a board-certified plastic surgeon, he returned to his home state and established Columbia Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, one of the premier cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery practices between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.
