The telltale signs of aging often appear on your neck before they appear on your face. While it takes years for bands of wrinkles, jowls, and crepey skin to develop, many patients say it seems like these imperfections emerged overnight.
No matter what you don’t like about your neck, skilled plastic surgeon Rafael C. Cabrera, MD, FACS, at Plastic Surgery Specialists of Boca Raton has a solution. When a neck lift is the answer, Dr. Cabrera creates a beautiful, youthful neck that perfectly frames your appearance.
As you read about the process for getting a neck lift, remember that everyone ages at a different pace, so we don’t worry about age restrictions. However, we typically do lifts on people from their mid-20s through their late-70s.
During your consultation, we talk with you about your medical history, general health, and what changes you’d like to accomplish with a neck lift. Then we closely examine your skin and facial features to determine if a neck lift is the best approach for your unique needs.
In some cases, we may recommend combining a neck lift with another procedure, such as a facelift or eyebrow lift, to keep your neck and facial features in harmony and balance.
Or we may suggest a different treatment if you don’t need surgery to eliminate wrinkles, saggy skin, and excess fat in your neck. One possible option is our no-incision neck lift procedure, using the iGuide® Surgical Suture System. With this procedure, we can reshape your neck and tighten your profile without invasive cutting.
Before your neck lift surgery, we let you know if you should stop taking certain medications, such as blood-thinners and ibuprofen. Otherwise, you need to take care of things like arranging to have someone to drive you home after surgery and creating a plan for help around the house while you recover.
Beyond that, your pre-surgery preparation includes deciding if you want to take advantage of our special recovery options. Many people prefer to go home the same day, but you may choose to stay in our exclusive overnight recovery suite, where you can relax in a hotel-like atmosphere while receiving nursing care. You can also arrange to have our highly trained staff care for you at home.
When we perform a neck lift, we use a local anesthesia together with oral sedation. Dr. Cabrera is one of only a handful of surgeons who use a one-pill sedation method. This improves your safety because you don’t need to worry about the risks of general anesthesia.
Once your neck lift begins, Dr. Cabrera makes several small incisions, typically behind your ears and along your jawline. He precisely places the incisions to ensure you won’t have visible scars afterward.
Using the incision to reach the tissues, he removes excess skin and fat, possibly using light liposuction depending on the amount of fat present in your neck. Dr. Cabrera also tightens and repairs the underlying muscles and then repositions all the tissues to create a youthful appearance. Then he sutures the incisions, and you’re finished.
Though a neck lift takes about an hour, your procedure lasts longer if you have other work done at the same time.
We give you detailed self-care instructions before you go home. We’re also available around the clock to answer questions and take care of any concerns you may have during your recovery.
As a general guideline, most people need a week to rest, recuperate, and give the swelling and bruising time to heal. Most patients return to their usual activities in two weeks. You should also sleep with your head raised and avoid strenuous activities for two weeks.
If you’re ready to take years off your appearance with a neck lift, contact Plastic Surgery Specialists of Boca Raton today.
