Posted December 08, 2012 in Blog, Neck Lifting, Non-Surgical Treatments, Ulthera, Uncategorized
“We all look good for our age. Except for our necks.”
Nora Ephron, “I Feel Bad About My Neck”
One of the most common complaints that our patients share with us is aging of their neck. According to Rod J. Rohrich, MD a plastic surgeon in Dallas, Texas at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, the aging features of the neck are: prominent banding, fullness, and wrinkles. Dr. Rohrich states, “When we see facial rejuvenation patients who are unhappy with the way they look, their necks are frequently one of the main things they express dissatisfaction about, along with the other two other features that help us guess people’s ages—eyes and lips.”
Nora Ephron begins her essay, “I feel bad about my neck. Truly I do. If you saw my neck, you might feel bad about it too, but you’d probably be too polite to let on. If I said something to you on the subject–something like “I absolutely cannot stand my neck”–you’d undoubtedly respond by saying something nice, like “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You’d be lying, of course, but I forgive you. I tell lies like that all the time–mostly to friends who tell me they’re upset because they have little pouches under their eyes or jowls, or wrinkles, or flab around the middle, and so I think they should have an eye job, or a face-lift, or Botox, or liposuction. My experience is that “I don’t know what you’re talking about” is code for “I see what you mean, but if you think you’re going to trap me into engaging on this subject, you’re crazy.”
The best non-invasive method to rejuvenate the aging neck combines therapies. Ultherapy utilizes ultrasound energy to lift and tighten the skin and muscles of the neck. In the last month, Ulthera has released new guidelines of neck treatment which includes adding 130% more pulses to the lower neck (all the way to the collar bone) on each side. Studies have shown that this treatment is safe, and adds even greater improvement of the neck over the previously used protocol. There is no downtime with the one-hour Ulthera office neck rejuvenation treatment. The cost of this new extended Ulthera neck treatment is $2500.
For crepe` neck skin wrinkles, Fraxel laser treatment with Fraxel 600 (a light fractionated CO2 laser skin resurfacing) is the answer. This non-surgical treatment leaves the skin of the neck red for about 5 to 7 days. Numbing anesthetic cream is used for one hour before the 15-minute laser treatment. It feels like a hot razor blade is shaving your skin during the treatment. Fortunately, there is no discomfort during the recovery period. The cost of Fraxel 600 on the neck is $1250.
Once the neck skin has been lifted and tightened with Ulthera, and the neck skin tone, texture, and color have been improved with Fraxel 600, the quality of the skin should be maintained with quality skin care products. At the recently held 2012 Cosmetic Surgery Forum at which Dr. Persky lectured, the consensus of aesthetic rejuvenation experts was that the use of Nectifirm along with retina. Nectifirm is a cream that helps neck skin appear firm and lifted, reduces the appearance of rough, crepey skin, and dramatically lessens the look of fine lines and wrinkles.
If you are interested in an Utherapy procedure, please schedule your consultation with Dr. Persky by calling (818) 501-3223. Join our newsletter to receive special offers & promotions exclusively available for subscribers.
Nora Ephron ends her essay about her neck with “Of course it’s true that now that I’m older, I’m wise and sage and mellow. And it’s also true that I honestly do understand just what matters in life. But guess what? It’s my neck.”
Be well.
Dr. Michael Persky and Dr. Sarmela Sunder are located in Encino, California and Beverly Hills, California (The Lasky Clinic) but service all of Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. Including, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Hancock Park, Brentwood, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Calabasas, Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Westlake, Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, La Canada, Pasadena, and more. Please subscribe to our blog by clicking the link above, right. Thank you!
