Why Getting a Neck Lift and Face-Lift Together Is a Great Idea

The technical name for a face-lift is a rhytidectomy — a surgery that eliminates wrinkles — but you know a great face-lift is so much more than that. Rather than just smoothing out and tightening your skin, a beautifully performed face-lift repositions the underlying SMAS muscular layer, too, drawing it up and outward to a more youthful position for added security and naturalness.

Dr. Norman Joseph Pastorek, one of the world’s most experienced facial plastic surgeons, has performed more than 2,700 face-lifts in his 30 years of practice. At his welcoming, elegant office on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, he’s seen how turning back the clock with a face-lift makes women and men feel younger, more energetic, and more like themselves.

But just as the most state-of-the-art face-lift does more than smooth out wrinkles, a complete and total facial rejuvenation may need more than a lift from the chin up. A rejuvenating neck lift is the perfect complement for a face-lift and, ideally, is performed at the same time.

Why is getting a neck lift and face-lift together such a great idea? Dr. Pastorek outlines a few of the reasons:

1. Your neck shows your age faster than your face

While you may gaze at your face when you consider your reflection in the mirror — concentrating on gaunt cheeks or wrinkling — your neck is one of the first areas of your body to show significant signs of aging. Because the neck skin is so thin and does not adhere well to the underlying platysma muscle, you may develop age-related issues such as:

• Crépey neck
• Crépey décolletage
• Jowling
• Platysmal bands
• Visible neck cords
• Double chin
• Turkey neck

While nonsurgical skin-tightening methods may help if you’re in the very earliest stages of aging, a neck lift is the only effective solution if you have loose neck skin or a turkey waddle. During your neck lift, Dr. Pastorek:

• Tightens the underlying platysma muscle
• Sutures neck vertical cords to reduce their appearance
• Liposuctions chin fat
• Tightens and lifts neck skin
• Trims away redundant skin

2. A neck lift alone may accentuate facial aging

If you’ve developed a turkey neck or visible banding or cords in your neck, that could actually be your main area of concern. But rejuvenating your neck alone could accentuate sagging and creasing in your face that you didn’t notice before. After your neck lift, you may become more aware of:

• Lost facial volume
• Under-eye troughs
• Marionette lines
• Nasolabial folds
• Sagging skin
• An overall tired look

3. A face-lift and neck lift together address all major signs of aging

By scheduling a face-lift and a neck lift at the same time, you guarantee that both areas look refreshed and revitalized. Dr. Pastorek uses the dual procedure to lift and tone your neck, lower face, and mid face. Sagging, jowling, wrinkles, and creases are all resolved in a single operative session.

4. Half the recovery time

Recovering from a face-lift or neck lift takes weeks to months, depending on how confident you are about going out in public. If you schedule the two surgeries at different times, you also have to undergo two separate recovery periods.

By having your face-lift and neck lift simultaneously, you free up more of your time. You can even schedule your procedures before an upcoming vacation to help explain your refreshed and revitalized appearance when you return to daily activities.

5. You will wow your friends and family

Restoring a healthier and more youthful look to both your face and neck turns back the hands of time by 10 years or more. With proper skin care — including sun avoidance, regular exfoliating treatments, and a medical-grade skin care regimen — you could continue to look younger than your peers for eight to 10 years or more.

6. You will save money

Scheduling a face-lift and neck lift together helps your budget, too. While performing more than one procedure adds to the total operative time, it still works out to less than undergoing each surgery separately. Other surgeries that you can have at the same time as a face-lift and neck lift include:

• Brow lift
• Upper blepharoplasty
• Lower blepharoplasty
• Chin augmentation
• Rhinoplasty

To find out more about the benefits of having face-lift and neck lift surgery together, call us today or use the online form to schedule a consultation.