Holiday parties and reunions—whether in person or on your screen—might bring you eye-to-eye with co-workers and friends you haven’t seen for some time. This may trigger a more critical inspection of your skin and appearance. Are you seeing more rolls and wrinkles forming under your chin than were there last year? Is your neck skin beginning to sag? Before resorting to making turtlenecks your official uniform for the season, consider quick and easy, minimally-invasive treatments that can rejuvenate your neck area. From laser and ultrasound therapies to injectables, these procedures can have you flaunting your neck in time for your holiday dinner.
With over 50+ laser, light, and energy devices, Cosmetic Laser Dermatology offers patients in San Diego, CA with customized care using innovative combination treatment options including laser, light, and energy devices, Botox and filler injections, and body sculpting treatments for neck rejuvenation. With our state-of-the-art treatments and technologies, it is possible to provide you with natural and beautiful results without the need for surgery.
Why Is My Neck Changing?
Sagging skin is part of the natural aging process. The delicate skin on your face and neck will gradually thin as the production of collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid slows down. These are the building blocks that provide your skin with structure, support, and youthful firmness. As the neck matures, the depletion of these proteins can be aggravated by years of sun exposure, smoking, pollution, and other environmental factors. The skin and muscles may soften and lose elasticity, causing the appearance of wrinkles and rolls around the chin and neck area. This loose, sagging skin is often referred to as the “turkey neck” and is naturally a common cosmetic concern for both women and men.
How Can I Get My Youthful Neck Back?
Patients with skin laxity around the neck area or pockets of fat just under the chin may benefit from less invasive, non-surgical treatments. At Cosmetic Laser Dermatology in San Diego, CA, we offer safe and effective neck rejuvenation therapies that are designed to smooth wrinkles and tighten skin. Dr. Sabrina Fabi recently spoke in-depth about therapies for neck and jawline contouring in a webinar, available to watch here. During your consultation with our skincare and anti-aging experts, we will work with your specific concerns and design a combination of treatments to help achieve your desired goals.
Single Out Your Chin
Many people, no matter their age, complain about having a “double chin.” Fat deposits under your chin, known as submental fat, is stubborn. Tumescent liposculpture is the most advanced technique available for permanently removing excess fat deposits in areas like this that are resistant to diet and exercise. It is ideal for the facial and neck area as it uses extremely small cannulas that are able to provide more precise results than larger cannulas and do not require any closing.
The fat removal procedure is called tumescent which means “swollen” because it involves the surgeon filling and swelling the targeted fatty areas with a special anesthetic solution. The solution completely numbs the treatment area, stops bleeding, and thins the fat. Tumescent liposculpture for the face and neck has many benefits, among which is minimal recovery time and quality results. Large cannulas can sometimes create waves or ridges, but we use tiny cannulas that leave a more sculpted and smoother end result.
CoolSculpting is another non-surgical body sculpting treatment that can be used to treat submental fat. CoolSculpting uses cryolipolysis (precisely controlled cooling) to reduce fat and sculpt various areas of the body. For under the chin and neck, we use the CoolMini, a specialized applicator made just for those areas. The device will deliver controlled cooling to the targeted area. This procedure not only reduces unwanted fat under the chin, but it also improves skin laxity, effectively contouring the neck. This addresses the loose tissue in the double chin as it tightens and sculpts the skin.
Kybella is an injectable medication that can reduce fat under the chin. It is formulated with deoxycholic acid and works by breaking down the targeted fat. Through a series of tiny injections, the fat cells are targeted and destroyed, resulting in a more contoured neck area and an enhanced facial profile. You may add a dermal filler treatment to your plan if your chin is somewhat recessed. A filler like Voluma may produce a stronger or more effeminate or masculine jawline.
Our board-certified dermatologists are experts in both body and facial liposculpture. The facial area is very delicate and requires a precise, skilled touch in order to achieve the best outcome.
