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This might be one of the strangest questions you’d been asked…what kind of neck do you have? And by that, we mean is your windpipe sticking out a bit too much, is your neck rolling in extra skin forming a double chin? These are concerns that many people have. Understanding these concerns that many of his patients have, Haute Beauty expert Dr. Robert Vitolo shares the details on the minimally invasive neck rejuvenation options.   

Neck lift 

To grasp the differences between invasive versus minimally invasive options, we are going to start with explaining the invasive neck lift, which is a less desirable treatment option but at times, necessary for some to reach their end goal. Neck lift surgery is a stand-alone procedure or can be combined with a facelift, as the two procedures complement each other and can produce the most natural-looking, rejuvenated results.

Dr. Vitolo will make an incision in front and behind each ear, lifting up the skin all the way down to the neck. When all that skin is loose, he removes the excess fat and then tightens the platysma muscles and redrapes the skin, which gets rid of your turkey gobbler – creating the look you’d always dreamed of. 

Photo Credit: Dr. Robert Vitolo

Liposuction + Removal of Jowls

A typical patient will go into Dr. Vitolo’s office with a double chin and sometimes with jowls on either side of their jaw. Being in their early 40s or mid-60s, they might have a deficient chin to begin with and are not a candidate for a standard neck lift. In this situation, the simplest thing to do is liposuction, which is minimally invasive. Dr. Vitolo will make a tiny incision underneath the chin and use ultrasonic liposculpture to remove the jowls and the double chin fat. The result is immediate however it usually takes a month or two for the skin to tighten completely. This minimally invasive procedure can make you look like you had a facelift combined with a neck lift.

Liposuction + Removal of Jowls + Hammock Approach

For some of Dr. Vitolo’s patients that have too much skin to contour with liposuction alone he uses a helper technique, which he calls the “Hammock Approach,” or better yet known as the sling neck lift. This procedure is an excellent solution for patients who see signs of aging along their necks, particularly in the form of jowls, neckbands and crapey skin. 

The operation starts out with the liposuction procedure but with the addition of adding a neck sling. By making a small incision behind the back of the ears, Dr. Vitolo places the sling (a thread of prolene) attached to the dense tissue behind the ear, bringing it underneath the chin and attaching it to the dense tissue of the other ear, creating a hammock effect. The sling provides an attachment point for the loose skin and pulls the tissues of the neck back and tightens the neck. 

These minimally invasive procedures can usually be performed under local anesthesia and the best part is that most patients can return to work on their normal lifestyle in a day or two.

Get your questions answered and find out if one of these minimally invasive neck rejuvenation options is best for your personal situation by meeting with board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Vitolo for an in-person consultation.