Neck Lift & Platysmaplasty
Tightening the platysma muscle and sharpening the jawline — the detail behind neck rejuvenation.
What is platysmaplasty?
The platysma is a broad, thin sheet of muscle across the front of the neck. With age its two halves separate in the midline, creating the vertical ‘bands’ or ‘cords’ many people dislike, while the angle between chin and neck becomes blunted. Platysmaplasty stitches the muscle edges back together in the midline (often through a small incision under the chin) to recreate a sharp, youthful neckline.
What a neck lift involves
A full neck lift may combine platysmaplasty with removal or sculpting of excess fat above and below the muscle, and redraping of loose skin through incisions around and behind the ears. It is most often performed as part of a lower face and neck lift, because the jowl and neck are a single continuous area.
Who needs it
Patients with neck bands, a ‘turkey neck’, fullness under the chin or loss of jawline definition. Younger patients with good skin and isolated fat may need only liposuction; those with skin and muscle laxity need formal tightening.