Neck & Skin Laxity
Loose or hanging skin on the neck and under the jaw can add years to your appearance. This occurs as we age when the layers of skin underneath the surface lose their firmness. The first sub-surface layer, known as the dermis, contains elastin and collagen-rich tissue. The subcutaneous layer below that is the fat layer, with a web of collagen fibers running through it. Along with age, weight fluctuations, and sun exposure contribute to the break down of the elastic tissue and collagen in these skin layers, causing the skin to sag. Surface treatments don't target the deeper layers of skin where the laxity originates, and surgery can be painful and invasive.
Treatment Options
Botox
If the neck area is sagging or causing a turkey neck appearance, or if you have shallow horizontal lines across your neck, Botox can help smooth and tighten these areas to reveal a more youthful neck. For sagging skin and turkey necks, we inject Botox into the platysmal bands. This tightens the muscles and, in turn, tightens and smooths the skin. When injected into fine lines across the neck, Botox behaves the same way it would if injected into crow’s feet or forehead lines; the muscle is relaxed, smoothing the lines caused by those muscles.
A few days following the injection, the bands just appear to fade away, resulting in an often dramatically improved silhouette. A further development of this has been the so called "Nefertiti Lift". For this, the botulinum is injected into the neck bands at the front of the neck, as well as the side bands that insert into the angle of the jaw. These side bands are what pull down on the lower side of the face and aggravate the jowls, and by injecting these the bands relax, the jowls reduce and the lower face lifts. This has the effect of streamlining the neck and narrowing and lifting the heavy lower face.
Radiofrequency Microneedling
The combination of these technologies provides effective same day results of dermal volumizing, skin tightening and body sculpting. It is a great tool for improving skin texture, skin color, scarring and stretch marks.
This treatment offers amazing rejuvenating effects to patients with minimal to no downtime and limited discomfort. It is suitable for all skin types and all parts of the body.
Both microneedling and radiofrequency induce a healing response from the body. The injured areas release chemical messengers known as growth factors. These growth factors call in healing cells like macrophages, fibroblasts and stem cells. These cells clean up the damage. They also repair damage like age spots and old collagen. The result is rejuvenated skin. The combination results in a greater healing response than either procedure alone. It is like adding 1+1 and getting 3 because of the work they do together.