Before Surgery

Dr. Bentkover will carefully evaluate your neck and discuss with you how to best achieve you goals. His objective is to create a natural appearance that is pleasing to you, not an operated or overly "pulled" look. He will also take some digital photos of you and simulate changes in your appearance with our imaging software. If a necklift will achieve your goals, he will recommend the appropriate type of necklift. If he thinks you need a full facelift instead of a minilift, he will tell you so.

Our staff will give you specific instructions on how to prepare for surgery, including guidelines on eating and drinking, smoking, and medications. If you smoke, he will ask you to quit for at least two weeks before and after your surgery, since smoking may have an effect on how well you heal. You must stop all anticoagulant medications or herbal preparations such as aspirin, ibuprofen, vitamin E, gingko, St. John's Wart, garlic or ginseng 2 weeks prior to surgery. You may be required to take antibiotics to prevent infection. You should shampoo your hair the night before surgery.

The Procedure

As with other minilifts, necklift procedures are frequently performed in conjunction with a blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), forehead lift, chin augmentation, and/or liposuction, to create an overall rejuvenation of the face. The necklift procedures that we perform are most commonly performed in the Same Day Surgery Unit of Saint Vincent Hospital at the Worcester Medical Center. General anesthesia or local anesthesia with intravenous sedation is required. The submental platysmaplasty is performed through a small incision under your chin that hides very nicely. For a full necklift, the incisions hide in the creases in front of the ear and behind the ear. These incisions are placed in such a manner that they generally hide very nicely and are as small as possible. Most women can wear their hair up in a few months without worry of unsightly incisions.

Recovery: What to Expect

 You will be given explicit pre- and post-operative instructions. By following these instructions you will minimize potential problems. It is necessary to have someone drive you home and stay with you for the first 24 hours. Your neck will be wrapped after surgery. Stitches around the ears will be loosened or removed in a few days. Many of the sutures will dissolve on their own. Any scalp sutures will be removed in 7-10 days.
Complications following necklifts are rare. These may include bleeding, infection, loss of skin near the ears, facial nerve injury, discoloration of the skin, numbness, asymmetry and excessive scarring. Infection is rare due to the large blood supply to the face. The risk of bleeding is greater if you take aspirin or blood thinners within 10 days of the surgery. The risk of wound complications is higher in smokers, diabetics, persons with a history of radiation and autoimmune or collagen diseases.

The healing process is gradual, so you may not appreciate the final result for a few months. Most patients who have had necklifts are pleased with their new, more youthful appearance.