Does a Facelift Include a Neck Lift?

A facelift and a neck lift are closely related procedures, but they are not exactly the same thing. While facelifts address the lower half of the face, including the jawline and jowls, they do not automatically address other cosmetic concerns in the neck area. For this reason, a neck lift is often combined with a facelift for a comprehensive overall result.

The Goal of a Facelift

The primary goal of a facelift is to rejuvenate the face – particularly the lower face and jawline – by tightening underlying tissues and repositioning sagging skin. The most common cosmetic concerns that a traditional facelift addresses include:

• Sagging skin in the lower face
• Jowls along the jawline
• Loss of jawline definition
• Deep creases around the mouth and lower face, such as nasolabial folds

When a Facelift Does Improve the Neck

With modern techniques like the deep plane facelift, some degree of neck improvement often does come along with a facelift. A deep plane facelift focuses on lifting and repositioning the deeper facial structures as a single unit, rather than simply tightening one layer. By addressing the tissues that contribute to jowling and jawline blurring, the upper neck frequently benefits as well.

For patients with mild neck laxity, this can be enough in many cases. However, if you have specific neck-area concerns, Dr. Koehler or Dr. Gardner may recommend a combination procedure to achieve your desired result.

When a Separate Neck Lift Is Still Needed

A facelift alone may not fully address the neck in cases of more advanced laxity or signs of aging, such as:

• Significant loose skin in the neck
• Prominent vertical neck bands
• Excess fat beneath the chin
• Deeper muscle laxity

In these cases, your surgeon can include a neck lift with your deep place facelift to specifically target the structures responsible for neck aging. Tightening the underlying muscles and addressing excess skin allows the neck to match the rejuvenation achieved in the face for a more complete and balanced final result.

A Note on Surgical Technique

The extent to which a facelift improves the neck greatly depends on surgical technique and expertise. At Eastern Shore Plastic Surgery, our cosmetic surgeons almost exclusively use the advanced deep plane technique, which can address many mild to moderate neck-area concerns simultaneously.

This approach often provides better jawline definition and upper neck improvement compared to more superficial facelift techniques.

Choosing the Right Approach

While facelifts do not technically include a full neck lift, the deep plane facelift technique can very nicely address many neck-area concerns, including jowling and jawline definition. However, for more extensive skin laxity or muscle banding in the neck area, a combined facelift and neck lift may yield the best results.

The best way to determine which approach could make the most sense for you is to schedule a consultation with Dr. Koehler or Dr. Gardner to discuss your specific goals. To take the first step toward achieving your new look, call our Fairhope office at 251-929-7850 or get in touch with us online.