A mini neck lift is a surgical procedure that tightens and removes sagging skin in the neck and under the chin. The goal is to reposition the soft tissues in the neck and redefine the jawline and create a smoother contour and a more youthful appearance.
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.
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.
After neck lift surgery, patients can expect their bruising and swelling to go down within four to six weeks. It will take surgical scars around six months to a year to fade, although they will be hidden as carefully as possible by Dr. Schaffer.
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.
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).
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.
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.
A lower face and neck lift, also known as a mini lift, can be performed under general anesthesia as well as local anesthesia.
If you hide your saggy jowls or feel upset when looking in the mirror, a neck lift can take up to 5 – 7 years off your appearance. Caused by loose neck skin and excess pockets of fat, surgery helps tighten this section of your body.
A neck lift focuses on the lower face, from the chin area, along the jawline, and down to the base of your neck. The two procedures can be easily combined at Starkman Facial Plastic & Laser Surgery for even more dramatic results.
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.
A mini facelift involves the placement of incisions in front of the ears which extend from the hairline to the bottom of the earlobe. The surgeon will then gently pull the skin and tissues up and outward the ear. Excess skin and tissue are removed to tighten the appearance of the skin.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Neck lift recovery is generally not painful. However, you may feel some discomfort. Most patients report feeling a tightness in their neck and not pain. Symptoms after neck lift surgery usually go away about 3 weeks after the procedure.
The chin strap (given at second post-operative visit) should be worn at all times except when showering/bathing for the first week. For the second week, it should be worn only at bedtime. All skin sutures and stainless steel clips in the scalp will be removed during the first week or two.
Receiving a neck lift is an excellent way to correct extra fat, wrinkles, and other aesthetic problems that affect the appearance of this area of your body. This procedure is very quick, and your neck is likely to look firm and youthful for a long time.
The Original Mini Face Lift
The HourLift procedure takes between one to one and a half hours, during which, an incision is made in front of the ear to the frontal hairline. The surgeon will then tighten the muscle with a special suture that will keep the patient's skin-tight for 5-10 years.
In most cases, a mini facelift will last around ten years easily before another lift is needed. A full facelift can last approximately double that at twenty years. Many patients find that the results last even longer with a few more years for both the mini facelift and full facelift.
Cost. The average cost of a mini facelift ranges between $3,500 and $8,000. These costs can vary based on location and provider. Additional costs include your hospital stay and anesthesia used.