No matter how smooth, firm and wrinkle free someone’s face is – a drooping, weathered and wrinkled neck can take away from any youthful appearance. So unless you want to be wearing a turtle neck or scarf year round, take care of your neck.

If you’re already seeing  signs of aging,  don’t worry – I can help. There are a variety of ways to rejuvenate the neck and take years off your overall aging appearance.

Why Rejuvenate the Neck… Although it’s technically not part of the face, having a smooth, trim neck profile can dramatically restore an overall natural and youthful appearance. A youthful neck contour not only makes the patient appear younger, but also elegant and refined. The neck also can have a significant aging (or anti aging) effect on the profile.

How the Neck Ages… Understanding the underlying muscles of the neck and how they are affected by the aging process will help you understand why the neck ages and how. The platysma muscle is immediately under the skin of the neck. In our youth, it is tight and meets in the middle of the neck under the chin. You can easily see this muscle in the mirror when you clench your teeth and tighten your jaw. As we age, the right and left sides of the platysma muscle come apart, which creates the look of vertical bands in the neck. Also, as the skin loses elasticity with age, the lower part of the face and neck show the effects most dramatically. This results in sagging, drooping jowel and waddle under the chin.
Reverse Aging of the Neck… I have extensive study and experience in face and neck rejuvenation.  They are my specialty. The most effective surgical options for rejuvenating the neck are liposuction, cervicoplasty and the neck lift, technically called a platysmaplasty …which is named after the muscle in the neck that the surgery corrects.

Liposuction: Generally speaking, my younger clients who want more definition between their jawline and neck  and who still have good skin elasticity and strong muscles are good candidates for liposuction.
Cervicoplasty: This procedure is geared towards people only concerned with the double chin or excess neck waddle.
Platysmaplasty: A neck lift deals with more midline neck correction of muscles to improve the chin and neck, and the removal of extra skin and fat.

Without a doubt, the neck is a major contributor to an overall youthful  appearance. The aesthetics of a defined jawline and long flat neck is apparent in every magazine and on every movie screen. I will get into more details on each aspect of surgical rejuvenation of the neck in next week’s blog.

In the hands of a specialist like myself, these surgeries for the removal of fat and excess skin, and tightening of the muscles, are sure to result in an attractive neck contour and rejuvenated appearance.

Contact us today to schedule your consultation, www.davinciplastic.com.

Steven Davison M.D.