LIPOSUCTION SHAPING OF THE FACE AND NECK

The question that we are going to try to answer for you is whether you need liposuction to shape your neck. Well, it all depends on your anatomy. If you look at the picture below, you can see the different muscles that make up the face and neck (superficial muscles mostly). The one muscle that is important in this discussion is the platysma muscle. If you look in the mirror, see if you can tighten your neck muscle or the platysma muscle. The effect that you are trying to achieve is the banding of the neck muscles. If you are not able to see this muscle and it doesn’t change the shape of the neck laxity, you may have a significant amount of fat that could be liposuctioned from the neck to improve the contour. If you are able to see this muscle and it does change the shape of the neck laxity, in that you are able to see the banding of this muscle, you could benefit greatly from a neck lift. In the case when lipo is done on the neck that shows the muscle with this movement, after liposuction the contraction of the platysma muscle would cause strings and bands that run up and down the neck. So if you can see your muscle fairly clearly contracting when you tighten the neck muscle chances are that you don’t have a whole lot of fat to be suctioned and that most of your neck appearance is from neck laxity. Again, liposuctioning in this situation will cause that muscle to be seen more and you will have more visible banding after liposuction.

Neck Liposuction and Age Effects: We are now going to discuss how age impacts whether liposuction will work or not. One important topic is the elasticity in the skin. Up until the age of about 40-50, the elasticity in your skin is more likely to respond to liposuction. The elasticity in your skin allows the skin to contract into the new shape that is formed underneath, the new shape that was contoured with liposuction. However, after this age range, your elasticity in your skin will not respond as well and you may end up with sagging skin. Hence after this age, a neck lift may be better suited to shape your neck. The difference in age, though, is dependent on the individual. Some people keep their elasticity longer than others and vice versa. So, ultimately, it will depend on your discussion with your doctor. In our opinion, liposuction is reserved for the younger client. Also, in general, the results from liposuction will be more limited as opposed to the results that you can attain with a neck lift.

How is Liposuction of the Neck and Face Done?: Liposuction of the neck is carried through 1-3 small incisions (3-4mm in length) that are placed under the chin and under and behind the ear. We use the chin incision for mainly the collections of fat under the chin. If there is a significant amount of fat under the lateral part of the chin, we will use the ear incisions. The placement of the incisions is hidden really well and usually is very hard to detect. We will make sure that you like the way they heal. Liposuction is carried out with these metal tubes of varying widths that is connected to a suction machine.

Face / Neck Liposuction Recovery: The recovery is usually much faster with liposuction in contrast to a neck lift. Bruising can be minimal, but this is dependent on the individual and how well they follow our directions. Swelling is usually minimal. Liposuction of the neck typically heals fairly well in a couple of days to at most a week, but usually the recovery is measured in days versus weeks. We usually ask that you come in the next day to have us check on you. Before you leave we will wrap you in this elastic bandage that we will have you wear for the whole night and we will remove it for you the next day. Then we will ask you to wear your own wrap for another week nonstop. After this we will want you to wrap your neck at night for about 2 more months. Our Patient Care page has more post procedure care instructions and care packages for you to have.

Liposuction Risks: In the media, there are a lot of concerns about liposuction and the dangers. Neck liposuction is a lot safer because of the small areas that are undergoing the procedure. There are many causes for the increased risk with liposuction. These are easily avoided when you do liposuction in the neck area. Lidocaine toxicity is one risk factor. When surgeons carry out whole body liposuction, the upper limits of lidocaine are often exceeded by plastic surgeons; 7.5 mg / kg is the historical maximum in the presence of epinephrine. Often plastic surgeons use upwards of 50 mg / kg which is quite a bit more than the historical maximum. Others feel that one should adhere to 30mg / kg. There are many significant cases where adverse outcomes have occurred with less than this amount. It is hard to predict how the body will react sometimes. Fortunately, liposuction that is carried out in the neck is very easily kept below the traditional maximum. Another risk with liposuction is the amount of bleeding that can occur during whole body liposuction. Sometimes with body liposuction, large amounts of liposuction can lead to significant bleeding and subsequent fluid changes in the circulation that can lead to issues for people. This is, fortunately, easily avoided in neck liposuction. The small surface area within the neck creates little issues with this as well.

Contact Aesthetic Facial Plastic Surgery: If you are interested at anytime about scheduling an appointment you can email, call 425-990-3223 and even text message us at anytime. Click here if you would like to find out more about our consultation process. We can set up a phone consultation for you and show you how to take the 5 basic photos that you will need.

We want the best for you. Dr Young always maintains, as much as possible, an open door policy to help people. Even if you were to decide to go to another doctor for the same procedure, Dr Young would always welcome you to email or call our office anytime for help.

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