Neck Lift
A neck lift is a surgical procedure that addresses loose neck skin and visible bands of the platysma muscle. Through incisions, the surgeon tightens the underlying muscle and redrapes or removes excess skin to sharpen the angle between the jaw and the neck. It is real surgery—performed under anesthesia, leaving incisions, with recovery measured in weeks—and it is often performed together with a facelift.
- Facial surgery
- About 2–3 weeks of visible recovery
- Surgical
Overview
A neck lift addresses age-related changes in the neck: sagging, redundant skin; vertical cords of the platysma muscle sometimes described as a “turkey neck”; a blurred jawline; and a blunted angle between the chin and the neck. Because the lower face and the neck usually age together, a neck lift is frequently combined with a facelift in the same operation, and liposuction may be added when fat under the chin is prominent.
The procedure works at a structural level: it tightens the lax platysma muscle and redrapes or removes excess skin to improve the contour from jaw to neck. It does not change the texture, pigmentation, or fine lines of the skin itself, and it cannot stop future aging. For milder laxity, non-surgical tightening options such as ultrasound- or radiofrequency-based treatments exist, but those belong to separate topics and should not be confused with a surgical lift.
How it works
Before surgery, the surgeon assesses skin elasticity, fat distribution, and the state of the platysma muscle, and decides on anesthesia—usually general anesthesia, or intravenous sedation combined with local anesthetic. Incisions are typically hidden around and behind the ears, sometimes with a small additional incision under the chin. Through these, the surgeon sutures the platysma at the midline (a step called platysmaplasty), redrapes the skin, and trims the excess; liposuction can be added when submental fat is prominent.
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