Treatments / Neck lift
Neck lift
As we get older the skin of the neck and chin weakens. A correction of the neck or double chin lift may then help to correct the excess skin and wrinkles.
With a neck lift the skin of the neck and double chin is smoothed. Most of the time a neck lift is carried out in combination with a face lift mainly because the skin of the face is also weakened and aged.
Technique
Firstly subcutaneous fat of the neck and chin is sucked away by means of liposculpture. By doing this the skin of the neck can be firmly pulled in an upwards direction. The skin is then detached in front of the ear, and sometimes behind the ear, and then pulled upwards. Not only the skin but also the underlying muscles of the neck are being pulled against the direction of the gravity, by means of traction loops.
Scar
These days we carry out the neck lift by resorting to the “short scar lift” technique or the “MACS lift” (minimal access cranial suspension lift). This method allows for a smaller scar than with older techniques and the scar is practically invisible. This scar is located in front of the ear and it ends in the side burn. We speak also of the mini-lift, seen as the length of the scar is much shorter. The effect of this lift is nevertheless not less effective.
There are no classical sutures visible in the case of a neck lift as they are sub-cutaneous sutures that dissolve spontaneously. The skin itself is glued. Nobody will be able to tell that your face has undergone a surgical operation.
Anaesthetic
Thanks to the refinement of operation techniques and the constant progress in the anaesthetic field a face lift is generally carried out under local anaesthetic. We administer to more nervous patients medication with a view to calming them in the short term. This sedation can be performed on several levels until the patient is asleep. In any case the classical narcosis is not obligatory for this type of operation. After the operation you will feel in good form because you will not feel the undesired after effects of a general anaesthetic. A nights stay in hospital is not necessary.
Recovery
You can leave the clinic on the day of the operation. You will receive classic pain killers like ibuprofen and paracetamol, to help you cope with any unpleasantness in the first 24 hours following surgery. Thereafter pain disappears very quickly.
You will need to return one day later in order for the surgeon to check the results of the operation. The bandage will be taken off, the wound will be disinfected and the drain removed.
Following this check up you will no longer need a bandage. You can from that moment wash your hair again; this will give you back a pleasant sensation of wellbeing. From then on you will need to disinfect the wound every morning and every night (isobetadine). Given that there are no visible stitches, there is no need to remove stitches.
The first week following surgery your neck will be swollen. You can wear a shawl or scarf to cover this. However working from home is possible.
We advise you to massage the scar during the first weeks with a greasy cream (hand cream, day cream, bio oil, sweet almond oil, scar ointment, silicon gel, for ex.).
The scar will soon be invisible to the naked eye, all this thanks to the type of sewing (subcutaneous stitch and skin glue) and also to the location of the incision (in front of the ear and between the hairs). Obviously every patient heals at a different rate.
The use of ice frictions or a cream for bruises is not always effective, but nonetheless harmless.
Risks and eventual complications
Following this operation it is possible that the skin is loses sensitivity, more precisely in front of the ears. This is a temporary sensation. After some weeks or in somes cases months, the sensitivity will return. The skin will restore itself and go back to it’s normal texture.
Among smokers healing can take a little longer, with the forming of scabs on the wound. So it is therefore strongly recommended that smoking be stopped before the operation, at least temporarily.
Care and safety
The plastic surgeon proceeds with these operations in conditions of optimal security, surrounded by a professional team.
Even though the facelift is generally done under local anaesthetic with sedation, you are constantly monitored by the anaesthetist (automatic and repetitive measure of the blood pressure, constant measuring of the oxygen saturation, electrocardiogram) and one or two highly qualified nurses will equally supervise. This environment will guarantee that you have faultless safety.
The objective of a local anaesthetic is not only to eliminate pain, but also to reduce bruising, and ensuring minimal blood loss.
Your operation is carried out exclusively in a sterile environment. This is why we ask you to wash your hair thoroughly before your operation and this to reduce the risk of bacteria. During the operation, you will receive a mild antibiotic.
If you are taking anti-coagulant drugs, please inform your plastic surgeon of this first (for ex. acetylsalicylic acid, aspirin, asaflow, cardioaspirine, dipiridamole, plavix, sintrom, marevan and others).
After the operation you are able to contact your plastic surgeon at all times on his personal mobile number, if you have the slightest question.
Related treatments
Face lift
Eyelid correction
Lipofilling
Liposculpture
Contact
Surgery and consultations (after appointment)
A.Z. Jan Portaels
Gendarmeriestraat 65
B-1800 Vilvoorde
Belgium
T: +32 (0)2 257 59 74
A.Z. Lokeren
Lepelstraat 2
9160 Lokeren
Belgium
+32 (0)9 340 85 30
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