Neck Liposuction in Irvine, CA

Neck liposuction is a cosmetic surgery that starts with a very small incision on the underside of the chin. A tiny cannula (suction tube) is inserted and the board certified plastic surgeon carefully removes the excess fat in this sensitive area. 

Great care is taken to avoid wounding the structures of the throat, sublingual muscles, and nerves while removing the fat cells. Sometimes fat is removed from the lower part of the neck or sides of the neck to give the profile a more sculpted look.

Neck liposuction may be combined with other procedures, such as chin implants or lower facelifts to help redefine the lower face and neck. People with very small or almost non-existent chins that appear buried in a layer of fat cells benefit from neck lipo and a chin implant. Fat may also be removed from the lower cheeks to help bring the chin forward.

At your initial consultation, pictures are taken from the front and sides of your profile. Then, the board certified plastic surgeon will use special software to show you how you might look after you have lipo on your neck and/or chin.

You will be able to see how your appearance may change before you ever decide to have the plastic surgery. The surgeon can also show you how to improve your appearance with supplemental and complementary procedures.

Depending on the age of the patient and the elasticity of the skin in the neck and under the chin, the surgeon may either take the cannula (i.e., suction wand) through an incision under the underside of the chin or through two incisions on the sides of the face under the ear lobes. If the patient is young enough but has a particularly full neck as a result of genetics, the surgeon will use the double incision under the ear lobes to suction out more fat from the sides of the neck as well as under the chin.

The incisions are very small and the procedure does not take long at all. A local anesthetic is all that is necessary. Most patients are awake for the neck lipo procedure and are able to see some results right away. As the neck and chin area heal and the tiny incisions close over, patients will see more dramatic results from their neck liposuction procedure.

To ease the fat grafting process and reduce stress on the skin and muscles in the neck, a laser may be used to liquefy the fat deposits. This is entirely painless.

Using a laser to liquefy the fat before it is suctioned out reduces the amount of pressure and scraping from the cannula needed to loosen the fat right before it is removed. It also reduces the amount of bruising and pain in the treated areas. If you are interested in having the laser as part of your procedure, ask the doctor about it and the additional cost to include it.

The best candidates for this cosmetic surgery should be in their 20’s or 30’s. This is when the skin under the chin and around the neck is most supple and most elastic. The skin here is most likely to bounce back into a great profile in patients of this age. Many people have fat deposits in these areas due to genetics. 

You can still have lipo on your chin and neck in your 40’s and 50’s, but you may need other procedures to avoid drooping skin or crepe-y skin on your neck after the fat is removed. In fact, most older patients are advised to have a neck lift rather than neck liposuction as the loose skin in older patients can become looser still without fat cells deposits to hold it up.

If you have liposuction on your neck when you are young, you may still need a lower facelift or neck lift later on. Gaining a lot of weight can negatively impact the results of your procedure as well. 

Be sure you are at or close to your ideal weight and that you are not likely to gain a lot of weight in the next several years. The best results occur when people are under a healthy diet, on the lean side, and just have that little pocket of stubborn submental fat left.