Neck Lift in Atlanta, GA

There's a lot of discussion right now about deep plane and SMAS. Deep plane is a much better technique to free the ligaments and to gently contour and reset the facial and the neck tissues. 95% of plastic surgeons do SMAS surgery, but the more advanced surgeons and it's a more advanced technique do what's called deep plane, which is underneath the SMAS layer.

When people think about a neck lift, they usually think of it in terms of superficial or deep. Superficial is when you do liposuction and you might tighten the muscle a little bit. Deep plane is when you go under the muscle called the platysma muscle and you also contour the glands and the muscles under the neck. Most people that have changes in their neck primarily have changes to the deeper structures. So if you don't do a deep plane neck lift, you won't get a nice tight, youthful jawline.

Many people talk to me about age when they talk about a deep plane neck lift. And what's very interesting is the anatomy and the structure is more important than the age. There are many people that are young in their 30s that have a reduced chin and they have a bulky neck because of glands and muscles that need to be repaired. If a person gets older, gravity does not go to sleep at night when we do. And so some of the fatty tissues, the jowls and things will get into the neck. And so older people, of course, always benefit. But there's many young people that will never have a nice jawline and neck contour unless they have a deep plane neck lift.

The best candidates for a deep plane neck lift are people that have a bulky neck or they can feel little firm spots in their neck which are usually either a submandibular gland or a digastric muscle and neither one of those will be treated by liposuction or a superficial neck lift.

A deep plane neck lift is actually less uncomfortable than a superficial because it doesn't involve as many sensory nerves that are more superficial. It's the swelling and the trauma to the sensory nerves that causes the pain. And when you're contouring the deeper structures, you're not affecting those nerves as much.

Whenever you have a neck lift, there are certain risks involved. When you have a deep plane neck lift, it's very important to go to someone that has done hundreds of these and has a great deal of experience. You are closer to major vessels and major nerves by doing a deep plane neck lift. But the complication rate is not higher because most people doing a deep plane neck lift are much more experienced in head and neck anatomy and surgery.