21 Sep 2023 | by Leonard Miller, MD, FACS, FRCS
Requests for neck rejuvenation procedures have skyrocketed in the last year. Having three board-certified physicians under one roof has allowed us to treat the full spectrum of your neck issues as the premier destination for neck rejuvenation in Boston. As a facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Miller has devoted much of his career towards devising new and better ways to improve the appearance of the neck, often eliminating the need for surgery. A neck lift is a fantastic procedure, but not every patient is ready for surgery. The most important thing when deciding whether or not non-surgical neck rejuvenation is right for you is understanding what conditions may be treated without surgery.
Non-Surgical Neck Procedures for Loose Skin
Many patients don’t realize that the skin and tissues of the neck are more delicate and harder to treat than those on the face. Your neck skin is thinner and has fewer oil glands, making it very susceptible to the earliest signs of aging such as sagging and crepiness. Until recently, there weren’t many effective non-surgical options for addressing skin laxity in the neck. That is no longer the case now that there are a number of new radiofrequency (RF) procedures available such as:
- ThermiTight®
- Renuvion®
- Profound®
These can lift and tighten the skin in patients with a mild to moderate degree of skin laxity. PDO threads, commonly referred to as a thread lift, can address more serious sagging in the neck while remaining a minimally invasive procedure.
See more patients »Experts at Combining Procedures
Loose skin is one of the hallmarks of an aged neck, but skin aging is rarely caused by just one single factor. This is why it is important to see a surgeon who is adept at combining procedures. Dr. Miller has been instrumental in developing many of the cutting-edge non-surgical and minimally invasive techniques for neck rejuvenation including ThermiTight®, his unique microneedling procedure, MicroRenewal, and micro fat injections. Working on both sides of the playing field has given him a deep understanding of the pros and cons of non-surgical neck procedures, and made the team at Boston Center for Plastic Surgery experts at developing and combining procedures in unique ways to deliver truly exemplary results. For example, many patients suffer from stubborn fat in the neck that is resistant to diet and exercise due to genetics. Kybella® and CoolSculpting® are not ideal for this under the chin deformity as the results can cause unpredictable irregularities and an increased recovery time. Liposuction has historically been the gold standard for improving neck contour. But it is a surgical procedure that requires downtime. At Boston Center for Plastic Surgery, our team can use a syringe to precisely remove fat and relocate it to other areas to create volume. This technique is more precise and has a much quicker recovery than liposuction with a large cannula. The procedure is short and there is no resultant scar. We will often combine this with a RF treatment such as ThermiTight® to address the loose sagging skin. Furthermore, this combination only requires about 1-2 days of downtime.
Non-Surgical Neck Rejuvenation for Poor Skin Texture
Poor skin texture is one of the more overlooked components of an aged neck, and when treated properly, can help restore a more youthful look to your neck. We often use a microneedling/RF device such as EndyMed™ to address the earliest signs of diminished skin texture. The secret to this combination treatment is the needles, which penetrate the surface of your skin and allow energy to penetrate into the deeper dermis. Your body’s response to this “injury” is to produce more collagen and elastin which will lift and tighten the skin and tissue over time. This also improves the appearance of:
- Fine lines & wrinkles
- Uneven texture
- Brown spots
- Redness
Patients with very thin, “crepey” skin are often good candidates for micro fat injections with or without microneedling to smooth and thicken the skin, resulting in a more radiant and youthful appearance. The results are remarkable, and Dr. Miller is one of the few surgeons in the country who performs this combined procedure.
Fillers & Botox®
Injectables such as fillers and neurotoxins like Botox® are also nice non-surgical procedures for the neck. Dr. Miller has worked with bright aesthetic minds around the world to develop new fillers that look completely natural while also lowering the risk of any adverse side effects. He will often inject a dermal filler superficially to address the deep lines in the neck that can be so apparent when using Zoom and FaceTime. His approach is to proceed with caution, building the filler over time to achieve a natural-looking result. Properly placed Botox® can soften the appearance of the platysmal bands, which are the vertical muscles that protrude from the neck with age.
Once we find the right combination of non-surgical neck rejuvenation procedures to achieve your goals, we can maintain your results with an annual non-invasive RF treatment such as ThermiSmooth® or TempSure®.
To find out more about non-surgical neck rejuvenation procedures such as microneedling, ThermiTight® and injectables with Dr. Leonard Miller at the Boston Center for Plastic Surgery, contact us today or call (617) 735- 8735 to schedule a consultation.
