Neck Procedures Archives - Scott Mosser M.D.

Although aging is inevitable, there are numerous cosmetic procedures to reduce the appearance of the hallmarks of physical aging — from sagging jowls to the dreaded crow’s feet. Whether you’re looking into restoring your natural beauty or wanting to make subtle changes for dramatic results, our San Francisco cosmetic surgery practice is committed to helping you discreetly erase years off your face and body.

By and large, the following signs of aging will almost always give away or real age (or make you look older than your real age!):

1. Turkey Neck

This refers to sagging skin just below the chin making you think twice about posting that bathroom selfie you just took. The appearance of turkey neck can be attributed to flaccid muscles and excess accumulation of fat. A neck lift may be done for those who wish to choose the surgical route. Unfortunately there are very few non-surgical methods that help to a significant degree with a sagging neck.

2. Crow’s Feet

Crow’s feet refers to fine lines and wrinkles on the outermost corners of your eyes. Generally, their appearance is a result of repeated muscle contractions in the area when you squint and blink. Since you can’t stop yourself from squinting or blinking as a means of preventing them from appearing, Botox is the perfect choice to subtly erase them for a more youthful appearance.

3. Sagging jowls

Have you heard about the Triangle of Youth? It actually refers to the three components of how a youthful face should look like — full cheeks, high cheekbones, and a well-defined jawline. However, once aging has taken its toll, the Triangle of Youth slowly becomes the Pyramid of Age — sunken cheeks, nasolabial folds or parentheses, and the appearance of jowls in the lower third of the face. A face lift, chin liposuction, and certain dermal fillers can help make sagging jowls less noticeable.

4. Sagging brows and upper eyelids

Both the upper eyelids and brows are located close to each other and one will most likely assume that it only takes one surgical cosmetic procedure to improve their appearance. However, sagging brows can actually be remedied with a brow lift while loose skin in the upper eyelids will benefit from an upper eyelid lift. If both concerns are present, an eyelid surgery and a brow lift can be done at the same time. Botox can also help improve horizontal lines between the eyes.

5. Spotted and/or wrinkled hands

Your face may be youthful and flawless but your hands may convey an entirely different story with the appearance of wrinkles and brown spots. Laser therapy can significantly reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation spots while collagen-based fillers will help smoothen out those wrinkles.

Let us help you put your naturally youthful face and body forward! Call us at 415.398.7778 or fill out this contact form to schedule an appointment. We look forward to helping you improve your life through cosmetic surgery!
Based on the photo it looks like a portion of the problem is excess fat. You look fairly young so the first thing I’d recommend is a consult with a qualified surgeon. From there I’d discuss options but highly recommend considering a fitness or diet program to achieve some weight loss before considering any other action.

Once your weight goals have been met then we could discuss possible lipo treatments to further sculpt the appearance you desire. If there is any action required beyond that, it can be discussed during a follow-up consult. The important thing is to discuss all your options with your doctor and don’t rush into any unnecessary surgery.
Swelling and bruising can vary depending on the person and their own tendency to bruise on a daily basis. However typically the swelling and bruising associated with a neck lift and lipo will not be excessive and can be controlled and minimized by pre-op and post-op attention to care.

Avoiding certain medications and supplements pre-op can help as well as things like using a cooling mask post-op (not all surgeons offer them), wearing a compression garment for a few days, and staying elevated and fairly sedentary to give your body time to heal can help significantly.

The important thing is to follow the instructions of your surgeon to the letter, they have your best interests in mind and want to see you on your way to full recovery as quickly as possible.
The term Botox neck lift isn’t really a real treatment term. Botox by definition is a neurotoxin that relaxes muscles, which can be the cause of wrinkling. Other than a very minor lift of the brows, Botox cannot “lift” anything.

However it can be used to reduce the appearance of wrinkles in the neck and to relax certain bands of muscles in the neck to create a temporarily smoother appearance. FDA had not approved these uses for Botox though and they come with their own set of risks.

