Admit it, how many times (a week) do you look in the mirror and pull tight the skin around your jaw, chin and neck? And think, if only I could just get this this much tighter here?
Yep, don’t we all. But we don’t all want to have a neck lift ~ surgery makes some of us nervous and it’s an investment. It lasts, yes, but it’s not for everyone. Fortunately, there are a lot of non-surgical procedures to lift and tighten the skin on your neck.
What is a Non-Surgical Neck Lift?
It turns out, it’s usually not just one thing, but a combination of procedures designed to tighten and smooth the crepey, loose skin at your neck and diminish the appearance of neck bands, those horizontal line neck wrinkles that seem to multiply with every decade. (It’s like a tree, just count the rings on my neck to guess my age…).
It’s been my experience that offering several effective treatments ~ for any concerns that my patients may have ~ is the best approach. One size doesn’t fit all. With a range of options to choose from, I have the feasibility to design a custom-made treatment plan for each and every patient, vs. the other way around. Ultimately it leads to better outcomes and, more importantly, happier patients.
Gilly Munavalli, MD, MHS
The menu of non-invasive office procedures has grown quite a bit in the last few years to help give you a much younger looking neck without going under the knife.
What are the Pros & Cons of a Non-Surgical Neck Lift?
PROS:
- Mostly minimal downtime vs surgery
- Average cost is usually thousands less than neck lift surgery
- Lower risk of complications than with surgery
CONS:
- Not for significant sagging or loose skin
- Results are less dramatic than surgery
- Mostly temporary results. You’ll have to repeat procedures to keep things tight. After 5-7 years, your costs may end up the same
What’s Done in a Non-Surgical Neck Lift?
Every one is different, just like everyone is different. You and your doctor will determine what’s best for your specific situation at your office consult with the doctor. Things that can be addressed are:
- Tighten loose jowls & skin under chin
- Decrease or eliminate double chin
- Firm up a loose jawline
- Relax the vertical neck muscles that can become ropey & prominent and pull down on the jawline, making it look slack.
- Diminish neck band wrinkles
Some procedures that may be done in a Non-Surgical Neck Lift:
In order, somewhat, of level of expense and recovery, from lesser to more.
- Botox, Xeomin, Dysport or Jeuveau are all neuromodulaters and can be used to relax the platysmal bands—which are thick, vertical sections of neck muscle that can give the neck a ropey appearance. Turkey neck it’s sometimes called. A neuromodulator like Botox will relax these bands to give your neck a smoother appearance for three to six months.
- Fillers, like Belotero® or Volbella® can be injected into the fine, horizontal wrinkles on the neck to smooth out their appearance. Fillers like these are metabolized over time, and how long this takes varies by individual, but they usually last 12 – 18 months.
- CoolLipo is a minimally invasive laser-assisted lipolysis treatment used for both removing unwanted fat & tightening skin in smaller and/or delicate areas such as the neck & upper arms. It works by using laser energy to liquify the target fat, rendering it much easier to remove than it would be with traditional liposuction. Finally, precisely-controlled heat from the laser is used to tighten & contract the skin in the area where the fat was just removed. In just one quick session, the combination of fat reduction & skin tightening can really make a dramatic improvement. Almost everyone is able to get back to their normal routines in just a few days without much difficulty, and for the vast majority of patients, results begin to show immediately and improve over time with final results evident between 3 to 6 months after treatment.
- CoolSculpting with CoolMini is a completely non-surgical but very effective FDA-approved treatment for submental fullness. CoolMini simply refers to the smaller CoolSculpting hand piece which was developed especially for applying this treatment to smaller pockets of fat. This treatment option has no associated downtime, no needles and very little to no discomfort. The 1 hour treatment works via a process called cryolipolysis, which basically means that the targeted fat cells are destroyed by near-freezing temperatures. Over the next 3 to 4 months, the damaged fat cells are naturally removed by the body – typically resulting in a 20-30% reduction! If further improvement is desired after this time, treatment can be repeated in the same area.
- Genius Skin Laxity Treatment DLVSC is one of the first dermatology practices in the world to offer Genius, a “first of its kind” radiofrequency microneedling device used for treating acne scars and for skin tightening around the jawline & neck. Depending on the size of the area being treated, the procedure could take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. Since Genius is a non-invasive, non-surgical treatment, a series of sessions is necessary for maximum benefit. Generally speaking, the first 2 to 4 days post-treatment require diligent aftercare practices on your part.
- C02 Laser Resurfacing is a procedure that has been used for decades to improve the appearance and quality of the skin. It can help with everything from wrinkles and scars to brown spots and more. It is often used for the face and neck to correct existing signs of skin aging, while also stimulating your own natural collagen production for lasting results. Typically only one treatment session is needed. Side effects & downtime are moderate but will depend on the treatment settings, which are directly influenced by the desired results. Most patients experience redness, swelling & skin weeping/crusting in the treatment area, resolving over the course of approximately 5 to 7 days. The skin may remain red or pink for several months after treatment but is easily covered with tinted moisturizer or makeup. With proper skin care and sun protection, most people enjoy noticeable results from laser resurfacing for several years.
- Profound Skin Tightening Treatment is a radiofrequency device that used for tightening and lifting skin of the face & neck. The device works from within your body to begin a dermal remodeling response, creating more hyaluronic acid and boosting natural collagen & elastin production. Typically, only 1 or 2 treatments are needed. Most patients experience redness, swelling & bruising that resolves over the course of about 7 to 10 days. Social downtime is likely to be around 3 to 5 days due to the potential swelling or bruising you could experience. Some results can be seen soon after but full result can take 3 to 6 months following the procedure as your body continues to heal from within. Lost volume, textural irregularities and laxity will continue to gradually improve over this period of time.
These are just a few of the options available to you which the doctors at DLVSC can evaluate with you at your consult. You can read more about each on their website, and schedule your consult at the office nearest you.
Disclaimer: All information here has been gathered from the practice & its website; you choose your procedures at your own discretion and risk. Scoopcharlotte bears no responsibility for the outcomes, side effects, reactions or other results of any treatment you elect.
