Let’s Break Down Your Top 6 Face & Neck Contouring Options

If you are considering your face and neck contouring options, you have come to the right place. Depending on your goals, we offer a range of non-surgical and surgical options to sculpt and contour your face or neck.

Some people find their jawline, lower face, and neck are where they first notice signs of aging. With the recent use of Zoom, many have become hyper-aware of these areas. If you want a more defined jawline, neckline, or reduction of marionette lines, you have a range of options. Some are surgical, and some are not.

Six Procedures to Contour the Face and Neck

We listed the following effective procedures from most invasive to least invasive.

Facelift

During a facelift, a plastic surgeon lifts the skin on a person’s face and neck, removes excess fat, and tightens the underlying muscles. The skin is re-draped for a tighter, smoother, and more youthful appearance.

A facelift is an effective way to get rid of wrinkles and loose skin and restores the contours of the neck and face.

Neck Lift

Think of a neck lift as a partial facelift just for the neck. Sometimes people refer to it as “neck contouring.”

During this surgical procedure, a surgeon removes excess fat and skin from the neck and then tightens the underlying muscles and skin. People seek neck lifts to improve the “turkey neck” appearance and restore a more youthful appearance.

Neck lifts are often done with other facial procedures like a facelift or eyelid surgery. Some opt for a neck lift without a facelift since the skin on their face is still firm. The neck is one of the first places to show the effects of aging since the skin is so thin.

Profound® RF

Profound® RF is an FDA-cleared non-surgical procedure that uses micro-needling and heat to improve skin texture, appearance, and elasticity. The “turkey neck” appearance comes from the loss of skin elasticity, wrinkling, and shifting fat distribution. Profound® RF treats the skin elasticity and wrinkling aspects for a smoother, firmer-looking neckline. Since it is non-surgical, there is no significant downtime.

Thread Lift

Some have called a thread lift a “lunchtime facelift” since it is a non-surgical procedure with little downtime. It can treat early signs of loose skin from skin aging, including jowls and loose neck skin. Your doctor inserts dissolvable sutures that temporarily reposition the skin to a more youthful appearance. The more significant results unfold over the next few weeks as the skin heals. The treatment triggers a healing reaction encouraging collagen and elastin production.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgery, most people look presentable three to five days after a thread lift which is much sooner than facelift recovery.

Injectables

For people who prefer to avoid elective surgery and invasive procedures, injectables are an exciting innovation in aesthetics. The best-known injectable is possibly Botox®, and many credit it for popularizing injectable cosmetic treatments. While Botox® is usually used to diminish expression lines, some are surprised to learn that sometimes the injectable is used to give a subtle “Nefertiti” lift.” The provider injects the Botox® into the band of muscles that flare out when you flex your neck muscles. The result is a neck that temporarily looks longer and slimmer.

When it comes to contouring the neck, two other injectables immediately come to mind. Depending on your needs, Kybella® and AquaGold® Fine Touch are well worth considering.

AquaGold® Fine Touch offers some of the benefits of micro-needling in an injectable form. Your provider will use a specialized 24-carat gold device with 20 micro-injectors; each micro-injector is thinner than a strand of human hair. Depending on your goals, AquaGold® Fine Touch delivers micro-doses of treatments, including hyaluronic acid.

Kybella® is an FDA-approved injectable that reduces fat in the chin. It contains a form of Deoxycholic acid, which occurs naturally in the body and helps the body break down and absorb fat. Everyone’s chin is different, so some people see the results they seek in one treatment while others require a maximum of six treatments. The result is less of a double chin and a tighter-looking jawline.

Some also use dermal fillers to subtly plump the skin in the neck for a smoother look. Depending on the injectable, it may also promote collagen production, which helps the skin look tighter and younger.

Be sure to discuss what injectables can realistically do, as some who are not ready for surgical intervention may be thrilled with the results from strategically chosen injectables. Some opt to combine injectables for very specific results and goals.

CoolSculpting®

CoolSculpting® is an FDA-cleared fat loss treatment to target specific areas of unwanted fat. The chin and jowls are among the areas where people have CoolSculpting® applied.

Sometimes people are skeptical when they first learn about CoolSculpting®. They have always heard you cannot spot reduce fat; this is true regarding diet and exercise since the body chooses to retain fat in different ways due to hormone balance, genetics, and other factors. However, targeted treatments like CoolSculpting® do destroy body fat in specifically chosen areas of the body. CoolSculpting® works through Cryolipolysis, which uses cold temperatures to freeze and destroy fat cells. In the weeks after treatment, the body releases these destroyed fat cells.

Your First Step to a More Sculpted Face or Neck

Talk with a skilled plastic surgeon when navigating your options for a firmer and more sculpted neckline. With so many surgical and non-surgical options available, knowing which treatments are best for your needs, goals, and budget is hard.

The team at Charlotte Plastic Surgery offers today’s most effective cosmetic procedures. Since our founding in 1951, Charlotte, NC residents have trusted us with their appearance. We love helping members of our community look and feel their most confident and most attractive.