Necks are a sometimes-overlooked part of the human body and often tend to age faster than the face of people. The surgery will reverse these effects allowing you greater control of how you appear. Knowing the basics of a neck lift procedure is important for every person hoping to get it.

Even though neck lifts are an optional surgical procedure you should be careful in preparing for them properly. You should learn about the steps for planning plastic surgeries so that you can decide what to avoid before the procedure. As you get older the skin loses the collagen and becomes thinner. Often areas that can easily be ignored seem to be the center of attention. What we commonly call a double chin has become the enemy of today’s beauty standards and a neck lift can be considered the best solution.

What is a Neck Lift Procedure?

A chin-lifting procedure, also known as platysmaplasty, is the most commonly used cosmetic procedure. A report by American plastic surgeons says that around 160,000 neck lifts are performed each year. The procedure consists of lifting the neck, removing excess skin and loose neck muscles to help you reduce the common Turkey neck and give you a younger-looking appearance. You will need local or general anesthesia during your neck lift.

How to Prepare For a Neck Lift?

Experts suggest that if your procedure is to go ahead you will need a re-checking of your blood pressure and clearance from your primary physician. Many patients require cessation of smoking from three to five weeks before surgery and cessation of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines, including ectobutyrol or ibuprofen. Having a support network and taking adequate time off from work will help in restoring your health. Drinking alcohol is also prohibited before the procedure and after for a few days as well.

Preparing for Your Neck Lift

The physician advises that you do not rely on medications before surgery. If you have any allergy problems then you should discuss that with your doctor so he may guide you on what to do about it. The reason for stopping the intake of any medications is that this can cause allergic reactions to anesthesia. Neck lifts are often paired with Liposuction for the best results.

If you smoke you must stop smoking within four days of surgery and 4 weeks after. It’s important to stop cigarette smoking in the meantime as a way of improving your condition. Eat healthful diets. You’ll have better health and well-being if you consume healthy and nourishing dietary foods. You need a minimum of 2 weeks off. Get the doctor’s exact time for the rest period. Make a space in your home to recover.

What to Expect During a Neck Lift?

Neck surgery is a complicated procedure since there are so many nerves and blood vessels in the way. For that reason, the doctors performing the surgery need to be extra careful hence, they use anesthesia. When the anesthesia wears off after the procedure, you should expect some discomfort.

The operation may be carried out under general anesthesia or under IV sedation. It’s recommended for you to slowly get out of bed after waking up when the anesthesia wears off. After the surgery, it is recommended that the patient receive 24-hour medical care. The patient must do as the doctor advises regarding the recovery period. The recovery period can be a very challenging time for the patient as it requires patience and extra care.

Neck Lift Risks

In the weeks following the surgery, you will gradually begin to feel better. But since the neck is one of the most sensitive areas of the human body, you have to be extra careful about mobility. It is also important that you avoid infections if the surgery is successful. When you notice any fever, you should contact your medical professionals for advice. Symptoms include bruising, swelling of the ovaries, or swollen skin.

Usually, there are not many things that can go wrong in a neck lift procedure. However, the patients need to be careful and mindful that even if their procedure goes well they are to take extra care of the wound since a minor infection can lead to adverse effects.

The benefits of a Neck Lift

Fillers, Botox & Lasers can be effective only in the neck area. As a result, filler on the lower and upper face region and jaw looks unnatural. Although not every cosmetic operation looks “natural”. The effects on the skin of a facial lift tend to be the ideal combination of subtle and pleasing.

The main purpose behind getting this surgical procedure is for the beautification of your appearance. If you’re getting it done from a well reputable hospital or clinic then you’ll get that for sure but if any untrained person operates on your neck then that can lead to adverse and sometimes even fatal effects.

Neck Contouring Options

It does not depend purely on surgery but on the aesthetic goals of patients. A plastic surgeon may employ a completely different approach when treating patients who want to reshape the whole head whereas those who want the removal of the “turkey neck”. It is possible to perform neck contours individually or combined with other facial cosmetic surgery treatments in the same procedure to improve the overall appearance.

Possible side effects

Surgery means literally devoting your life to making your body look, feel and function properly. Unfortunately, the risks associated are constantly a threat. As with any surgery, there are potential risks such as infection that may require treatment and surgical scars that may require revision. Risks from the surgery include recurring vertical laxity and residual fullness or laxity.

What Should I do Before Surgery For a Neck Lift?

