Article At A Glance
- Combining facelift and neck lift surgeries into one procedure offers numerous benefits besides simply improving your appearance.
- Getting both at the same time addresses several concerns, including financial constraints and recovery experience.
If you’ve noticed some of the typical hallmarks of aging, you might look for tried and true methods to combat them. After all, you want the way you look to match the way you feel. However, many popular procedures, like medical spa treatments and injections, have an expiration date.
You want something more permanent. Facial rejuvenation surgery works wonders on numerous patients. Will it work for you, or should you combine it with a neck lift?
Dr. Sidle of Northwestern Plastic Surgery explores the benefits of combining facelifts and neck lifts below.
What Does a Facelift and Necklift Combination Entail?
Rhytidectomy, generally known as a facelift, involves your surgeon pulling the facial skin back before restructuring it. The procedure makes facial aging hallmarks virtually undetectable. You’ll notice a striking difference in:
- Fine lines and wrinkles
- Jowls
- Marionette lines
- Your chin and jawline
- The shape of your eyes
It gives your face more definition, creating a more youthful aesthetic.
A neck lift, or cervicoplasty, addresses the appearance of skin from the base of your neck to the top of it. It eliminates neck bands, loose skin, and fatty deposits. You’ll have a sleeker, smoother profile as a result.
When you combine rhytidectomy and cervicoplasty, you ensure that your appearance above your shirtline matches seamlessly. Many patients opt to have both procedures at once to enhance their appearance while streamlining their surgical procedures evenly.
Why Facelift and Necklift Combinations Work Wonders
Getting a neck and facelift in one procedure has numerous advantages. Some unexpected benefits are discussed below. A board-certified plastic surgeon like Dr. Sidle can help you determine whether rolling both surgeries into one is ideal for you.
Profile Improvements
Minimally or noninvasive procedures can address how you look head-on. However, they can’t effectively improve your facial profile, which depends more on skin structure than texture.
Therefore, minimally invasive procedures won’t correct profile changes from sagging skin. They may minimize the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, but only facial aesthetic procedures can effectively address and improve the structure and profile.
Balanced, Youthful Appearance
Getting one surgical procedure over another will dramatically improve the targeted body part, leaving connected body parts looking the same as they did before. For example, undergoing a facelift alone will significantly improve the appearance and structure of your face.
But your neck won’t match your new look, making your profile and face-forward appearance seem mismatched. Rolling your facelift and neck lift surgeries into one procedure ensures your neck matches your face. Otherwise, you might look imbalanced with a neck that looks its age while the face looks much younger.
Lower Procedure Costs
If you already planned on undergoing a neck contouring surgery anyway, you might think the above concerns don’t apply to you. While your neck will eventually match your face, you will still pay the full price for each procedure. When you combine each procedure into one, you’ll reduce your costs by paying for the following:
- One operating room fee
- One anesthesia fee
- One post-op fee
You will only attend one set of follow-up appointments with your surgeon and purchase prescriptions for the single procedure. This combination can significantly reduce the price tag of undergoing separate surgical procedures.
Higher Convenience
When you schedule your cosmetic facial surgery and neck lift separately, you have to plan around each operation. Ideally, a patient carefully strategizes their operations with the following:
- Tidy home with clear pathways to the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom
- Plenty of time off work to fully heal
- Consistent self-care and healthy habits before and after the procedure to ensure a smooth healing experience
- A diverse support network to help them with household chores and mental reinforcement, especially in the days following the procedure
- Time for thorough post-operative checkups
- Pre-planned meals to nourish their healing body
Can you slow your lifestyle down enough to accommodate these necessities twice?
Speedy Recovery
The healing process for either procedure can take anywhere from two weeks to three months, depending on your current health status, how your body responds to anesthesia, and other factors surrounding your surgery. Are you prepared to undergo potentially lengthy recoveries twice? When you combine your face and neck surgeries, you roll your recovery into one singular experience.
No matter how long your healing experience lasts or what unforeseen obstacles you encounter, you only accommodate it once. Cutting recovery time in half protects your body and mind from the stress caused by most surgeries, cosmetic or otherwise.
Risk Reduction
Speaking of less recovery time, choosing a neck and facelift combo lowers the likelihood of risks. All surgical procedures come with their fair share of potential risks, such as:
- Adverse reactions to anesthesia
- Post-operative infections
- Scar tissue
- Blood clot development
- Bleeding
- Mental health struggles
While these complications are uncommon with a reputable surgeon, they can still occur unexpectedly, even for the ideal candidate. Undergoing a single surgery cuts the chances of complications occurring in half.
Are You a Candidate for These Procedures?
Since these cosmetic procedures don’t involve organs and other pertinent bodily structures, they have a sizable candidate pool compared to other surgeries. However, some health concerns or conditions might disqualify you from safely undergoing this surgery. Your cosmetic surgeon will discuss your health history and aesthetic desires to identify a safe, productive avenue for you.
How Long Can Procedure Results Last?
A facelift combined with a neck lift can last up to 15 years. However, most people retain their results between eight and ten years. Eventually, the aging process will still catch up to you. Your surgeon can recommend lifestyle habits and other cosmetic services to help you retain your results.
Additional Read: Revealing the Secrets Behind Facial and Neck Lifts for Fat Reduction
Are You a Candidate? Ask Dr. Sidle at Northwestern Plastic Surgery in Chicago, Illinois
Book a consultation with Dr. Sidle to learn about facelift and neck lift procedures. Call 312-695-8182 to become your best self!
