The sagging neck is one of the first things that start to bother women as they age. In fact, even younger people often “hate their neck”. The advent of videoconferencing and Zoom meetings really led to more and more interest in surgical and non-surgical treatment options for the aging neck.

Options run from non-surgical – such as radiofrequency microneedling such as Lutronics Genius microneedling. Sofwave- which uses focused ultrasound to tighten skin of the neck and other monopolar radiofrequency devices like Cynosure’s Tempsure device.

If the issue is just excess fat, younger patients, with good skin tone of the neck can have noninvasive or minimally invasive procedures. Kybella- an injectable fat dissolving agent may be an option. Submental liposuction is also effective and is often done under local anesthesia. If loose skin is present, radiofrequency tightening such as Renuvion can be performed under local anesthesia and with only small incisions. The My Ellevate procedure is also a great option for patients with excess fat, minor muscle bands and drooping salivary glands. This procedure takes about an hour- is frequently done with local anesthesia only or with a mild sedative.

For patients with more skin excess and more severe muscle bands, an open neck lift may be recommended. While a full-face lift always addresses the aging neck as well as the face, an isolated neck lift only treats the neck. In some cases, a lower facelift or full facelift is required if skin excess and jowls are present.

The neck lift usually involves an inconspicuous incision under the chin with incisions behind the ear and sometimes into the hairline.

This 56-year-old woman was bothered by her neck. Noninvasive options could have helped but she was looking for more significant changes, so she had an open neck lift. Improvements were immediate. Down time is usually a few weeks.

Ongoing maintenance with non-surgical measures helps preserve the results and are recommended yearly.