Enhancing Your Results: Why Combine a Neck Lift with Other Procedures?
Sometimes our patients wish to address several problem areas. When this is the case, it often makes sense to combine multiple procedures into a single surgery. This makes for a more comprehensive, balanced transformation while cutting costs and recovery periods. Here we’ll discuss when combining procedures makes sense and the potential benefits of doing so.
Popular Procedures to Combine with a Neck Lift
Technically, you can combine any cosmetic procedures you wish so long as your surgeon deems it safe to do so. Some procedures tend to mesh and make more sense together than others, however. As such, there are a few surgeries we often see combined with a neck lift.
Facelift and Lower Facelift
As the name implies, a neck lift focuses only on rejuvenating your neck. But many patients who seek neck lifts feel that their faces are also showing signs of aging. A full facelift corrects wrinkles and loose skin to turn back the clock and create a more youthful look. Together, a facelift and neck lift can rejuvenate you from your brow all the way to the base of your neck, providing a seamless look.
Sometimes a full facelift simply isn’t necessary. If you’re more concerned about your lower cheeks and jawline, a lower facelift might be all you need. A lower facelift and neck lift combination can recontour your neck while addressing jowls or sagging along the jawline.
Chin Augmentation
A weak chin can make the jawline appear less defined and allow the face to blend in with the neck. This can prove especially problematic for men by creating a softer, more feminine look around the bottom of the face. A neck lift will make your neck and chin look more youthful but won’t strengthen the chin. A chin augmentation will, and when combined with a neck lift, creates a more dramatic transformation.
Liposuction
Your surgeon can remove some excess chin and neck fat while performing your neck lift, but the lift is designed primarily to lift and tighten the skin and muscles. Those with a double chin or who have significant excess fat deposits in the neck and jawline can benefit from chin liposuction (chin lipo). In these cases, adding chin lipo to a neck lift can greatly enhance the results of both procedures by lifting and recontouring the neck.
Botox and Dermal Fillers
Neck and facelifts are great at getting rid of deep neck lines and wrinkles, but they may not eliminate fine lines. Botox does and can smooth out any lines your neck lift surgery doesn’t address. If you have fine lines on your face, such as marionette lines or crow’s feet, getting Botox in those areas helps create a more youthful look overall without going so far as getting a facelift.
While Botox relaxes your muscles to eliminate fine lines, dermal fillers add volume in areas where you may have lost it, such as the cheeks. It can also help beef up a weak chin if you’re not sure you want an augmentation. Dermal fillers can be the perfect finishing touch for your neck lift, whether you get them in your neck, chin, or face. Botox and dermal fillers are great for patients who want to go beyond a neck lift without additional surgery.
Benefits of Combining Procedures
If you’re considering more than one plastic surgery, combining them offers substantial benefits. These include:
- Balanced and natural results, eliminating an obvious mismatch between your neck and face
- A single round of general anesthesia rather than multiple episodes
- One recovery period, reducing downtime and overall discomfort
- Cost savings of having to pay surgical facility fees, anesthesia fees, and other fees only once
Who is a Good Candidate for Combining Procedures?
Combining procedures has many benefits, but it may not be right for everyone. In order to be a good candidate for a combination procedure, you must:
- Possess a desire to rejuvenate your face and neck rather than just making isolated improvements
- Be in good health overall, with any chronic conditions like hypertension or diabetes well-controlled
- Be healthy enough to stay under general anesthesia for a longer period of time
- Be willing and able to commit to a potentially longer recovery time
- Understand that all plastic surgeries, although often transformative, do have limits
- Not smoke before your surgery or during recovery
The Surgical Process: What to Expect When Combining Procedures
Plastic surgeons always have a plan when they walk into the operating room, but combining surgeries can change the planning process. The basics are, naturally, the same no matter what type of procedure you’re getting. But doing more than one surgery at a time requires your surgeon to consider how all the pieces will fit together and what order to perform the procedures in.
Planning and Consultation
As always, the first step in your surgical journey is a conversation. You will speak to your surgeon or a surgical coordinator to discuss your treatment goals and what surgeries can best meet them. They will then map out a customized surgical plan for performing all of the procedures you want and answer any questions you have.
Your surgeon will order labs and perhaps additional tests to ensure that you’re healthy enough to undergo a longer surgery. They will also provide you with pre-op instructions so you know how to prepare for surgery. You may, for example, need to stop taking certain medications a few days before your procedure.
Surgery Duration
Combination surgeries take more time than single procedures. They may last several hours and then require additional time in the recovery room. This probably won’t be an issue for you since you’ll be asleep for most of the festivities, but you should warn the person who is driving you to and from the surgery to bring a book.
Incision Management and Scar Placement
Skilled plastic surgeons always consider scar placement, but even more thought goes into placing incisions during combined surgeries. When possible, surgeons use one incision to perform multiple tasks to limit scarring as much as possible. A facelift and neck lift, for example, can both be performed through incisions made discreetly behind the ears.
Recovery and Aftercare for Combined Procedures
The recovery timeline and aftercare necessities are generally the same for combined procedures as they are for a single surgery. You may, however, notice more swelling or discomfort, especially when the treated areas are very close together. There are things you can do to make your recovery smoother and more comfortable:
- Take your pain medication as prescribed to stay ahead of discomfort
- Apply ice packs and cold compresses to control swelling; this is especially helpful in the first 48 hours after surgery
- Follow all of your post-op instructions carefully
- Keep your follow-up appointments
- Contact us if you have any questions or concerns while recovering
Expected Results and Longevity of Combined Neck Lift Procedures
Although you’ll see improvement sooner, the final results of a combined neck lift procedure can take three to six months to appear. It takes this long for all of the residual swelling to go down and for your muscles and skin to settle into their new positions. The results of your procedure can easily stay with you 10 to 15 years or longer, however, so it’s worth the wait.
You can help your new look last by making healthy lifestyle choices like these:
- Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption
- Maintain a stable weight
- Use sunscreen every day
- Get into a good skincare routine that includes moisturizer and anti-aging compounds
Your Customized Transformation: Is Combining Procedures Right for You?
Combining procedures is a highly personal choice and one you should discuss in depth with your plastic surgeon. They can listen to your concerns and help you choose the best options for you. If you would like more information about combination neck lift procedures, please join us for a free virtual consultation for a personalized discussion of your concerns and options.