Get Rid Of the Turkey Wattle Using Neck Lift Without Surgery
When you were a kid did you ever make fun of an older person because of the loose neck skin hanging like turkey wattle? Maybe you even used names like “Old Chicken Neck.” Now, horror of horrors, you look in the mirror and there you see your own version of chicken neck and turkey wattle.
How humiliating. How frustrating.
While many who go through the aging process consider such things as brow lifts, face lifts, and chemical and laser treatments that help make the face look younger, it’s very important not to exclude the neck area.This is similar to the effect of a woman with tell-tale facial aging, but whose hair is dyed a dark brunette with no a fleck of gray. It’s not the most convincing combination.
The same is true with a face that looks healthy and refreshed, but the neck area is sagging and wrinkled. The neck area is very telling when it comes to aging.
This area of thinning skin is exposed to sunlight and weather, and of course gravity takes its toll as well. The skin loses its elasticity and tends to droop and sag.
This problem plagues both men and women with many opting to take steps in alleviating the sagging neck skin. The options include neck lift surgery and a non surgical neck lift. Let’s look at both.
Non-Surgical Neck Lift
1. Laser
A variety of lasers are available now that are used to tighten skin and yet will not require an incision. This is important for those who are concerned about scarring.
The downside is that the laser neck lift treatment usually must be repeated for the best results. This may make it cost prohibitive for many.
Keep in mind laser neck lift treatments can be widely varied. One uses an infrared light which stimulates collagen contraction. This works to tighten the skin and is relatively painless.
The skin is protected and soothed as the light energy heats the dermis, while at the same time cooling the epidermis. Such collagen stimulation has proven to last longer, and actually causes the skin to improve over time. Laser treatments can provide a good neck lift without surgery.
2. Botox
Since Botox is designed to relax muscles, it is not the best option for a neck lift. However, it can be used to soften the long vertical neck-muscle bands that appear in the neck.
Botox would be suitable for those who have sagging neck but not a fatty or double chin. Botox is used to act on the platysma muscle (this is the main muscle which literally drapes the neck area. Injections of Botox make the skin more taut.
Again, this method will create small degree of skin tightening but will not eliminate any of the extra fat in the neck.
3. Volumizers and Fillers
There are more treatment options for non surgical neck lift such as volumizers and fillers. These will work to eliminate those ropy-looking vertical neck muscles that most people hate.
In some non surgical neck lift treatments, Botox and fillers are used together. Again, these types of treatments call for repeated sessions for the best results.
Neck Lift Surgery
If one chooses to go the surgical route for a neck lift, it is certainly the most long lasting of any other method.
Neck lifts can be done separately, or together with such procedures as face lifts and augmentation of the chin area. Such a face and neck lift combination would constitute a complete facial makeover.
Who are the individuals who most typically choose to take the surgery neck lift route?
It’s the person who is self-conscious about that sagging neck skin (turkey wattle), or the unwanted double chin – excess fat in the area. The typical patient age range is between 30 and 70.
Neck lifts improve appearance in that it creates clearer definition of the jaw angle. Most who undergo plastic surgery for a neck lift find it is a great boost to their self-esteem.
Because plastic surgery is designed for improving one’s appearance – and not perfecting one’s appearance – it’s crucial to have a realistic outlook and attitude before undergoing such a procedure.
Of the surgical neck lifts, there are a number of options. These are:
- Full lifts
- Mini-lifts
- Minimal incision lifts
- S-Lifts
While some are more extensive than others, all are based on the removal of excess skin. At the same time, the underlying tissue is shored up and the platysma muscle is reinforced. (As explained previously, the platysma is the muscle that drapes from the jaw area to the upper chest.)
There is a price to pay for this type of remedy. Plastic surgery is expensive, and it is surgery pure and simple. One must expect pain, discomfort, recuperation time, and time away from work and social activities
It’s up to you to decide if it is worth it. Be sure to invest the time to research thoroughly and if this is the route you take, choose only the best plastic surgeon with the best references.
Liposuction
For those who have an unsightly fatty area beneath the chin (often called a double chin) there is yet another surgical option and that is liposuction. Liposuction is mainly associated with removal of fat in the hip and waist area.
However, it can be successfully used to reduce a double chin. A local anesthesia is used for the liposuction process. A small suction device is used which works to remove the fatty deposits from under the chin and along the jowls.
Following the procedure the patient will wear a wrap to prevent swelling. Liposuction can also be used in a combination of other procedures such as chemical peels and fillers.
Summing Up
No one can stop the years from piling up, but we do have the choice of whether or not we want to slow down the aging process and to grow older gracefully.
If your sagging neck skin (or your puffy double chin) is causing you to lose your self confidence, hopefully you’ve found some answers in this article.