Facelift vs. Neck Lift

When deciding between a facelift and a neck lift, it is important to take into consideration the signs of aging that are becoming more prominent and your ideal appearance. While both of these procedures are perfect remedies for wrinkles, fine lines, and volume loss, one might be more beneficial than the other in achieving your desired look. So, it is important to have a trusted and trained plastic surgeon to walk you through which procedure –if not both– would suit you best. No other plastic surgeon in the Fayetteville area is more qualified than Dr. Saira H. Saini. As a board-certified plastic surgeon in both reconstructive and cosmetic surgery, Dr. Saini has the skills, knowledge, and expertise necessary to choose which procedure is best for you and your ideal aesthetic. If you would like to learn more about your personal neck lift or facelift, please schedule a personal consultation at our Fayetteville, North Carolina offices. Here, we will be able to examine your face and neck and determine which approach can restore your youthful glow. If you would like to reach our front desk directly, please call (910) 323-1234.

Neck & Facial Aging

Although everyone ages differently, there are some common causes of wrinkles, fine lines, and volume loss in the face and neck. Understanding how these natural causes occur can help you in deciding which procedure is better for you. 

Aging In The Neck

Skin tissue contains collagen fibers inside its structure. When we’re young, these collagen fibers are healthy and readily restored with new collagen molecules to keep the fibers tensile and flexible, warding off wrinkles, fine lines, and folds. This is why our skin has a smooth, radiant glow when we’re young. However, as the fibroblast cells responsible for replenishing our collagen fibers weaken, other factors like unprotected exposure to UV rays, an imbalanced diet, and stress diminish our skin’s youthful vibrancy.^[1] As we continue to age, areas with unprotected and prolonged sun exposure – like the neck – wrinkle and crease quicker. For some of us, by the time we are in our forties, the skin around our neck can appear loose and wrinkled. While proper skincare and moisturizing can keep these signs of aging at bay, they can’t do so forever. Like wrinkles and fine lines around the neck, another common sign of aging is volume loss. Volume loss in the neck is due to the gradual depletion of subcutaneous fat just under the jaw,^[2] which can cause the skin to appear thin and loose.

Aging In The Face

Much like the skin on our neck, wrinkles and fine lines form on our faces due to age-related collagen loss, sun exposure, and improper nutrition. But unlike the neck, certain signs of aging like volume loss in our face can be heavily attributed to bone resorption. As we age, our facial skeleton continues to grow vertically and horizontally – even well past childhood.^[3] To maintain healthy bones, our body supplies collagen and elastin to aid in this growth. But, as collagen production wanes, our bones weaken and slowly depress inwards. While it does occur in men during andropause, this process is invigorated by an uneven distribution of estrogen, so bone resorption is much more pronounced in post-menopausal women.^[4] Common areas to see the most facial volume loss is in the middle third of the face –just under the eyes– and around the jaw, resulting in under-eye bags, sunken cheekbones, and jowls hanging off the jawline. 

About Necklift

To combat the excess skin and volume loss around the neck, Dr. Saini utilizes a neck lift to pull the loose skin taut and reposition any lax musculature. She begins with a submental (under the chin) incision. Then, she will undermine the skin and muscular structures within the neck. From here, Dr. Saini will adjust the musculature and remove any unnecessary fat deposits, so the neck appears smooth and contoured after the procedure. This may be combined with incisions carefully concealed around the lower hairline. Next, she will gently pull the skin up and back. Once she has achieved the desired appearance in your neck, she will carefully excise the overlapping skin tissue and suture the incisions. 

About Facelift

Also known as a rhytidectomy, a facelift is a surgical solution to erase many common signs of aging in your face like wrinkles, fine lines, and folds. To perform a facelift, Dr. Saini begins with discreet incisions just behind the hairline or the ears. From here, she will undermine the skin and reposition the facial musculature to promote a natural appearance after you have fully healed. Next, she will remove any unnecessary fat deposits and then gently pull the skin tight, smoothing out any wrinkles or fine lines and giving your facial features a youthful lift. This process will achieve a younger appearance on your face and ward off future wrinkles for many years to come. 

