Why Winter is the Perfect Season for a Neck Lift

A smooth, taut neckline brings about a feeling of refinement and youth, both of which enhance your appearance. Unfortunately, your neck is also one of the first places you show the signs of aging. It’s as if overnight your chiseled jawline begins to droop revealing the dreaded turkey wattle.

With winter in full swing, you’re probably bundled up in turtlenecks, scarves and sweaters. But what happens once spring arrives? Winter is perhaps the best time to undergo cosmetic procedures. Not only does this season allow patients to hide the surgical effects while recovering, but with dropping temperatures, you’re more inclined to stay home, making your recovery easier than ever.

Reasons to Have a Neck Lift

Visible signs of age along the jawline and neck can make you look tired, worn out and older than your true age. Neck lift surgery can turn back the hands of time and reduce the signs of aging most often caused by genetics and the pull of gravity. Turkey waddles and double chins are easily corrected with a neck lift, restoring a contoured jawline and taut neck. It’s not uncommon for patients to look 10 years younger with the removal of sagging neck skin and excess fat from the jowls.

Depending on the amount of skin laxity, your surgeon will explain all of the possible options and may even show you the possible outcome using high-tech computerized imaging. Significant advances in plastic surgery make it possible to use only local anesthesia when neck lift surgery is performed. Although not an option for every patient, many patients have neck lifts performed on an outpatient basis with the incisions hidden behind their ears. During recovery, you may experience a little bruising and swelling, which is easily concealed with a scarf or turtleneck, thus making winter the perfect time for a neck lift.

Horizontal Lines

DId you know that looking down causes the skin around your neck to fold onto itself? Over time, you may even start to see horizontal creases in your neck. As you get older, these creases become more pronounced and harder to hide, especially in the spring and summer. Horizontal creases are seen more frequently in individuals who spend a lot of time looking down at their job. And keep in mind that these pesky creases can also develop if someone spends a lot of time looking at their cell phone, tablet or iPod.

Double Chin

Even if you are in good shape, you can still develop a double chin. Over time, gravity takes its toll pulling lower face downward, causing. And it doesn’t take much for a double chin to develop, particularly if your face is contoured. Having a double chin draws the attention away from your face and makes you look heavier and older.

Turkey Waddle

Keep in mind that sometimes excess fat isn’t the issue but rather sagging skin. As you get older, your skin loses its elasticity and is more prone to sagging than when you were younger. As such, this can cause your skin to hang underneath your chin. Unfortunately, this causes a turkey waddle appearance and is most obvious when someone sees your profile.

Loss of Jaw Definition

The excess skin under your chin can also cause a loss of contour and angle. Your chin and jawline are important features that give your face symmetry and balance. But if those features aren’t well-defined, you can look older than your true age. If you lack proper jawline definition and contour, you may be an ideal candidate for a neck lift.

Ideal Candidates

The best candidates for a neck lift are in good health, don't smoke and have realistic expectations of what having a neck lift can and cannot do. They understand that although a neck lift can dramatically improve their appearance, it will not stop the aging process.

Benefits of a Neck Lift

If deemed a suitable candidate, a neck lift can dramatically improve the appearance of your neck and jawline by tightening the sagging skin, removing fat deposits from the under the chin or the neck itself. If necessary, excess tissue is also removed. After the remaining skin is lifted and tightened, your neck has a more youthful appearance.

How a Neck Lift is Performed

Your surgeon will begin the procedure by making incisions either at the hairline, around your ears or underneath your chin at the jawbone. These specific locations are easy to conceal or are completely invisible. Through these incisions, your surgeon then uses special tools to remove the excess fat and tighten the muscles. Any residual tissue is then pulled back to redefine the neck and jaw. Once recovery is complete, your neck will have a more youthful and taunt appearance.

Innovative cosmetic procedures now make it possible to undergo a neck lift and recover in half the time, making winter the perfect time to say farewell to sagging neck skin and turkey waddles.

Dr. Andrea Garcia, MD and Dr. Josh Surowitz, MD of Dilworth Facial Plastic Surgery in North Carolina are both certified facial plastic surgeons, with years of experience in providing cosmetic surgeries, non-surgical cosmetic procedures, and treating hair loss surgically and nonsurgically. For more information, click here.