Your physician may be able to tell you about the procedure. They will advise on a series of steps that can be taken in preparation for your neck lift procedure. In general, a good lifestyle helps in surgical recovery. Plastic surgeons usually provide guiding principles which are something like these:

Exercise Within Reason

Cosmetic surgeons discourage the use of a rigorous workout program during neck lifting operations. Instead, they recommend you maintain a routine and avoid all activities that may result in injury. Working out just the ample amount is ideal. Over-exercising can lead to your muscles pulling and extra strain on the body.

Maintain a Healthy Diet

Do NOT reduce calories. Instead, eat a good balance of fruit, vegetable protein, and calories. It helps you recover faster than ever before. When you go through a medical procedure under any sort of anesthesia, your body becomes depleted of nutrients. Eating more healthy foods will replenish your body’s requirements of nutrients which will result in recovery.

Wear Loose, Comfortable Clothing

When your surgery is over, wear a short sleeve shirt with buttons on the back. After neck surgery, it is very important to avoid any irritation to the wound from happening. That can cause an infection which can further create a tone of other problems for you. So to speed up your recovery, you need to be careful about your wound so it can heal properly.

How Painful is a Neck Lift Surgery?

Most patients whose neck is lifted say it is mildly painful. The most common causes are tightness, pain, or tension if the patient feels it. For some, it may induce an anxious feeling, but the majority describe it more in the manner of tight turtlenecks. Besides that, every surgery has some negative effects regarding pain. When your painkillers wear off, no matter how expertly your surgery has been done, you will feel some pain.

What are the Complications of a Neck Lift Surgery?

Rare nerve injury that can weaken the blood flow system of your body. As mentioned, the neck is one of the most sensitive areas of the human body. It is full of millions of nerves and blood vessels. Any damage to these nerves can cause severe pain and even fatal accidents. Rare vascular thrombosis with cardiovascular or lung sequelae in patients is caused by nerve damage as well.

Conclusion

To conclude, we can say that although a neck lift surgery has a lot to offer in terms of a better and younger appearance but there are also a lot of complications involved in this procedure. Anyone who is thinking about getting this procedure done should go to the right people who can expertly conduct it. Neck lift procedures are by no doubt dangerous, but the right doctors can make it a piece of cake.

Dr. Jim Brantner’s Plastic Surgery Clinic offers a variety of cosmetic surgery procedures like rhinoplasty, liposuction, tummy tuck neck lift surgery and more! We specialize in skin rejuvenation and injectable remedies. Contact us today and book an appointment!

Aging is something that everyone undergoes in their lifetime. As time passes our body starts to age in terms of sharpness in features. For instance, your eyes will become droopy, your cheeks will become saggy, and your overall skin will loosen up. Giving you an aged appearance. So, what are the common signs of facial aging, and how to tackle them?

When our skin loses its elasticity, it appears to be saggy. Sagging skin can be anywhere on your body. The sagging caused by skin aging not only has an old appearance but can also cause other problems. For instance, when skin is sagging, facial hair can start to cause problems by growing underneath the skin tissues. That causes infections.

Forehead Lines

With time, we can develop aging lines on the forehead which are caused by our facial expressions. Our skin is like an elastic material that can be stretched and then recovered back to its original shape. But just like any other elastic material, our skin also has an elastic limit that is crossed with the passage of time. Forehead lines are a very noticeable and apparent reason for aging. If we see anyone with lines on their forehead the first thing that comes to our mind is “That guy must be old”.

Forehead lines are, however, treatable. Cosmetic surgery techniques like botox can eliminate forehead lines after a few procedures. This makes it very easy for the person to look young again. However, Botox does have some side effects if not done right. So make sure you get botox services from a well-known clinic with trained professionals.

Crow’s Feet

Crow’s feet are another name for wrinkles around the eyes. We blink our eyes about 19,000 times a day which means the skin around the eyes is constantly contracting and retracting. Because of that, the skin structure becomes weak and as a result, wrinkles are formed. Crow’s feet is something that is also called premature skin aging because it can be found in many people even those who are not that old.

To reduce premature skin aging, techniques like botox or Morpheus are used. If you don’t want to pursue the surgery option, then you can always turn to natural cures for such things. Drinking plenty of water and eating healthy foods will help you reduce these wrinkles in the eyes. When your skin is fully hydrated all the time, it provides fullness to the skin structure.

