In 2025, we’re taking a full-body approach to restoration, and that means taking time to address one area we often let fall by the wayside.
Featured Experts
- Kenneth Beer, MD is a dermatologist in Palm Beach, FL
- Mary Herte, MD is a plastic surgeon in Las Vegas
- Jeffrey Wise, MD is a facial plastic surgeon in Wayne, NJ
- Robert Singer, MD is a plastic surgeon in La Jolla, CA
- Matthew White, MD is a facial plastic surgeon in New York
Don’t Forget Your Neck
“Many of my patients seem to forget that just below the face they just remodeled lies a neck that needs attention,” says West Palm Beach, FL dermatologist Kenneth Beer, MD. “It can be a very obvious sign of aging.”
Las Vegas plastic surgeon Mary Herte, MD adds, “We tend to treat the neck with a lot less protection and care than the face, so it suffers sun exposure and aging much more visibly than the facial skin.”
Treating Neck Laxity + Texture
“Most of the time, mild laxity of the neck can be addressed with nonsurgical treatments such as energy-based devices, fillers and neurotoxins like Botox Cosmetic, which was FDA-approved for treating the area late last year,” says Wayne, NJ facial plastic surgeon Jeffrey Wise, MD.
As Dr. Wise suggests, there is more than one route to a rejuvenated neck. If your concerns are focused on skin texture and minimal tone issues, in-office treatments and skin care can get you far. “It’s much easier to see a dramatic improvement in the neck area these days without surgery,” Dr. Beer says. “Easy options such as laser treatments that stimulate collagen growth to improve tone and texture, and skin care, such as tretinoin, can help with the appearance of wrinkling.”
“Ultimately, early changes in skin texture can be addressed with minimally invasive techniques, but once skin looseness is significant, surgical intervention is key,” says Dr. Herte.
“My favorite in-office treatment for those patients who do not want to undergo surgery is Ultherapy,” adds New York plastic surgeon Matthew White, MD. “It can easily be performed in an hour and can help with mild improvement in tone of the skin and underlying soft tissue.”
Dr. Wise performed a deep-plane facelift and necklift on this 50-year-old patient, along with an upper blepharoplasty, to provide a naturally refreshed appearance.
Surgical Solutions
When neck laxity is moderate, Dr. Wise offers a minimally invasive procedure to rejuvenate the area. “My preferred method is a small, inconspicuous incision under the chin, typically reserved for moderate neck laxity,” explains Dr. Wise. “This procedure is also often pursued by men.”
And to address any stubborn fat, liposuction may be used.
“The subcutaneous fat layer lies beneath the skin,” explains Dr. White. “Patients with stubborn areas of submental fat, located just under the chin, may undergo neck liposuction as an outpatient procedure In my opinion, this is the most sensitive site for fat accumulation in both men and women, particularly in response to fluctuations in weight loss or gain. Even a 5-pound weight drop can lead to noticeable improvements in neck contour. A surgeon must be cautious not to remove too much fat, as this can result in undesirable changes in neck appearance later in life, such as banding of the platysma muscle.”
Dr. Herte says she tends to concentrate on repair and tightening of the neck muscle layer to restore the contour of the neck, with as much indentation under the chin as possible. This additional contouring can be achieved through removal of the fat pad beneath the chin through means like micro-liposuction.
“Micro-liposuction on it’s own is effective at decreasing fullness in the neck when there is not much skin laxity,” explains La Jolla, CA plastic surgeon Robert Singer, MD. “When skin laxity and contour are both a concern, that’s when procedures like a face and necklift can show significant improvement.”
Looking Natural, Looking Complete
“You don’t want to create a pulled or operated-on look,” says Dr. Wise. “That’s why we address both skin laxity and the underlying musculature, which allows the skin to drape naturally.”
“Direct treatment of any one area without paying attention to the neighboring area that also is in need of rejuvenation can create visible dissonance,” Dr. Herte says. “In my opinion, nonsurgical approaches such as laser resurfacing should include a global treatment of the area, including the face and neck and blending at least to the collarbones to ensure a natural transition. And when addressing the neck surgically, a natural result requires blending the skin removal up onto the face.”
