A Neck Lift Should Look Natural, Not Done

Most of us don’t pay much attention to our necks in our youth, with the exception of the times we slept on it wrong or strained a muscle. It’s only when the smooth, tight skin of a youthful neck is replaced with crepey skin, sagging jowls or a heavyset neck that we begin to take note. From that point on, it becomes abundantly clear that the neck plays an important role in our overall appearance.  

Neck lift surgery can restore a more youthful neck and deliver a defined jawline. While there is no shortage of surgeons offering the procedure, it’s important to proceed with caution in order to avoid a neck that looks operated on.

Not All Plastic Surgeons are Neck Experts

“It’s really important when considering neck or facial surgery for improvement purposes to see an expert,” emphasizes board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Jason Cooper. “You want to see someone who does a lot of the surgery and focuses on this area in their practice.”

Men and women from around the country visit Dr. Cooper’s South Florida plastic surgery to seek out his expertise in the areas of neck and facial rejuvenation. His skill comes from not only his extensive training but also his day-to-day experience with a multitude of necks and faces.

One way to find out about your surgeon’s experience is to ask. Inquire with the office how many neck or face surgeries the surgeon does on average in a week, month or year. If there are not many before and after pictures in the online gallery, find out if additional pictures are available to see in person.

“I do over one hundred face and neck lift procedures a year,” adds Cooper. “My patients benefit from the expertise I have, both my technical expertise in seeing patients with different types of anatomy and appearances, as well as my ability to convey what it is I want to do for that person so that they can achieve the best and most natural result.”

Results That are Natural, but Not Underdone

Spend any amount of time looking through websites where patients give feedback about their experiences with plastic surgery and you will find that another extreme also exists. There are patients who undergo neck lift surgery and afterwards they don’t see enough of a change, or they don’t feel they achieved a long-lasting result.

“What’s really important is to design an operation that is going to provide someone with a really long-term result, while at the same time keeping them natural and not overdone,” emphasizes Cooper.

Telltale Signs Someone Has Had Neck Surgery

Chances are you have seen a person who has undergone neck or facial surgery and something about them just doesn’t look quite right. Perhaps their ear position has changed noticeably, their mouth looks pulled, or their skin appears windswept. These are all signs of surgery that needs be avoided in order to achieve a natural looking rejuvenation.

A Neck Looks “Done” When:

• the ears are pulled down
• banding in the neck
• the face appears windswept
• the mouth has been pulled up and out

“Those are all things that I absolutely always avoid in my surgery,” says Cooper. “I want my patients to look like better versions of themselves without having any sort of noticeable appearance of having surgery.”

What to Expect During a Consultation for a Neck Lift

When a patient visits Dr. Cooper’s office for a neck lift consultation, a series of photographs will be taken of the face and neck from multiple angles. Next, Cooper will sit down with the patient and the photos and ask them what it is they don’t like about their neck. He then uses a mirror and his hands to show the patient how he can manipulate the tissues surgically to improve the areas they discussed. 

“A lot of time, going into surgical detail or explaining the operation in technical detail is not what my patients want to hear,” says Cooper. “What they really want to hear is how they’re going to look, how long it’s going to take them to recover, whether or not it’s going to hurt and how long it’s going to last. I try to focus on those things during the consultation process.”

The Best Compliments are Not About Surgery

When your neck lift delivers the natural results you desired, no one will realize you had surgery, unless you tell them your secret.“When my patients get compliments like, ‘You look like you’ve lost weight!’ or ‘You seem to be more rested!’ or ‘You seem to be happier!’ to me, that’s the mark of an excellent and natural cosmetic result,” shares Cooper.