Question: I am 55 and I feel I look pretty good for my age. Everyone always thinks that I am younger. However, over the past year or so my neck has begun to get really saggy. What are my options for improving the contour of neck?
Answer: Well there are a few options for improving neck contour, one nonsurgical option would be Ultherapy, which is focused ultrasound, which lays down thousands of droplets of thermal energy into the deeper tissue causing new collagen deposition which then tightens and lifts. This creates improvement in the jowls and submental laxity, but overall is relatively subtle compared to surgical treatments. Another option would be an in-office procedure, which I call a mini-lift which is essentially a miniature facelift performed under local anesthesia. Small incisions are made in and around the ear and then the soft tissue of the face is elevated and excess skin is removed. This lifts the jowls and gets rid of the laxity under the chin. A much more advanced and more rejuvenating technique would be a high SMAS facelift with platysmaplasty, which is a very sophisticated facelift technique that not only improves the jowl and laxity under the chin, but also can provide some elevation of the cheek or midface at the same time. This is a very elegant technique that can provide an extremely natural and beautiful rejuvenation of an aging face. Ultimately, I think that you need to seek out a board-certified facial plastic surgeon and hopefully one that can provide sophisticated facelift techniques such as those I just mentioned so that you can ultimately get the result that you desire.
