A mini facelift generally targets the lower third of the face with the goal of tightening or removing excess skin around the chin, jawline, and neck (often referred to as “jowls”).
In some ways, a neck lift is like the neck's equivalent to a mini-facelift, except the focus is tightening the loose skin of the neck. Unlike a facelift or mini-facelift, it doesn't focus on the cheeks or face. People seek neck lifts to correct the appearance of the turkey neck and other issues.
Differences Between a Mini Neck Lift and a Normal Neck Lift
Aptly called a Single Incision Minimally Invasive (SIMI) neck lift, a mini neck lift involves fewer incisions than a traditional neck lift. It is, therefore, a shorter procedure with a faster recovery time.
Dr. Ho adds that many of her patients seeking a mini neck lift are looking for a smaller-scale solution, not the dramatic improvement or neck contour of a traditional neck lift. As such, the results are “definitely not going to last as long” as a full neck lift because it requires less surgical intervention, she says.
You must wear the chin strap continuously for the first two weeks after surgery except while eating and showering/cleaning incisions. The strap helps fight the forces of gravity immediately after surgery and helps improve any swelling.
Facelift recovery time
You should look and feel normal after 2 – 4 weeks. Keep in mind that facelift surgery cannot stop natural aging, so we encourage patients to continue to take care of their skin and make healthy lifestyle choices.
Fat and excess skin may be removed or redistributed from the face. The underlying muscle and connective tissue are redistributed and tightened. If there's minimal skin sagging, a “mini” facelift may be done. This involves shorter incisions.
Mini-facelifts tend to be most suited for people who are at least 30 to 40 years-old. The procedure itself is not as invasive as a full facelift, with the ultimate goal being to provide a more youthful appearance.
Mini neck lift recovery is generally shorter and less painful than a full neck lift because incisions are less invasive and there is less trauma to delicate tissue.
There are many great advantages of a mini neck lift for you, including: Gets rid of double chins or turkey wattles. Eliminates jowls, excess fat in the lower face. Improve contours by dealing with muscle banding in the neck.
Because a mini facelift is less invasive than a full facelift, most patients report feeling minimal pain and discomfort following their surgery. It is common to experience some slight bruising and swelling. However, these issues should dissipate within a few weeks.
While a facelift can be customized to address a wide range of facial issues, from the neck through the cheeks, it does not include the forehead region. A forehead lift addresses the brow and above the cheekbone area of the face, which is where much of our emotional expression happens.
Why? When the facelift is performed, the skin is tightened and it can flatten out the jowls because the skin is tighter. However, over time as the skin relaxes, the full fatty jowls will restretch out the skin and the jowls will reappear. Weight loss prior to face lift surgery is very important for these people.
RealSelf members give mini facelifts a 92% Worth It Rating, with many saying the procedure made them feel more like themselves again. That's similar to the Worth It Rating for full facelifts, which cost about $5,000 more on average.
A lower face and neck lift, also known as a mini lift, can be performed under general anesthesia as well as local anesthesia.
The posterior mini facelift
This surgery is the second part of the mini facelift and is done to tighten sagging cheeks and jowls. The doctor will start the incision near the ears and will move the incision downwards towards the jowls. The loose tissues will be resected and the sagging skin tightened.
During the procedure
A neck lift can be done with sedation and local anesthesia, in which only part of your body feels numb, or under general anesthesia. Liposuction is the most commonly used procedure.
The mini lift has a short and rather easy recovery. With a mini you will see a little bruising and swelling that typically fades and subsides in a week to 10 days (although full healing still occurs for 4-6 weeks).
Patients choose to undergo platysmaplasty in an effort to tighten their neck muscles and smooth out their skin. The procedure involves two separate parts. The first is to remove excess skin, while the second is to address your neck muscles. Sometimes liposuction can be necessary to remove excess fat.
Can Someone Be “Too Old” for a Facelift? There is no age at which an individual is too old for any cosmetic enhancement, so long as they are healthy enough to undergo the rigors of surgery, anesthesia and recovery from the procedure.
You can look literally a decade younger than before the mini-facelift, with useful definition restored to your chin, jaw, and lower facial area, and previously sagging skin tightened up. You'll simply see a much better version of you in the mirror each morning.
The mini facelift is performed mostly to tighten the lower half of the face (the jawline and jowls), and is not typically used to address sagging skin of the neck. In fact, with a mini facelift in Palo Alto, the facial skin is pulled only very slightly. The result is a very natural-looking appearance.
A mini facelift may help the appearance of your undereyes, but no skin will be removed from this area during a mini facelift. This procedure is designed to remove excess skin, fat, and muscle from your jaws and cheeks to produce a more toned and younger appearance.
Mini facelift scars are minimal
Traditionally, an incision is made in the hairline near the temples on each side. The incision goes in front of the ear, down the front of and hugging the earlobe area, then back to the lower scalp behind the ears.
AVOID BENDING OVER OR LIFTING heavy things for one week. Besides aggravating swelling, this may raise the blood pressure and start hemorrhage. AVOID HITTING OR BUMPING YOUR FACE, HEAD AND NECK. It is wise not to pick up small children and you should sleep alone for one week after your operation.