Don’t Underestimate the Power of a Great Neck Lift or Lower Facelift

Dr Bryan Mendelson

You only have to have a look at a few before and after photos of great neck lifts to know it can completely change a person’s appearance. Lots of patients mistakenly think they need a full facelift, when in fact a good neck lift can turn back the clock years. Dr Bryan Mendelson, esteemed plastic surgeon based in Toorak, Melbourne, sees many patients each year who benefit hugely from neck lifts and lower facelifts. He helps us to understand why the neck lift or lower facelift is perhaps one of the most underestimated surgeries you can have if you are looking for a refreshed and more youthful appearance.

Jowls, or a lax jawline, is one of the first signs of ageing. Similarly, lines around the nose and mouth also appear before most of us are ready for them (are we EVER ready for them?!) and can make us feel as though we look older than we want to. Smiling, laughing, eating… whilst these are some of the best things about life, they also contribute to downward lines forming, and bring down an otherwise still youthful face.

Neck lifts can also be life changing for those without a defined neck. Whether it’s hereditary or not, having a thicker or less sculpted jaw/neck area can radically affect your whole appearance.

Either way, let’s talk about our options for dealing with the issue.

Premasseter Lower Facelift

The Premasseter Lower Facelift is a new technique that is being lauded as a breakthrough in giving restoration to a part of the face that was previously quite difficult to get significant aesthetic improvement. Dr Mendelson tells us that the technique can even be performed on the patient at a younger age for those with an overly full or poorly defined neck to provide benefits into the patient’s long term future.

Performed only by a few elite surgeons due to the specific surgical skills and expertise in anatomy required by the surgeon, Dr Mendelson says, “The Premasseter Lower Facelift is performed in the deeper facial anatomy along the side of the neck, where it firms the area from the jowls to the corner of the mouth and provides support for any tissue laxity in the upper neck; providing a cleaner jawline, and an improvement across the entire lower face and neck. The result is natural in appearance, and lasting. It also slows the rate of appearance of future ageing in that area.”

Dr Mendelson goes on to say that, “The Premasseter Lower Facelift allows the neck and jawline to be restored to an attractive contour, showing clean definition between the face and the neck. The procedure also tidies the area around the mouth, reducing the creases that make the mouth look compressed and downcast.”

Dr Mendelson’s Difference

Dr Bryan Mendelson - Great neck lift
Dr Bryan Mendelson

In case you haven’t done your research and heard of Dr Mendelson yet, he’s one of the most highly respected plastic surgeons in Australia. His book, In Your Face, is a must read. One of the critical differences with Dr Mendelson and his techniques in surgery is that he performs all surgery beneath the skin. He says this is key in ensuring the quality of any facial surgery. Facelifts that rely on “pulling” the skin are a thing of the past and should remind you of the trend in Hollywood 20 years ago where patients looked like they’d been stuck on a rollercoaster going twice the speed for too long. Pulling the skin also doesn’t last as long as working under the skin with the muscles and tissue and deeper support layers. Skin stretches, so anything that just stretches the skin will need redoing at some stage down the track.

Why Does the Neck Age Quicker Than Other Areas?

The majority of us look after our faces regularly with lotions and beauty products, but many of us don’t extend this care to the neck area. The same goes for sunscreen – how many of you put it on your face but often forget to do your neck? On top of this is the fact that the neck has less fatty tissue so the skin stretches more quickly, and dries causing an ageing effect. Combine this with our enemy, gravity, and there’s more than a few of us experiencing that ‘crepey’ look.

Dr Bryan Mendelson is regularly invited to present his expertise at events all over the world. He is a real leader when it comes to effective techniques to give natural looking and beyond expected results. If you’d like to arrange a consult or find out more about what he might be able to do for you give his super lovely staff a call on 03 9826 0977.

Further Reading Related to Facelift