Techniques that involve only skin removal or liposuction for neck rejuvenation commonly fall short. Why? They don’t address a key area that changes with age. It’s the deep space of the neck, according to one expert at the 11th annual Vegas Cosmetic Surgery and Aesthetic Dermatology multispecialty aesthetic in Las Vegas.
Plastic surgeon Dino Elyassnia, M.D., F.A.C.S., Marten Clinic of Plastic Surgery, San Francisco, Calif., presented on the short-scar neck lift in Las Vegas yesterday.
“The deep space includes the subplatysmal fat, submandibular glands and digastric muscles,” Dr. Elyassnia says. “The short-scar (submental incision only) neck lift exemplifies this approach. It involves a thorough treatment of the deep space of the neck, in addition to a platysmaplasty, but without any skin removal and often little to no preplatysmal fat removal.”
By thorough treatment, Dr. Elyassnia means exposing the space beneath the platysma muscle and examining the subplatysmal fat pad, submandibular glands and digastric muscles.
“As we age, it seems that the superficial fat layer thins but the subplatysmal fat increases and the submandibular glands increase in size. Thus, when treating the deep space of the neck we are removing subplatysmal fat and reducing the size of the submandibular glands. Commonly after this is done the digastric muscles will appear to be bulging and if so, will also need to be reduced in size,” he says.
Improving the shape of the neck results in an improvement in the appearance of the skin, or virtual tightening, without removing any skin, according to Dr. Elyassnia.
“The key to this technique is patient selection,” Dr. Elyassnia says. “It will work best in younger female patients with better skin quality and most male patients.”
Dr. Elyassnia reports no relevant disclosures.
