Guide:

No matter how great of an at-home skincare routine you have and how much you reapply your sunscreen, there comes a time in the aging process when you can’t stop the skin from stretching and sagging and fat from collecting in all the wrong places. Today, this age can be up to a decade later than it used to be because so many non-surgical facial rejuvenation treatments are available to delay the need for serious surgery. Regardless of the number of fillers, neuromodulators, and laser skin resurfacing treatments you get, it is inevitable to reach an age where a facelift is the only option to address the complexity of your aging changes.

Why Combine A Facelift With A Neck Lift?

Loose skin on your neck and jowls has the same drastic effect on your appearance as stretched skin on your face. Although a facelift yields dramatic results, we recommend combining your facelift with a neck lift to ensure harmony between the face and neck area. Removing excess skin from your chin, neck, and jawline solidifies facial rejuvenation by creating consistency from the shoulders up. When done in the hands of a talented plastic surgeon specialized and experienced in doing face and neck lifts, results look perfectly natural and simply help you age gracefully. 

Combining your facelift with a neck lift helps you get the most from your treatment and prevents you from returning at a later date to address your neck concerns. Having the procedures together will save you financially and mean less recovery time.

How Long Do Face And Neck Lift Results Last?

Most patients enjoy their face and neck lift results of youthful contour and shape for 10-12 years. If you maintain your results with minor treatments and proper skin care once you’ve healed, your results may last even longer.

How long your face and neck lift results last depends on the following factors, according to Cleveland Clinic:

  • Sun exposure
  • Skin laxity and muscle tone (based on genetics)
  • Lifestyle choices that cause premature aging, such as smoking

As long as you maintain a healthy lifestyle and take care of your skin after your face and neck lift, your results should not drastically reduce but gradually fade as your skin inevitably continues to age after surgery. When you feel you need a second face and neck lift, Dr. Markarian will work with you to plan your treatment, but this surgery should be an entire decade later and may not need to be as extreme as your original surgery.

How Do I Maintain My Face And Neck Lift Results?

As mentioned above, the key to long-lasting face and neck lift results is maintaining them, and there are steps you can take daily to do so. Adding small actions into your daily routine makes a massive difference in maintaining tight, healthy, youthful-looking skin.  In addition, adding some minor non-surgical treatments to your regimen against aging sets you up for sustaining long-lasting face and neck lift results.

Some actions we recommend taking to maintain your face and neck lift results include:

  • Developing a skincare routine including medical grade skin care products
  • Moisturizing your face, neck, and chest at least twice a day
  • Wearing sunscreen and reapplying it every two hours when exposed to sunlight
  • Avoiding direct sun exposure as often as possible
  • Staying hydrated with plenty of water and maintaining a balanced diet
  • Getting non-surgical treatments at an aesthetic office for minor touch-ups

How Much Do A Face And Neck Lift Cost?

The overall cost of your face and neck lift will depend on the complexity of your needs and your surgeon’s experience and location. It also depends on whether you combine it with other procedures, such as eyelid surgery or brow lift.

According to the most recent statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the average price for a facelift is $8,005, and the average for a neck lift is $5,774.  To make the most of your rejuvenation treatment, by combining the two, you can expect to set aside between $14,000 to $20,000 for your procedure. This investment should last at least a decade before you need further surgical intervention.

Learn more about the cost of a facelift.

Face And Neck Lift vs. Non-Invasive Treatments: Which Is More Cost-Effective?

Non-surgical, non-invasive anti-aging treatments are an excellent preventative option in your 20s, 30s, and even 40s to age slowly and gracefully, but they are only temporary. They don’t eliminate the need for a facelift but rather postpone it.

The average cost of a treatment session of dermal fillers is about $1,200. Therefore, maintaining regular treatments every 1-2 years instead of getting a facelift means the cost accumulates and becomes roughly the same price of a face lift within 10-12 years. If you have a face and neck lift rather than several injectable treatments, you achieve better, more dramatic results, eliminating the need for regular visits to an aesthetic office. Fillers can still be included in your treatment plan after your facelift to address volume loss, but there is a point when they don’t hold much value on their own.

Although maintaining an at-home skincare routine is an effective method against aging, skin care products take up space in your medicine cabinet, and the cost to your purse is more over time, even though initially they seem much cheaper. 

According to SkinStore, the average American spends about $300 on skincare products each year, meaning you spend about $3,000 on at-home skin products over the ten years that facelift results last. Everything you do to fight against aging costs money, just as a face and neck lift does, but it’s a worthwhile investment to age slowly and gracefully. A face and neck lift may be more expensive than moisturizers, sunscreens, fillers, or energy treatments. However, the longevity of the results makes up for the cost as you enjoy your results for over a decade without revisits to the office. 

Healthy, tight, wrinkle-free skin that promotes a radiant, youthful glow requires investments no matter how you take care of it. We recommend using the numerous non-surgical options available for facial rejuvenation until they become less feasible for longevity and effect or it becomes more cost-effective to go the surgical route. You may use these treatments later to maintain your facelift results.

Everyone reaches the age at which a face and neck lift is the most viable option to address aging signs like midface sagging, jowls, and muscle banding in the neck. Going the surgical route helps you confidently age without returning to the aesthetic office for minor treatments to address lax, aged skin that would be better if surgically removed and tightened.

What Happens During A Face And Neck Lift?

A face and neck lift involves tightening the tissues and the underlying muscles in both areas and removing the excess skin to reduce sagging. Dr. Markarian restores patients’ youthful contours by lifting their facial muscles and removing any excess skin that hides their natural bone structure. The incisions for a face and neck lift are usually at the hairline around the ears. Scars are practically invisible once healed. The procedure itself can take anywhere from 4-6 hours and depends on the extent of your needs. 

When Should I Start To Consider A Facelift?

Most patients visiting Dr. Markarian’s office, whom we consider excellent candidates for face and neck lifts, are in their late 40s to 70s with significant aging signs such as sagging skin, deep lines, severe jowling, and muscle banding in the neck.

Some common signs signifying it is time for a face and neck lift include:

  • Lost facial volume due to loss of youthful fat, weakening of the skin, and weakening of the underlying muscles (may be addressed by combining dermal fillers with your surgery)
  • Sagging skin on the cheeks and jowls
  • A “puffy” neck and jawline from excess fat 

Are Face And Neck Lifts For Me?

If moisturizers, fillers, and Botox are no longer effective enough to treat sagging skin in your face, jowls, and neck, a face and neck lift can give you powerful results by lifting the “fallen” caused by gravity and aging. Combining a face and neck lift ensures you are addressing all the aging changes that take away from your youthful appearance. From tightening your facial muscles for a more sculpted contour to removing loose skin to define your jawline, a face and neck lift is a worthwhile investment for many happy patients.

If you believe the long-lasting results of a face and neck lift are worth it and that you have reached the stage of being a good candidate for this life-changing procedure, book a virtual consultation with board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Mark Markarian in Boston today. Our team is happy to assess your concerns, listen to your goals, and help you determine whether a face and neck lift is right for you.