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Neck Lift in Istanbul, Turkey: Deep Plane Neck Lift, Recovery, Cost

59 minutes ago
6 min read

Quick answer. A neck lift corrects a loose, heavy or banded neck by tightening the platysma muscle, removing or repositioning fat under the chin and trimming excess skin. On its own it does not lift the cheeks or jowls, which is why many patients have it together with a deep plane facelift. At the Prof. Dr. Suleyman Tas Clinic in Istanbul, deep plane face and neck lifts are performed under local anesthesia, with a stay in Istanbul of about 10 to 14 days.

Key takeaways

  • A neck lift treats loose neck skin, vertical platysma bands, fat under the chin and a blunt angle between chin and neck.

  • In a pooled analysis of 2,106 patients, platysma bands came back in 1.4% and nerve injury occurred in 0.9%.

  • Deep neck techniques that reshape the submandibular glands and deep fat can give a sharper angle, but carry a higher nerve-injury risk and need careful counselling.

  • Short-scar facelifts have a limited effect on the neck; a loose neck usually needs a dedicated neck lift.

  • The fee is quoted individually after Prof. Dr. Tas has reviewed your photographs or examined you.

What does a neck lift actually treat?

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) lists four problems a neck lift addresses: excess fat and skin relaxation in the lower face that creates jowls, fat under the chin, loose neck skin, and muscle banding in the neck (ASPS, n.d.). The muscle is the platysma, a thin sheet that runs from the chest up to the jaw. With age it separates in the midline and forms the two vertical cords many people call a "turkey neck".

A neck lift does not change the cheeks, the fold beside the nose or the eyes. If those areas have dropped too, a facelift is combined with the neck lift. See facelift vs neck lift: which one fixes jowls and a sagging neck.

  • Facelift and neck lift: early recovery
  • Face and neck lift: before and 7 days after

How is a neck lift performed?

ASPS describes two incision patterns. In a traditional neck lift the incision starts at the hairline near the sideburn, runs around the ear and ends in the hair behind the ear; a separate small incision under the chin is often added for liposuction and muscle repair. In a limited-incision neck lift only the incisions around the ear are used, with results that ASPS notes "may be more limited" (ASPS, n.d.).

Under the skin, the surgeon repositions the tissue, tightens the platysma, removes or sculpts fat, redrapes the skin and trims the excess (ASPS, n.d.). Techniques differ mainly in what is done to the platysma: stitching the two edges together in the midline, cutting the lower part of the muscle to release the bands, or both.

What is a deep neck lift?

A "deep plane" or "deep" neck lift goes beneath the platysma. A 2024 systematic review of 57 studies with 8,648 patients found that the structures most often altered were the submandibular glands (69.9% of studies), the digastric muscles (58.6%) and the fat under the platysma (48.6%). Patient satisfaction ranged from 81.6% to 98.6%. The same review reported nerve palsy in 0.2% to 12% of patients and hematoma in 0.2% to 4%, and concluded that deep neck lifts carry a higher nerve-palsy rate than traditional neck lifts, so patients need thorough counselling (Chinta et al., 2024).

In practice, the deep approach is reserved for necks where the problem lies below the muscle: bulky glands, thick deep fat or a low hyoid bone. For most necks, tightening the platysma and removing superficial fat is enough.

How often do the bands come back?

A 2024 pooled analysis of 12 studies and 2,106 patients who had neck lifts involving the platysma found that bands recurred in 1.4% of patients. The pooled nerve-damage rate was 0.9%, hematoma 1.8% and sialoma (a collection of saliva) 0.3% (Cambiaso-Daniel et al., 2024). These are low figures, but they are averages across many surgeons and techniques; ask your own surgeon about their results.

Is a mini facelift enough for the neck?

Usually not. A systematic review of the MACS lift, a widely used short-scar facelift, concluded that "the effect on neck rejuvenation is limited" and that additional procedures are needed for an aged neck (Hijkoop et al., 2021). If the neck is your main concern, a short-scar lift alone is likely to disappoint. Read full facelift vs mini facelift vs deep plane and lower facelift vs full facelift.

Video: Facelift and neck lift: the first days of recovery. Watch on YouTube

What is recovery like?

Expect swelling and bruising of the neck and lower face for the first one to two weeks, tightness under the chin, and numbness of the neck skin that settles over weeks to months. Sutures are removed or dissolve within days; a soft chin strap is often worn at night in the early period. Most people return to desk work within two weeks and to exercise after about four weeks, following their surgeon's advice. See facelift recovery timeline and neck lift pain and recovery.

Contact your surgical team at once if one side of the neck swells rapidly, becomes tight or very painful, or if you have any difficulty breathing or swallowing.

Video: Deep plane facelift and neck lift result. Watch on YouTube

Neck lift in Istanbul: how the trip works at the Prof. Dr. Suleyman Tas Clinic

Prof. Dr. Suleyman Tas performs deep plane face and neck lifts under local anesthesia, with you awake and without general anesthesia. He operates on one patient per day and performs each operation personally. When the neck is the main problem, the neck lift is planned as the centre of the operation; when the cheeks and jowls have dropped too, it is combined with a deep plane facelift, and his TAS Signature Lift can add a temporal and forehead lift, eyelid surgery, fat injection or lip lift in the same session, only where your face needs them. Read deep plane facelift in Istanbul and deep plane neck lift and jawline definition.

Patients stay in Istanbul for about 10 to 14 days. Aftercare includes daily hyperbaric oxygen sessions and a private nurse, and online follow-up continues for one year after you return home. The fee is quoted individually after Prof. Dr. Tas has reviewed your photographs or examined you; see facelift cost in Turkey for what the fee covers, and look at real results in the facelift before and after gallery.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a neck lift be done without a facelift?

Yes. If the cheeks and jowls are still in place and only the neck has loosened, a neck lift on its own is appropriate. If jowls have formed along the jawline, they belong to the face, and a neck lift alone will not correct them; in that case the two are combined in one operation.

How long do I stay in Istanbul for a neck lift?

About 10 to 14 days. During that time the dressings are changed, stitches are removed and the early swelling settles with daily hyperbaric oxygen sessions and a private nurse. After you fly home, online follow-up continues for one year.

Does a neck lift leave visible scars?

The incisions run around the ear and into the hair behind it, with a short incision in the crease under the chin when the muscle needs repair. Once healed they are hard to see in most people. Ask your surgeon to show you where the incisions would run on your own neck.

Can a neck lift be done under local anesthesia?

Yes. Prof. Dr. Suleyman Tas performs deep plane face and neck lifts under local anesthesia with the patient awake, without general anesthesia. This avoids a general anesthetic and a breathing tube and allows a faster return to normal activity.

How much does a neck lift cost in Turkey?

The fee is quoted individually after your photographs have been reviewed, because a neck lift alone, a neck lift with liposuction, and a combined deep plane face and neck lift are different operations. The fee covers the surgery, hospital, private nurse, hyperbaric oxygen sessions and one year of online follow-up; travel and accommodation are separate.

About the Author

This article was written and medically reviewed by Prof. Dr. Suleyman Tas, a plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgeon in Istanbul with over 20 years of experience. He is the author of Rhinoplasty in Practice (CRC Press, 2020), has more than 40 peer-reviewed scientific publications and five patents, and teaches facelift and rhinoplasty techniques to surgeons at international courses. Read more about Prof. Dr. Suleyman Tas.

Individual results vary. Before and after photos and videos are shared with patient consent. This article is for general information and does not replace a personal medical consultation.

See More Before and After Results

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