Neck Lift and Deep Plane Neck Lift by Dr. Gregory S Keller
Aging, weight loss, and genetics can all contribute to sagging skin, muscle laxity, and excess fat around the neck and jawline—often leading to the appearance of a “turkey neck” or double chin. A neck lift, also known as lower rhytidectomy, is a transformative procedure designed to restore a firmer, smoother, and more youthful contour to the neck and jawline. A deep plane neck lift targets the area beneath the platysma muscle, allowing for precise trimming of deep fat, digastric muscles, and submandibular glands when necessary.
At Keller Plastic Surgery, board-certified facial plastic surgeon Dr. Gregory S. Keller offers advanced neck lift techniques to patients throughout Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and surrounding Southern California communities. Known internationally for his pioneering work in endoscopic facial and neck rejuvenation, Dr. Keller delivers natural results with less downtime and less visible scarring.
Dr. Keller is seeing an increase in younger patients seeking neck lifts after significant weight loss from medications like Ozempic. Rapid weight loss often leads to facial volume loss and sagging skin. Many of these patients are turning to advanced facelift and neck lift techniques to restore natural contours and achieve a refreshed, balanced appearance.
Why Choose a Neck Lift?
The neck is often one of the first areas to show signs of aging—but it’s also one of the most difficult areas to improve with skincare or non-surgical treatments alone. A neck lift may be ideal if you are looking to:
- Tighten sagging or crepey neck skin
- Remove or reduce a double chin
- Sharpen the jawline and restore youthful neck contours
- Eliminate vertical neck bands caused by muscle laxity
- Achieve a rejuvenated appearance that matches how you feel
Dr. Keller’s Advanced Approach to Neck Rejuvenation
Dr. Keller specializes in technically advanced and endoscopic neck lift techniques, which allow for:
- Smaller incisions
- Reduced trauma to surrounding tissues
- Faster recovery times
- Enhanced precision in lifting and tightening underlying structures
- Natural-looking results
Depending on your unique needs, Dr. Keller may recommend combining your neck lift with other procedures such as a facelift, liposuction, or chin implant to achieve balanced, natural results.
What to Expect
Your journey begins with a comprehensive consultation with Dr. Keller, where he will evaluate your goals, facial anatomy, and skin condition. He’ll customize a surgical plan that’s tailored specifically to you, using state-of-the-art technology and techniques to ensure a safe and effective outcome.
Most patients experience minimal discomfort and return to normal activities within 10 to 14 days. The results—a smoother, tighter neck with improved definition—can last for many years.
Schedule Your Neck Lift Consultation
If you’re ready to restore youthful definition to your neck and jawline, trust your results to one of the most experienced facial plastic surgeons in California. Contact Keller Plastic Surgery today to schedule your private consultation with Dr. Gregory S. Keller in Santa Barbara or Los Angeles.
View Full Gallery
What constitutes a Neck Lift?
A neck lift, or lower rhytidectomy, is a surgical procedure that tightens the neck and chin area, removes sagging skin and fatty bulges along the jaw line, gets rid of jowls and double chin, and diminishes the dreaded “turkey neck” effect caused by vertical banding in the skin of the neck. Technically advance procedures, such as “face and neck tite” can limit the recovery time and improve the procedure.
How can a Neck Lift rejuvenate my appearance?
If you want to tighten sagging skin in the neck, jowls and/or a double chin, and tighten sagging skin in the neck area to eliminate the “turkey wattle” effect, a neck lift can help eliminate all of these conditions. A neck lift achieves a toned and youthful jaw line and throat region, as well as a contoured and defined profile.
How do I know if I am a good candidate for a Neck Lift?
Almost any adult in good general health seeking to eliminate signs of aging and sagging skin in the lower face, chin, and throat region may benefit from a neck lift procedure. To best determine if a neck lift may be right for you, come in for an in-depth consultation with Dr. Keller to discuss your condition and aesthetic goals.
Is the Neck Lift procedure complicated?
The neck lift is a simple and safe surgical procedure that is less complicated than a facelift. Depending on what type of procedure is performed, the neck lift requires either local or general anesthesia and is performed through small incisions that are hidden in the skin’s natural creases. The procedure tightens the neck muscles and removes pockets of fatty tissue, achieving a tight, smooth throat contour.
Does a Neck Lift require an extensive recovery?
Because this is a surgical procedure, we suggest you plan ahead for the recovery period. Arrange to have someone drive you home after the surgery and provide basic home care for a few days while you rest and recover. Immediately after the surgery, your neck will be wrapped in compressive bandages for a day, after which you will wear an elastic strap for two more days to protect sensitive tissue and assist the healing process, reducing swelling and discomfort. Your head must be kept elevated, and you will have to sleep in a sitting position, limiting neck movement as much as possible for about two weeks. After two to three weeks, you may gradually resume regular physical activity, and after about four weeks, the full results of your neck lift will be fully visible.
Eliminate sagging skin in the chin and neck area with a neck lift performed at Keller Plastic Surgery. Dr. Gregory S. Keller is a board-certified facial plastic surgeon serving residents in and around the Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and Beverly Hills areas. Contact our office to schedule a complimentary consultation today!
