A neck lift is designed to reduce excess skin and fatty tissue of the neck and correct poor definition of the chin/neck angle and jaw line. The technique used will depend on several factors, such as the degree of excess skin, the level of skin laxity and the presence of fatty tissue.
The traditional neck lift incision begins in front of the ear lobe and loops under and behind the ear, ending in the scalp towards the back of the neck. An additional small incision under the chin may be made to tighten the platysma muscles.
Other techniques may involve an incision only inside the hairline at the back of the neck (known as a posterior neck lift), or behind the ear only (for some suspension techniques).
During a typical neck lift procedure, the platysma muscles of the neck, which weaken and separate with age, are tightened and sewn back together in the centre. In some cases the surgeon may choose to remove a small part of the muscle to further reduce the appearance of skin laxity and neck banding.