Lines Around the Mouth

Just like our eyes, our lips move as much. We talk throughout the day and most importantly we laugh and frown. Laughing and frowning activate most of our facial muscles by constantly contracting and retracting the skin. This is also a feature that shows you are getting old or simply suffering from premature aging.

The fix for this is also remedied like drinking water and if that is not enough then surgery is the best option.

Submental Fat

Submental fat is the sagging skin below the chin. It is not necessary to find this only in overweight people. It can be seen in people who are appropriately weighted according to their body mass index. Hence, it means it is caused by the aging factor.

Our lifestyle factors also have a lot to do with this happening. There are many new injectables that are used for targeting submental fat in particular. Chewing gum and performing jaw exercises is a very good way of getting rid of submental fat naturally.

How Sunlight Affects our Skin

There is a range of different factors that cause our skin to age both as a result of the natural aging process, and environmental and lifestyle factors. Ultraviolet rays are a major contributor to skin aging, although smoking, stress, medication, climate, alcohol, and several others way in. The five main factors that age skin faster comes down to smoking, overexposure to the sun, stress, lack of sleep, and cold weather.

Because most skin changes are related to sun exposure, prevention is a lifelong process. Prevent sunburn if at all possible. Use good quality sunscreen when outdoors, even in the winter. Wear protective clothing and a hat when needed. Good nutrition and adequate fluids are also helpful. Dehydration increases the risk of skin injury. Sometimes minor nutritional deficiencies can cause rashes, skin lesions, and other skin changes, even if you have no other symptoms.

Exfoliate

Exfoliating means the removal of dead skin by using appropriate medication and skin care products. If you don’t exfoliate then the result is a dulled complexion due to the depleted moisture levels in the top layer of the skin, which naturally occurs with age. While young skin renews itself every three to four weeks, older skin is slower to renew itself every four to six weeks. Uneven skin tone Ageing causes the complexion to become uneven in certain places. This may be due to parts of the skin harboring more melanin than others or the function of the hormonal levels in females. This unevenness can lead to skin looker older than its years

What is Skin Composed of?

Although skin has many layers, it can generally be divided into three main parts: The outer part (epidermis) contains skin cells, pigment, and proteins. The middle part (dermis) contains skin cells, blood vessels, nerves, hair follicles, and oil glands. The dermis provides nutrients to the epidermis. The inner layer under the dermis (the subcutaneous layer) contains sweat glands, some hair follicles, blood vessels, and fat. Each layer also contains connective tissue with collagen fibers.

How Does Skin Age?

Facial movements and expressions, such as squinting or smiling, lead to fine lines and wrinkles. Each time you use a facial muscle, a groove forms beneath the surface of the skin. And as skin ages, it loses its flexibility and is no longer able to spring back in place. These grooves then become permanent features on your face.

Allergies to plants and other substances can also cause skin aging. Inappropriate climate clothing and exposures to industrial and household chemicals as well as indoor heating can cause Loss of elasticity (elastosis), Non-cancerous skin growths (keratoacanthomas), and Pigment changes such as liver spots. Sun exposure has also been directly linked to skin cancers, including basal cell cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.

What are the First Signs of Aging Skin?

When a person looks older, they are in fact older. A few common symptoms are sagging skin such as facial wrinkles, age spots, skin irritation, and dryness. These are the most apparent signs of aging.

At What Age Does Your Face Change Most?

Many people notice alterations to their faces around their 40s and 50s while others notice alterations at the age of 30. But the physical changes that come from age also affect the appearance of our faces and this is good for our health.

Conclusion

Skin aging is a very common and normal thing to happen to anyone. It is natural and you shouldn’t be scared of it. However, if you keep looking after yourself in terms of health then it is more likely for your skin to age later than usual. Drinking plenty of water, exercising, and eating healthy foods can be a great help in maintaining the stiffness of your skin. This can also prevent skin disorders from happening. Some factors that have the most effect on our skin are sunlight and impure water. You should use an effective sunscreen that provides maximum protection from ultraviolet rays. If any of this still doesn’t help then getting cosmetic surgery is also a great option provided you choose the right place.

Dr. Jim Brantner’s Plastic Surgery Clinic in Johnson City provides plastic and reconstructive surgery options. If you are looking for a reliable skin revival procedure, then Dr. Jim Brantner is the best you can get! We provide breast augmentation, skin tightening, and injectable solutions for your cosmetic problems. Contact us today and book an appointment!