Advances in Aesthetic Treatment of the Neck
Recent advances in the treatment of fullness, sagging, and aging of the neck are revolutionary. Most patients can achieve results with either non-invasive or minimally invasive treatments, often in an office setting. Well done necklift and facelift surgery, performed by an experienced surgeon are still necessary in some patients with advanced aging, but even these surgical procedures have advanced to include “scarless neck lifts” (FaceTite,Ellevate, Trampoline Platysmaplasty), often performed under local anesthesia.
“If you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail” is an old saying. At Keller Facial Plastic Surgery and Rejuvalase Medi-Spa Santa Barbara, we have many tools that we tailor to meet your needs. Call us for a consultation to see which works best for you.
Neck fullness, or a “waddle” can appear at any age. Generally, a well-defined jaw-line, and a relatively angular chin line is considered attractive. While the neck tends to “fall” with age, neck fullness can be genetic, and often a sense of embarrassment as early as the teen age years. From a straight on look, many patients may not be aware that they have a full-ness in the neck or “waddle”, major or minor in degree. In several recent surveys of facial plastic surgery patients, however, a sagging neck is one of the things that bothers these patients most after a series of their pictures (taken from the front, side, and 2/3 view are shown to them. Selfies, from a side or 2/3 view, taken by these patients often drive them to consultation also, along with pictures taken from the side or head down at an event, such as a wedding.
These patients’ concerns are not lost on physicians and manufacturers of the aesthetic devices that treat the fallen neck. As a result, there are many options available for a sagging neck of which most patients and physicians are not aware. And there are new options appearing regularly. It is hard to update a website often enough to keep up with these changes; hence, this blog to inform patients about current options.
First, it is worthwhile to give a brief overview of what is being treated. Loose skin, particularly with aging or weight loss can cause the neck to sag. Underneath the skin is a layer of fat called “subcutaneous fat”. Below this layer of fat is a muscle that goes from the cheek down to the neck called the “platysma muscle”. This muscle can lose elasticity and can form the “bands” that appear in front of the neck. Removal of the subcutaneous fat to reduce the neck “waddle” can expose these bands that were previously covered up with the fat. Most treatments and surgery concentrate on the subcutaneous fat and platysma muscle.
Below the platysma muscle is another layer of fat called the “subplatysmal fat” and the “digastric muscles” which can also become prominent. Sometimes the spit glands in the neck are prominent and can protrude, forming a bulge underneath the jawline.
Non-Invasive Treatments:
These may make a difference for the appropriate candidate or, for a patient who only needs or wants minimal improvement.
Botox
This can be used off label to relax the tightened platysma bands. It is a temporary solution.
Kybella Injections
Kybella is a “mesotherapy” chemical acid that dissolves fat. It usually requires two to five treatments. There is a significant recovery period with swelling, downtime, and pain. In addition, excess skin can result and platysma bands can be uncovered, resulting in persistence in sagging without the fat.
Radio Frequency (Tru-Sculpt)
Radiofrequency treatment can heat and dissolve the fat. This also can require multiple treatments, but has little or no recovery time. Tru-Sculpt treatment also tightens the skin. It can be combined with Microneedling with RF to further tighten the skin.
Ulthera
Ultherapy tightens the skin with Ultrasound. Recently promoted by Christie Brinkley, it is an improvement for those seeking modest improvement. Usually done as a single treatment, multiple treatments can give more tightening.
Microneedling with RF (Fractora, Intensif).
These treatments place a series of thin needles through the skin and, once below the skin use a blast of radiofrequency energy to stimulate collagen (google “doctors show intensif” to see a demonstration on actual patients). This can tighten the skin, but also treats acne, scars, and aged skin. It is often used with one or another of the non-invasive or minimally invasive treatments as a “combo” treatment.
Minimally Invasive Treatments
AGNES
A radiofrequency treatment, performed in the office with local anesthesia. This dissolves fat and tightens skin, usually with one to two treatments. AGNES has less downtime than Kybella, and tightens skin as well as provides permanent fat reduction. It may be done in the office with local anesthesia.
FaceTite
This is a radiofrequency treatment that may or may not be combined with liposuction. It is one of the more popular treatments in urban areas, and has numerous medical articles that confirm its effectiveness for the right patient. Recent celebrity promotions are by Paula Abdul, who has apparently used the procedure for facial tightening. Call us for a consultation; we have several years of experience with this treatment. It is often performed with microneedling and RF (Fractora; Morpheus; Intensif). It may be performed in the office with topical or local anesthesia. FaceTite results improve over 6 months to a year, and follow up medical literature documents results that last over 5 years.
MyEllevate
MyEllevate (Ellevate) and Trampoline Platysmaplasty: This treatment tightens the neck and jowls, by suture lifting through needle holes, without surgical incisions. We have years of experience with this technique. However, there are recent advances in the technique. With these advances, all but the most damaged necks can respond to this scarless suture neck lift. It can modify the platysma bands, glands, and fallen neck. It may be combined with FaceTite for further tightening of the neck skin. These results usually last for 5 or more years. Call us for a consultation on this exciting advance.
Surgery
Surgical treatment of the neck remains the best treatment for optimal results. The corset platysmaplasty and undermining and excision of neck skin are the most effective treatment of the muscles and skin of the neck. Our Nexus lift can be confined to the neck or used for the face to render a natural and effective result in both the face and neck.
Call us for a consultation with Dr. Keller where we can discuss the advanced techniques that he has pioneered and taught to over 24 of the UCLA “fellows” (after their residency training to learn our advanced techniques), many of whom are heading up programs at their universities, and use Dr. Keller’s methods.
