as we age, we all lose that once tight and well-defined neck. AS the neck begins to sag, this becoems one of the most bothersome signs of facial aging for many patients. There are a variety of treatment strategies whichi differ based on one's age and how much loose is present.
One of the most common signs of aging is that one sees the neck beginning to sag. What was once a well-defined and tight neck starts to fall. This is very bothersome to both men and women.
Progessive fullness of the neck, loose sagging skin, the development of vertical banding, the numerous horizontal wrinkles that appear low in the neck and the loss of a good sharp neck angle all capture the eye of the patient and others as well. Like aging around the eyes, loss of a youthful neck is very bothersome.
It is important initially to determine what is wrong in the neck to match up the best plastic surgical solution. Younger patients often just have some beginning neck fullness and a little bit of jowling. Simple liposuction and a little jowl tuck-up may be all that is needed in these younger patients. In some of these cases, I have used LipoDissolve injections alone and have gotten a good result if the patient can tolerate the temporary swelling that comes after eacj injection session and the 3 to 4 months to get the final result. A more complete facelift (neck-jowl lift) is more appropriate in the older patient with more loose saggy skin. Using the aid of a mirror, a thorough discussion and consultation with your plastic surgeon is very important. The selection of which operation is best for you will depend on a good understanding on your part of what do you want to see changed and what are you willing to go through to get it.
There are some different considerations in the male aging neck. They often have more skin excess and the facelift incisions that are used in females have to be altered to account for the male beard pattern. Also, the thicker and heavier skin of the male predisposes them towards some skin relaxation in the neck after surgery. Men also have a much greater aversion to major facelift surgery and may opt for an alternative procedure known as a direct neck lift. A sharp neck angle can be the result of this dramatic neck reshaping procedure...A midline scar that runs from just below the chin down to the adam's apple area is the trade-off from this simpler yet very effective neck procedure. For some older men this may be a good trade-off and this scar usually turns out fairly well due to how better hair-bearing skin heals scars.
In the aging neck, a young patient may be able to get by with some limited procedures such as lipodissolve, liposuction, skin tightening device treatments, or some limited neck manipulation. In the older aging neck (> 50 years old), the amount of loose skin will require more invasive facelift approachs for significant improvement.
The Future of Injectable Fillers and the Use of Fat
Cosmetic injectable filler treatments today use synthetic compounds that are well tolerated but have a short lifespan. The use of yoru own fat has always been appealing but it is very unpredictable in how much actually survives after injection. New techniques of fat grafting, using stem cell isolation, offers hope of a new kind of injectable filler for the future.
Understanding The Advertising Hype in Plastic Surgery
Marketing and advertising in elective cosmetic plastic surgery is common and is a necessary part of this retail medical business. Much of this marketing is based on achieving good results without much downtime or recovery.How much of this is hype and how much is really true?
Beard Skin, Ears and the Male Facelift
A facelift in a man poses hair-related issues that are not present in a woman. Beard skin can get displaced onto and into the ear as well as benhind it, posing some new shaving issues. As a result, the issues of a more visible scar in front of the ear and the need to undergo laser hair removal behind the ear after surgery are important issues that men considering having a facelift need to know.
