Types of Neck Lift Surgery: Cervicoplasty & Platysmaplasty

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Neck lift surgery, to achieve great results, tends to combine two main procedures, the cervicoplasty and the platysmaplasty. Both are usually incorporated in the surgery, though the use of the platysmaplasty procedure depends on the state of your neck muscles. If they are in good condition, i.e. they are taut and strong, then a platysmaplasty is unnecessary, but if they droop, creating what is called banding, a platysmaplasty can tighten the muscle.

Cervicoplasty

The cervicoplasty corrects limp and drooping skin caused by ageing, rapid weight loss or medical problems. This procedure is the least complicated of the two since it involves the reduction of drooping skin and a repositioning of the tissue.

To begin with, the surgeon makes an incision behind each ear to create a position from which to tighten the skin. The freed skin is then trimmed. How much is removed depends on what look you discussed with your surgeon. The reduced skin is then repositioned over the neck. The neckline is therefore tightened, because the trimmed skin is stretched over the same area as before. This means that the skin is pulled upwards and backwards, enabling the jaw line and neckline to be better defined. The redraped skin is then sutured by stitching, tissue glue or staples.  A bandage will then be wrapped around the head to protect the suture. A compression bandage could be used; talk to your surgeon about what is best for you.

Platysmaplasty

For the platysmaplasty, an incision is usually made under the chin to gain better access to the neck muscles. The surgeon, depending on which procedure he or she is following, either realigns muscle, partially removes it, sutures muscle together, or perhaps does all three. This results in the tightening of the central area of the neck. Which procedure your surgeon follows, though, depends on your needs and desires and your surgeon’s abilities.

Corset Platysmaplasty

If you especially suffer from banding (in which your skin hangs off slack muscle), then it is likely that your surgeon will follow the corset platysmaplasty procedure. He or she may first remove some muscle or perhaps realign the muscle, but the corset platysmaplasty focuses particularly on creating a muscle sheet. This means skin cannot amass round drooping muscle. It also means that the chance of banding returning is reduced, therefore making the corset platysmaplasty especially suited for those predisposed to banding. To reduce the return of slack muscles the muscle is made stronger by suturing the muscle together in a continuous line down the front of the neck. When this is done, the incision is closed and the face bandaged.

Hammock Platysmaplasty & Purse-String Platysmaplasty

As said before, the corset platysmaplasty is best suited to people that suffer from banding. Other procedures exist that can be better suited to correcting a particular neck problem other than banding. Certainly the purse-string platysmaplasty is more suitable for a male patient. This is because the deeper structure of men’s faces and necks makes the process more appropriate.

The hammock platysmaplasty is another example of a different platysmaplasty procedure. It could, though, be used in conjunction with the corset platysmaplasty because it can further protect against neck banding. The procedure uses mesh or Alloderm as a “hammock” to capture loose muscle and keep the neck tight. A hammock platysmaplasty is certainly the best option for you if you suffer from banding and your muscles are very weak. A corset platysmaplasty would only be successful if the strengthened muscle has some remains of strength in it. If muscle is exhausted, then a “hammock” of mesh or Alloderm does the work for the muscle, therefore making it more appropriate for people with worn out muscles.

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