Neck liposuction - take care of that little waddle of fat
Posted on Tue, Nov 15, 2011
Several years ago a friend gave me the book entitled “I Feel Bad About My Neck” by Nora Ephron. It was hilarious and so true. She goes on and on about how, with age, her neck has become more and more unsightly and annoying.
So many women as well as men are pretty pleased about their appearance except for their necks. Every day I hear complaints about either the little waddle of fat or wrinked and loose skin. As we age our skin loses elasticity and gravity seems to cause everything from above to settle in the neck.
Dr. John Stover discusses his personal experience with neck liposuction
I recently lost about 20 pounds on the HGC diet and noticed a significant improvement in my neckline but the central waddle would not budge. I am getting old but am still young enough that I have some elasticity left in my skin so I decided to have liposuction for my neck.
Two months ago I cornered my friend Dr. Angelo Cuzalina (an amazing cosmetic surgeon) and he agreed to the procedure.
I was sleepy and comfortable. I wore a compression garment for about a week and now am thrilled to have a nicely contoured neck and jawline. It is an amazing result if I do say so myself. I never needed or took a single pain pill.
The small amount of bruising was gone in about a week and the little lumps that I could feel but not see are almost all gone. The 3 small incision sites, one under my chin and one behind each ear, are not even visible.
Skin tightening may require at least a mini-facelift
I am one of the lucky ones that can get away with liposuction alone. Most people need some skin tightening, so require at least a mini-facelift. This involves an incision around the ear.
Liposuction to the neck is also usually a part of a traditional facelift.
As with any liposuction the main problem encountered is firm lumps that typically resolve within a few months with massage and steroid injections. Also fluid accumulations called seromas may develop that may need to be drained.
What About Non-Invasive Liposuction?
For small amounts of fat, micro-liposuction (small incision, small cannula) can be performed with minimal to no recovery. In general, the smaller the diameter of the cannula used, the shorter the recovery time the less fat will be removed.
There is a great deal of advertising now about laser liposuction, Slim-Lipo, Smart-Lipo or other types of “non-invasive” liposuction. These are all great, but the fact of the matter is that an incision still must be made and a cannula inserted to remove fat. This is no different from micro-liposuction.
Some will argue that there is more skin tightening with these gadgety machines, but the truth is that the skin tightening results from the inflammatory response of the procedure, no matter what cannula or machine is used.
Can I get a complimentary neck liposuction consultation?
If you are like me and feel ready for a midlife rejuvenation without having to undergo a major procedure with scars, maybe neck liposuction is just what the doctor will order. Contact us for a complimentary consultation in any of my 3 Big Island offices: Kona, Hilo and Waimea.
