Plastic surgery offers many procedures to help you achieve a youthful and rejuvenated look that meets your appearance expectations and goals. Facelifts and neck lifts are both effective options for improving your skin’s appearance, but there are differences between them that can help you determine which option best suits your needs.
While you may think that getting a neck lift or facelift means going under the knife in surgery, not all procedures require surgery. To help you make the most informed decision, we’ll discuss the differences between facelifts and neck lifts, nonsurgical options, and the specifics with each offering.
Differences Between Facelifts and Neck Lifts
Although facelift and neck lifts have the same goal to improve the appearance of your face and neck, each procedure focuses on different target areas and concerns.
When you get a facelift, it works to rejuvenate the lower portions of your face like your jawline and cheeks.Facelifts are a more complex surgery due to facial anatomy being complicated, which leads to a longer recovery time.
With neck lifts, the primary goal is to address concerns such as double chin, neck bands, or turkey neck. Although a neck lift is not as intricate as a face lift, it still requires a skilled surgeon. Most neck lifts have a shorter recovery period than facelifts, with the typical time frame being 1-2 weeks of recovery.
Facelifts and neck lifts are commonly performed simultaneously, but each surgery can be done individually. Most people appear 10-15 years younger, and the effects typically last for a similar length of time. However, the effects are not permanent since your skin continues to age after surgery.
Non-Surgical Options for Facelifts and Neck Lifts
Non-surgical facelifts and neck lifts usually combine minimally invasive techniques with nonsurgical techniques to temporarily reduce the appearance of wrinkles, sagging skin, and folds on your face and neck to avoid hospital stays, large incisions, or anesthesia.
Non-surgical facelifts can cause discomfort, but in most cases it is minimal. Common options are:
- Botox
- Chemical peels
- Microneedling
- Laser skin resurfacing
- Microdermabrasion
- Fat injections
- Dermal fillers
While each of these treatments can reduce the appearance of wrinkles, all of them only provide temporary effects, ranging from three months to several years, depending on which treatment you choose.
The options for nonsurgical neck lifts overlap with some offerings for nonsurgical facelifts, such as Botox, dermal fillers, and laser skin resurfacing. Though, there are two options unique to nonsurgical neck lifts called Kybella and Ultherapy. Kybella injects an acid that breaks down fat cells around your neck, while Ultherapy uses ultrasound waves to promote collagen production to improve neck and chest wrinkles.
Another option for nonsurgical facelifts and neck lifts comes from radiofrequency devices. Radiofrequency skin tightening uses low levels of heat deep into your skin to prompt your skin to produce more collagen. Popular treatments that use radiofrequency energy include BodyTite, FaceTite, AccuTite, Morpheus8, and Forma.
BodyTite
BodyTite is a minimally invasive procedure that leverages radiofrequency energy to remove excess fat while tightening sagging skin. BodyTite is used on:
- Abdomen
- Arms
- Breasts
- Bra line
- Chest
- Knees
- Inner/outer thighs
- Sides
- Stomach
BodyTite has four hand pieces that target different areas or detail levels across the body. BodyTite is the most generalized option, with FaceTite, AccuTite, and Morpheus8 each getting increasingly more detailed by using smaller handheld devices to target smaller areas of your body. For example, FaceTite can work on larger areas of your face like your cheeks, forehead, and neck, but Accutite is better for smaller areas around your eyes and brows.
FaceTite
FaceTite is a specific category of BodyTite that uses radiofrequency energy to contour and tighten the larger areas of skin around your face and neck. The radiofrequency energy delivers heat deep into your skin to stimulate collagen production while melting away fat, effectively combining liposuction into a skin tightening procedure.
The effects from FaceTite last up to five years, according to patient and doctor testimonials, but your skin care regimen and other health decisions will influence how long your results last. If you get a FaceTite treatment, you can expect a few days of recovery time.
While FaceTite is a minimally invasive procedure, it does require a few small incisions and you may experience bruising and discomfort the first few days following the procedure. Although they are not common, major side effects include scarring, infections, and bleeding.
Cost-wise, FaceTite will run you a few thousand dollars depending on the provider, facility, or any additional treatments being used. Request a consultation today at Garza Plastic Surgery to see if FaceTite is a good fit for you!
AccuTite
If you are looking for a more fine-tuned treatment for small, hard to reach areas of your body such as the area around your brows, eyelids, or mouth, AccuTite is the BodyTite treatment that uses a smaller handpiece to achieve it. AccuTite can reach the areas of your face and neck that FaceTite cannot reach, as well as other smaller problem areas around the body.
Similar to FaceTite, AccuTite can last up to five years with healthy lifestyle choices. AccuTite boosts a similar recovery time to FaceTite, with most patients feeling sore or tender for 5-7 days after the treatment.
During the procedure, you will be numbed in the treated area using a numbing cream. Once you are numb, the handheld cannula is used in the area to transfer radiofrequency energy into the fat using an internal electrode. Afterwards, the energy travels through the body tissue to the external electrode that runs on the surface of your skin.
With AccuTite, cost will vary due to the severity of loose skin and how many areas you are looking to have treated. AccuTite is less costly to a traditional facelift or neck lift since it does not require hospitalization, and some procedures take as little as 20 minutes to complete.
Morpheus8
Morpheus8 is a hybrid category of BodyTite that combines radiofrequency energy with microneedling treatments to take both individual treatments a step further. Microneedling is a different minimally invasive procedure where an esthetician uses tiny needles to puncture the skin and promote collagen production.
Due to Morpheus8 incorporating microneedling, you could use it to treat hyperpigmentation or acne scars in addition to the regular benefits of radiofrequency energy. Morpheus8 creates similar results to BodyTite, FaceTite, and AccuTite with tightening and contouring skin, and it can be combined with them to create more enhanced results.
With Morpheus8, microneedling is taken a step further into radiofrequency energy. This makes it easier to tackle multiple types of skin concerns, such as:
- Acne scars
- Fine lines
- Sagging skin
- Stretch marks
- Hyperhidrosis
- Wrinkles
- Surgical scars
Each of these concerns can be reduced over time due to the enhancement of stimulated collagen production from the combination of microneedling and radiofrequency energy.
Results from Morpheus8 are most noticeable three weeks after treatment, but they can develop up to three months after. As with other radiofrequency treatments, proper skincare and healthy habits can extend the duration of your results.
Forma
Forma is a face sculpting treatment that uses thermal radio frequency to tighten loose skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. Forma can be used across your face and neck, as well as parts of your body such as your knees, abdomen, arms, and more.
Collagen production from a Forma treatment can last up to 6 months, though regular maintenance sessions are recommended to maintain the collagen production. If you were to get a Forma treatment every six months, your results could last up to 4 years.
Forma does require multiple sessions to achieve noticeably lasting results, with a minimum of 6 sessions being recommended. Currently, Garza Plastic Surgery does not offer Forma as a treatment, but we encourage you to explore our other treatment options here.
Facelift and Neck Lift at Garza Plastic Surgery in Nashville, TN
If you are looking for a non-surgical facelift or neck lift, please book your consultation today to see which treatment options are best for you. At Garza Plastic Surgery, we want to help you become the most confident version of yourself.