Additionally these treatments can be costly and yield varying results which you may or may not be happy with. So “can” there be benefit to using Botox in this manner? Yes for the right person with the right set of parameters.

Is there typically a huge benefit to going this route? No, there are better treatment options than this that will yield much better and more reliable results that you should consider first. Talk with your doctor and schedule a consult to help you decide the right treatment options for you.
There are a few options available when it comes to firming up a sagging neck, often dubbed “turkey” neck. Non-surgical options like Botox treatments can have some effect if there are bands that form when you form facial expressions.

Minimally invasive treatments such as liposuction can also be a potential treatment option if your skin is overall pretty tight and the issue is just extra fat. The best recourse is to seek a face to face consult with a surgeon skilled in neck lift treatments. I’d recommend asking for before and after photos of past similar cases and come prepped with a list of questions to ask.

With a consult the doctor can assess whether the sagging stems from excess skin or excess fat, etc and then discuss the most viable treatment options for your particular case. Should the sagging be severe a traditional neck lift may be the only direction to go for optimal results. If the sagging is medium to minor, the doctor can then lay out any potential alternate treatment actions and help you make the best decision possible.
Often, in spite of regular exercise and diet, you may find that you have excess fatty deposits under your chin or around your jawline. Even a very small excess of fat can spoil facial features that are otherwise smooth and youthful. There are two simple procedures which can be used to streamline your jawline – liposelection or surgical incision.

Usually one of two liposuction techniques are employed:tumescent (or super-wet technique) liposuction which requires an infusion of saline and a blood vessel constricting agent to prevent bleeding before excess fat is removed by suction; or Vaser liposelection, a patented technique also using ultrasound, which is safe and has the shortest recovery time. Depending on skin elasticity and the amount of fat removed the neck skin will retract to fit the new jawline contour.

Depending on the location, amount of fatty tissue, and the amount of excess skin that remains after the fat is removed, it may be necessary to make a surgical incision to remove the unwanted fatty tissue plus a small amount of excess skin. Tiny sutures made along the under side of the jawline to close the incision would leave a barely discernable hairline scar.

Streamlining your jawline may be done alone or, more frequently, in conjunction with a mini or full face lift.
There really aren’t any good non-surgical options to get rid of excess neck skin. Laser resurfacing and chemical peels do not work, and unfortunately the wonderful nonsurgical (injectable) tools we have that work really well for the face, work poorly for the neck. Neck liposuction does not work either, as that only addresses excess fat, not excess skin.

The most effective way to remove excess neck skin is to have a neck lift procedure. During this procedure, tissue and excess skin are tightened to rid patients of the aged look that can accompany excess neck skin. Plus, the longevity of a neck lift can last beyond even that of a face lift, if properly performed. Again, finding a reputable and experienced doctor is crucial in achieving the results you desire.
Necklifts can be performed as a stand alone procedure, or as part of a traditional facelift. In many cases, a patient may not want or need a full facelift, but it depends on the unique issues and goals of the patient. In simple terms, with the first option, often excess fat is removed, and the platysma muscle is stitched together in such a way as to keep the proper contour. This is usually done when there is minor sagging in the middle of the chin.

With a traditional facelift however, not only are the above procedures performed but also excess skin is removed if necessary. This is more often done when there is sagging along the sides rather than the middle of the chin.

Most procedures that truly rejuvenate the neck are surgical in nature. Nonsurgical procedures to improve the neck are usually limited to about a 10-20% improvement at best. Neck lifting can be done with a variety of incisions, around the ear or under the chin being two, and an experienced necklift surgeon can help determine which (either, or both) is the best option for you.
If the sagging you notice is slight, injectable fillers in the area between the jowls and chin could help to alleviate this, but true jowls are highly resistant to fillers. Long lasting fillers such as Sculptra and Radiesse can be used to decrease the appearance of sagging along the jaw line and have a very natural look, but again only work up to a certain point.

However, once true pronounced jowls are present, it’s time to begin educating yourself on surgical facial rejuvenation.