Hi. I am 54 years old and would like a neck lift. My 56-year-old sister and I have the same wrinkled neck and she is interested in one as well. How long do the effects of the neck lift generally last? Does the tightened skin continue to wrinkle at the same rate?

A necklift is a procedure to address sagging skin of the neck. Occasionally, neck muscle bands beneath the chin also contribute to the loss of a youthful neck contour; these neck muscle bands are also addressed through a necklift. Additionally, we perform liposuction of the neck during a necklift, as needed. The necklift procedure is performed through a small incision that is very well hidden underneath the chin as well as incisions behind the ear. A recent study suggests the results achieved from such a procedure generally last approximately 7 years. Depending upon the elasticity issues of the neck skin and the quality of collagen in the skin as well as sun damage, the addition of a skin resurfacing or skin tightening procedure approximately 1 year after the surgical procedure may further enhance the results achieved from the necklift. The laser resurfacing procedure we perform is a fractionated CO2 laser resurfacing. The non-invasive skin tightening procedure we perform is Exilis, which is a radiofrequency device designed to heat the deeper layers of skin to achieve improved collagen and thus improved skin tightening. While these procedures do not substitute for the benefits achieved through a necklift procedure, these ancillary procedures may provide additional benefit on a case-by-case basis.