How to Get Rid of Turkey Neck

Sagging skin under the chin and around the neck, often referred to as “turkey neck,” can be an embarrassing problem. Associated with aging, it is a nagging daily reminder for both men and women alike that we’re not as young as we once were. 

Thankfully, with advances in modern cosmetic surgery, getting rid of turkey neck is easier than ever before. 

If you would like to explore your options for getting rid of turkey neck, schedule a consultation with one of Defyne’s board-certified surgeons.

What is Turkey Neck?

Loose skin and muscle on the neck under the chin is common in both men and women over the age of 40. It can be caused by several factors—for one, as you age, you lose collagen, elastin, and muscle tone, which help keep your skin smooth and tight. Genetics can also contribute to turkey neck, as can smoking, fluctuations in weight, and excessive sun exposure.

Turkey Neck Treatment

Figuring out how to fix turkey neck inevitably leads people to many possible treatments, including non-surgical and surgical options. Understandably, many individuals attempt non-surgical options first in the hope of finding a less invasive treatment. No matter which route you choose for getting rid of turkey neck, it’s important to know how they work and how effective they are.

Non-Surgical Options

There are a few ways to approach mild neck skin laxity and platysmal banding without surgery, with variable results:

• Topical treatments: creams containing ingredients like retinoids, peptides, hyaluronic acid (HA), and vitamin C are frequently touted as a non-invasive neck lift option. Because they can increase collagen production with regular use, they can create mild improvements in laxity, wrinkles, and skin texture. However, they cannot correct excess loose skin.
• Injectable treatments: less invasive than surgery, injectables like hyaluronic acid and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) can boost collagen production, while Botox can help correct loose neck muscles. Fillers like fat transfer procedures can help contour areas where volume has been lost. These treatments work best for early signs of turkey neck, since they cannot correct significant excess skin or sagging.
• Energy-based treatments: these include ultrasound, radiofrequency, and laser treatments. All three heat the skin to promote collagen production, helping to smooth out and tighten mild to moderately loose skin. They require multiple sessions and may have limited success in advanced cases of turkey neck.

For a true turkey with severe skin laxity, you may be a better candidate for surgical options. 

Surgical Options

For advanced cases where there is more sagging skin than non-surgical methods can correct, a neck lift (platysmaplasty) can restore youthful appearance by tightening muscles and loose skin. It is often combined with liposuction to contour areas of excess fat, while a lower facelift can further reduce sagging and wrinkles along the jawline.

Traditional neck lift surgery can take between 1-3 hours; more complex procedures that include liposuction and facelift add time. Depending on the procedure, general anesthesia may be used, or a combination of local anesthesia and sedation.

Risks of turkey neck surgery include:

• Infection and/or poor healing
• Bleeding
• Pain
• Swelling and bruising
• Skin discoloration
• Nerve damage
• Scarring
• Hair loss at the incision line
• Blood clots
• Facial asymmetry

It’s important to discuss these risks and your options for turkey neck treatment with a board-certified surgeon for the best results.

The Defyne Approach to Getting Rid of Turkey Neck: The Overnight Lift

With our Overnight Lift, utilizing a combination of innovative technologies, you have access to a minimally invasive option for addressing turkey neck, providing natural-looking results with a quick recovery.

Benefits of the Overnight Lift

This approach to improving turkey neck addresses all three layers of the neck that cause sagging: 

• Tightens skin
• Removes excess fat
• Enhances muscle definition. 

It utilizes local anesthesia, minimizing the risks associated with general anesthesia, and downtime is minimal, with most people able to return to their normal routines within 0-2 days.

How the Overnight Lift Works

Cutting-edge technology allows for minimally invasive treatment of three facets of turkey neck:

• Treating the platysma muscle: A tiny entry point on either side of the bands is used to insert a cutting suture, which minimizes the projection of the bands.
• Removing excess submental fat: For some individuals, subcutaneous fat below the chin results in the classic appearance of a double chin, particularly when looking down. As part of the Overnight Lift, liposuction can be used to remove this fat. If there is additional fat along the jawline, this can also be removed to improve contours.
• Tightening the skin: Based on individual needs, Defyne’s board-certified surgeons develop a customized plan to reduce laxity and wrinkles. Using one or more innovative technologies, you can achieve your ideal appearance with ease. These approaches can include the use of radiofrequency thermal energy, nanofat for enhanced healing and improved skin quality, and microcoring techniques for skin removal.

Who Is a Good Candidate for the Overnight Lift?

Defyne’s Overnight Lift addresses mild to moderate laxity. Individuals with significant amounts of sagging neck skin or excess fat may be more appropriate candidates for our traditional neck lift surgery.

The Next Step on Your Journey to a Defined Neck

At Defyne, a consultation with our expert surgeons can help guide a decision on the best path forward to address turkey neck and restore a youthful appearance quickly and with a high level of satisfaction.

Schedule a consultation with Defyne to find out if the Overnight Lift or neck lift surgery is right for you.