Save the Turkey for the Table
Loose, wrinkled skin under the neck sometimes resembles the wattle of a turkey, and this is a concern of many people as they age. We at Cosmetic Laser Dermatology offer several treatments to address sagging skin on the neck. Developed by and offered exclusively at Cosmetic Laser Dermatology, ThermiSculpt can non-surgically reshape and tighten your neck and jawline in just one treatment. This non-surgical neck lift involves inserting a small Thermi needle under your skin into the fatty tissue. The needle conducts RF energy into the dermis to dissolve fat and signal your skin to produce collagen. Our expert dermatologists will then resculpt your submentum (area under the chin), jawline, and neck with micro-facial liposuction. Using tiny cannulas, fat will be vacuumed away. You won’t need general anesthesia for ThermiSculpt. Only a few tiny incisions under your chin will be made, leaving nearly invisible scars that do not require a long recovery process.
Micro-liposuction also stimulates a healing response in your skin that promotes further collagen and elastin production. As your newly sculpted chin and jawline heal and adjust to less fat volume, your skin naturally tightens. And as the collagen remodeling process continues over the next 2-4 months after your procedure, your results can get better and better.
Ultherapy is another noninvasive procedure that can tighten loose skin on your neck. It uses the safe and gentle effects of focused ultrasound to tighten facial and neck skin. While lasers rely on light energy to treat the superficial layers of the skin (which means it cannot penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin), Ultherapy’s focused ultrasound energy can target the deep layers of tissue traditionally targeted in surgical facelifts. The procedure initiates a natural process known as neocollagenesis, which produces new collagen, resulting in skin that is tighter and firmer.
While a surgical neck lift is a viable option for treating “turkey neck” and restoring tighter, firmer skin along the neck, Ultherapy is a revolutionary non-surgical procedure that helps lift and tighten loose neck skin, without the risk and potential complications of surgery. Ultherapy is customizable and can be combined with additional anti-aging treatments such as Botox and a variety of facial fillers for total neck rejuvenation.
Thermage is a skin tightening treatment that can also treat “turkey neck,” sagging skin, and loose jowls by uniquely combining deep heating and integrated cooling processes. Deep heating will help tighten the collagen in your skin while stimulating the formation of new collagen, and integrated cooling will protect the surface of the skin during a session. The procedure will result in tighter, smoother skin and improved tone and texture.
Relax the Lines
Botox, one of the most popular treatments for smoothing fine lines and wrinkles around the face, can also provide a non-surgical means to rejuvenate the aging neck. As part of the natural aging process, your pair of vertical neck bands (platysma muscle bands) become more noticeable, especially since they are frequently used. Botox, when injected into these dynamic muscles, can relax their hyperactivity, making them less prominent and resulting in a smoother and tighter-looking neck.
Tighten Your Jowls
Jowls are another common sign of aging, but thankfully it’s one you don’t have to live with. ThermiTight is a skin tightening procedure that sends targeted radiofrequency (RF) energy via a probe deep into your skin. This radiofrequency energy heats and contracts your skin at temperatures within the optimal range for stimulating collagen production deep beneath your skin. This strengthens your skin’s underlying support system, which in turn firms and tightens sagging, loose skin, giving you a more youthful jawline. And since Thermi radiofrequency energy promotes new collagen growth, your results can gradually improve in the weeks and months following your procedure. The process is so gradual, likely no one will suspect you’ve had any work done.
Establish A Skincare Routine
Maintaining a quality skincare regimen will not only help keep your skin healthy and beautiful, but it may also prolong the results of your dermatologic treatments and delay skin aging. Our expert dermatologists not only use research-supported and dermatologist-tested skincare products, but they have also participated in numerous clinical trials to research the efficacy of our products. They will help you create the perfect skincare regimen to keep your skin looking and feeling its very best between visits to our office. No matter your skincare regimen, it is imperative that you wear sunscreen everyday, on your face, neck, and chest.
To learn more about neck rejuvenation, visit ncbi.nlh.nih.gov.
Schedule A Neck Rejuvenating Treatment in San Diego, CA
At Cosmetic Laser Dermatology, our board-certified dermatologists are skin and body sculpting experts, providing a wide range of cosmetic treatment options for patients interested in body contouring and reducing the adverse aesthetic effects of aging. To learn more about how you can achieve a younger-looking neck or to schedule a consultation, contact our San Diego, CA office.
