5 Reasons Experts Say a Facelift Is Incomplete Without a Necklift

One of the most unique partnerships we’ve encountered is the dynamic duo of Palo Alto, CA facial plastic surgeons David M. Lieberman, MD and Sachin S. Parikh, MD of L&P Aesthetics. They focus exclusively on the face, providing services to patients at every stage of their aesthetic journey, from facials at their med spas to facelifts performed at their own surgery center.

Approaching every facelift as a team, they work in tandem to deliver beautiful, seamless and long-lasting results for their rejuvenation patients. One of the tenets of their philosophy is to address all visible signs of aging, for an outcome that’s “not just excellent, but optimal,” Dr. Lieberman explains.

A major rule they follow is to never ignore the neck. Their “L&P Signature Facelift” always includes a necklift, for several important reasons.

The neckline is a key indicator of age

As gravity and time does its work, our cheeks lose volume and structures like the fat pads move lower on the face. The jawline also softens and begins to “jowl” or sag. “Aging can reduce or even eliminate the sculptural definition between the face and the neck,” explains Dr. Parikh. “We always include a necklift with our facelift, because a well-contoured, firm jawline and neckline is a major signal of youth and vitality.”

It helps you avoid a mismatched neck and jawline

The last thing you want after a facial rejuvenation procedure is a neck that doesn’t match your newly refreshed face. “A facelift helps reverse the effects of aging and gravity on the lower two-thirds of the face,” explain the doctors. “The neck experiences the same aging effects as the face, and the jawline and neckline become one ‘blended’ area. You really can’t address one without the other and get a natural-looking result.”

You only need to “re-drape” the skin once.

Addressing the face and neck together allows Dr. Lieberman and Dr. Parikh to consider all the anatomical structures in a holistic way. “It’s important that we individually evaluate and position multiple layers of the face and neck during the same surgery— from those that sit in the ‘deep plane’ all the way up to the skin— to achieve a balanced, fully harmonized result,” Dr. Parikh says.

The surgeons never “tighten” skin – that’s a misnomer. The skin is simply “re-draped” atop the layers that have been lifted and re-anchored during the surgery, and is then “tailored for a tension-free closure so the incision disappears,” adds Dr. Lieberman.

There’s just one recovery period.

As the surgeons point out, most patients would prefer to have just one surgery with one prep, procedure and recovery period, rather than two. And no one has to know you’ve had surgery, unless you want them to!

“We place our incisions in the natural curves and shadows of the ear and hairline,” says Dr. Lieberman. “But most importantly, we ensure that no tension is put on the skin. All the ‘weight’ of the face is borne by the deeper layers that have been re-suspended in their original, youthful positions, so the skin looks relaxed and incisions heal beautifully,” he says.

An elegant neckline does more than project youthfulness.

Laxity in the face and neck isn’t always due to the natural aging process. It can happen after a large weight loss or excessive sun damage, and some people are predisposed to premature sagging or thick necks due to their anatomy. “There is definitely a younger group of people wanting only ‘midline necklifts’—without a facelift —to get sharper angles under the jawline,” adds Dr. Lieberman. “Reducing bulk and sculpting this area absolutely makes patients look elegant, thinner and more fit overall, even if looking younger isn’t the goal.”

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