Better Together?

If you’re choosing between either a neck lift or a facelift, you will need an expert’s opinion to help you come to a final decision. While only one may achieve your desired results, you might be inclined to see how they both complement each other. When done in tandem by a board-certified plastic surgeon like Dr. Saini, you can experience a total rejuvenation to your appearance while only having to undergo one recovery period. By choosing both, you can tackle and prevent current and future signs of aging in one simple surgical procedure. If you would like to see how a facelift or a neck lift can revitalize your appearance, please schedule a consultation with Dr. Saini today!

Candidates

For those interested in facial and neck rejuvenation, you might be wondering if there is a certain age limit to qualify for these two procedures. As we all age in differing degrees, you might exhibit more or fewer signs of aging than other people your age. While the standard age is around 50 years old, many patients in their 30s come to Carolina Plastic Surgery to undergo facelifts and neck lifts for preventative care. To qualify for these procedures, we do ask that you be able to take time off from your schedule to focus on proper recovery. Proper recovery will entail avoiding strenuous activities, overexposure to sunlight, and many days spent resting. 

Personal Consultation

With a 20 year-long decorated career in the United States military, Dr. Saini is proud to continue to serve her community with her extensive knowledge and talent as a caring physician. She will bring this expertise into your private consultation room. By listening to your aesthetic goals, she will work to understand how she achieves your ideal facial and neck appearance. Dr. Saini will then explain the benefits of both procedures and will recommend which one –if not both– can achieve those aesthetic goals. Next, she will create a personalized treatment plan to address each area of concern. Then, after we schedule your procedure and before you leave our care, we will give you a list of preparatory steps. Please adhere to these in between these two meetings. 

Preparation

While your list of steps may have some unique steps necessary to your personalized procedure, some general preoperative guidelines are:

Recovery

After either of these procedures, we will wrap the treated area in a compression wrap to keep pressure on the alterations. This pressure will help ensure proper healing takes place. The treated areas will be swollen and bruised for the next couple of days to a week. Be sure to only take the prescribed pain medication. In your follow-up appointments, we will determine where you are in your recovery and what –if any– next steps you need to take.

Non-Surgical Rejuvenating Options

While many new patients are eager to undergo surgical solutions to resolve their signs of aging, many wish to explore non-surgical options to achieve the same results within a more limited time frame. For these patients, we recommend injectables and fillers. Our suite of injectables and fillers at Carolina Plastic Surgery can diminish wrinkles and fine lines on the neck and face while also stimulating new collagen production in the treated areas. If you would like to see how injectables and fillers can achieve rejuvenating results similar to a neck lift and facelift, please schedule a personal consultation with Dr. Saini at our Fayetteville offices today! To learn more about the other transformative services that Dr. Saini offers her patients, follow her blog!

References

1. Bolke, L., Schlippe, G., Gerß, J., & Voss, W. (2019). A Collagen Supplement Improves Skin Hydration, Elasticity, Roughness, and Density: Results of a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Blind Study. Nutrients, 11(10), 2494. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11102494
2. DiBernardo, B. E. (2013). The aging neck: A diagnostic approach to surgical and nonsurgical options. Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/14764172.2012.758383?journalCode=ijcl20
3. Mendelson, B., & Wong, C.-H. (2012). Changes in the Facial Skeleton With Aging: Implications and Clinical Applications in Facial Rejuvenation. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 36(4), 753–760. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-012-9904-3
4. Windhager, S., Mitteroecker, P., Rupić, I., Lauc, T., Polašek, O., & Schaefer, K. (2019). Facial aging trajectories: A common shape pattern in male and female faces is disrupted after menopause. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 169(4), 678–688. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23878