A neck lift is traditionally recommended for patients struggling with sagging skin, vertical banding, and submental fullness. This powerful rejuvenation solution can provide dramatic and lasting changes that enhance self-confidence and restore an energized, attractive appearance.
Despite this, many patients seek out alternatives to invasive neck surgery, striving to obtain a more inviting look without submitting themselves to the greater risks, costs, and recovery time associated with a conventional neck lift. In this blog, our team at Sunder Plastic Surgery in Beverly Hills, CA, will explore the pros and cons of a surgical neck lift vs. its non-invasive counterparts, allowing you to move forward with your cosmetic pursuits from a more informed, educated vantage point.
Understanding Your Options for Neck Rejuvenation
Surgical
For patients struggling with signs of aging in the neck, a surgical neck lift is a gold-standard solution. The surgery firms the underlying muscles, eradicates drooping, crepe-like skin, and reshapes the jawline for a slimmer, more sculpted profile. It is often combined with liposuction to remove stubborn submental fat and produce a comprehensive transformation. While this option leads to the most dramatic, lasting changes, the trade-off is that patients will need to prepare for several weeks of recovery. The cost of a neck lift is also higher than it is for non-surgical contouring options.
Non-surgical
Non-surgical sculpting options, such as laser treatments, injectables, Ultherapy, NeckTite, and Profound, can also provide positive improvements in the neck’s appearance, although changes may not last as long. These solutions are good at targeting a single issue at a time, like sagging skin or poor skin texture. Some of the non-invasive neck sculpting procedures we offer at Sunder Plastic Surgery include the following:
- NeckTite – NeckTite utilizes advanced radiofrequency (RF) energy to tighten and firm drooping skin. The technology boosts collagen production, encouraging supple, tight skin over time.
- Ultherapy – Ultherapy is a gentle skin tightening solution that uses state-of-the-art ultrasound energy to stimulate renewed collagen output in the body. Over several months, the skin appears firmer and more youthful.
- Sofwav – Like Ultherapy, Sofwav uses cutting-edge ultrasound energy to contour and tone the neck, smoothing away wrinkles, lines, and creases. The treatment triggers the body to regenerate powerful anti-aging compounds like collagen and elastin.
- Profound – Profound is another energy-based skincare treatment that relies on radiofrequency waves rather than surgery to refine the neck’s contours and rewind the clock on aging. Its needles penetrate at a precise depth and temperature to encourage collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid renewal for smoother skin.
- Dermal fillers – Biostimulators like Sculptra and Radiesse can help to create a youthful skin structure in the neck while smoothing away lines, wrinkles, and folds. Kybella is engineered to tackle submental fullness, slimming the profile through an enzyme-based formula that metabolizes fat cells and discards them as waste. These injectables come with no downtime or discomfort.
What Are the Benefits of a Surgical Neck Lift?
The choice of whether to go with a neck lift or a non-invasive alternative depends on a variety of factors, including your age, overall health, cosmetic goals, and budget. When performed with precision and artistry by our highly skilled providers at Sunder Plastic Surgery in Beverly Hills, a neck lift comes with the following advantages:
- Long-lasting, sustainable results
- Firmer, tighter skin
- Correction of vertical muscle banding
- Smoother, more supple skin
- A slimmer, more streamlined profile
- Well-hidden scars
- Natural-looking changes
- A boost in confidence and self-esteem
What Are the Benefits of Non-Invasive Neck Contouring Treatments?
For patients who are only just beginning to see signs of aging in the neck, a non-invasive treatment like ultherapy or injectables might be sufficient to revitalize the appearance. Benefits of non-surgical neck sculpting options include the following:
- Quick treatment time
- Cost-effective
- Little to no discomfort
- Patients can resume their normal activities right away
- Results can last a few months to several years
- Combats mild skin sagging
- Eradicates lines, wrinkles, and creases
- Boosts youthful volume by stimulating collagen renewal
- No anesthesia, incisions, recovery, or scarring
- Leads to a more positive self-image
Risk Factors
Both a surgical neck lift and its non-invasive counterparts carry certain risks that you should be aware of. By choosing an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon, you can ensure that the risk of complications for both types of procedures is greatly reduced.
Common risks with a neck include:
- Poor reactions to anesthesia
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Asymmetry
- Nerve damage
- Seroma
- Poor scarring
- Skin discoloration
Risks with non-surgical treatments can vary but usually encompass swelling, bruising, redness, tenderness, discomfort, and temporarily reduced sensitivity in the targeted region. Another possible risk with non-surgical solutions is that your cosmetic goals are not met to your satisfaction, and you end up needing additional sessions to see more pronounced aesthetic improvements.
To make the best decision, it is essential that you research each procedure and speak with your provider about what you hope to accomplish in terms of changing your look. Our team at Sunder Plastic Surgery provides a detailed consultation process that can help you choose the best path to neck rejuvenation, taking into consideration your comfort levels, degree of skin sagging, overall health, and expectations.
Factors Influencing Your Procedure Choices
There are a number of variables that can impact your choice of cosmetic treatment, and these will be discussed in more depth during your private consultation process.
Your skin quality
Your degree of skin elasticity will impact the success of your neck rejuvenation results. More elastic skin tends to conform better to changes made during treatment. Those with pronounced skin sagging usually can’t benefit as much from energy-based modalities and are better candidates for plastic surgery.
Your lifestyle
If you smoke, it is unlikely that you will obtain satisfactory results from either surgical or non-surgical interventions. Smoking increases the risk of complications with a neck lift and lowers the efficacy of non-surgical treatments. Your level of exposure to the sun also plays a role in determining how much you will benefit from various rejuvenation solutions. Sun damage can shorten the lifespan of your cosmetic results, leading you to forfeit your investment. Patients for both neck lift surgery and non-surgical neck rejuvenation need to be committed to not smoking and using the proper sunblock and sun protection when outdoors.
Your budget
In general, a neck lift requires a greater upfront investment than many non-invasive anti-aging options. Non-surgical treatments tend to be more affordable in the short run, but often, it is necessary to undergo multiple sessions in order to achieve your aesthetic goals. Patients must weigh out whether it is better to “pay as you go” or to commit to a more expensive surgical procedure that will bring longer-lasting improvements.
Conclusion
Choosing between a surgical neck lift and a non-surgical neck contouring treatment boils down to your personal preferences, age, health, skin quality, budget, and time you can devote to recovery and healing. Many younger patients choose to undergo non-surgical treatments as signs of aging begin to emerge and then opt for a surgical neck lift down the line once skin sagging has become more prominent. By working closely with a trusted, knowledgeable provider like those at Sunder Plastic Surgery in Beverly Hills, you can make an empowered choice that helps you to look and feel your very best.
Questions About Neck Rejuvenation? Sunder Plastic Surgery Has Answers!
Reach out to our friendly team at Sunder Plastic Surgery in Beverly Hills today to get started with a private consultation. During this first meeting, we will listen carefully to your concerns and craft a one-of-a-kind treatment plan that gets to the heart of your issues. Your safety and satisfaction are our top priorities, and we go above and beyond to ensure your treatment journey is rewarding, seamless, and stress-free.
