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Neck Liposuction Beverly Hills and Los Angeles
It's tempting to think that liposuction is the answer to everything, but its application in the face is limited. Draw a line from the ear canal down to the corner of the mouth; everything below this line is fair game. The most common area of fat removal is along the jaw line and under the chin.
Facial liposuction is sensational for people without much neck definition. Revealing the underlying structure of the jaw line makes the whole person look trimmer. Even if the patient has a weak chin, combining liposuction, to remove extra fatty tissue, with a chin implant provides wonderful results.
On of the coolest things about liposuction is that it's not just for younger people anymore. The most recent studies show that older individuals can benefit too. Previous assumptions about aging skin relaxation have proven untrue. The liposuction itself appears to create scar tissue which tightens up the overlying skin. There are limits, however. The proverbial "turkey neck" is proportionately more about loose skin than it is about fat. Only a facelift will provide significant improvement in tightening very loose neck skin.
Perhaps you're feeling guilty about not dieting those double chins away. The fat below the jawline is impervious to all but the most sever weight loss (eg, cancer, weight loss and starvation). Therefore, liposuction is a good solution to what is usually an inherited trait. The buccal cheek pads (the soft part under the cheekbone and over the teeth), however, are much more responsive to weight loss and are best left alone.
There are some potential drawbacks to injudicious liposuction. When too much neck fat is removed, the lymphatic system is disrupted. This can result in prolonged (weeks to months) swelling and edema. Overly aggressive fat removal can also leave ridges and distortions of normal facial contours. The thin layer of fat in the face provides the padding underneath the skin. If too much is removed, the movement of jaw and cheek muscles may become disconcertingly apparent. This may be what makes John Cleese's facelift so odd looking (check out the difference between "A Fish Called Wanda" and "Fierce Creatures").
Another potential pitfall is injudicious removal of the buccal fat pad. It's sometimes requested in order to achieve a sculptural, high-fashion look. However, "as people age, they lose the fat in their face through atrophy. Look at Ingrid Bergman. Through the years her face became more sculptured and some think more interesting--sans surgery. "Youthful buccal fat removal can eventually result in a hollow, prematurely old look, so I reserve it only for people with very round faces," says Dr. Simoni.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I am an 18 year-old female considering buccal fat extraction; what are your thoughts?
A: Some women continue to have skeletal growth into their early 20s and you may still be in a growth phase. More importantly, you'll find that starting in your 30s you will lose facial fat as it atrophies. So the ultimate goal is to help you achieve a look which satisfies you now but ages well. Even with very round faces, any surgery should be judicious. Most likely a partial buccal fat removal is in order, not a complete removal. You would also need to have the proportions
of your face examined to see if any other structural parameter is accentuating the cheek fullness and whether a different procedure might get you closer to your goal.
Q: I'm 39, with good skin tone and a little overweight and particularly bothered by the almost double chin I've developed; will liposuction or another procedure help?
A: Yes, some of the fat can be removed from the chin and neck area. This would be done through small incisions under the chin and behind each earlobe under general anesthesia. The goal is to obtain a smooth, natural contour. But there are some limiting factors when it comes to submental and neck liposuction. The neck anatomy itself (ie, hyoid bone projection, submandibular glands, and the neck muscles) varies widely in individuals and may limit the amount of neck definition that can be surgically obtained. Also, aggressive fat removal can disrupt the lymphatic circulation just below the skin and delay healing for up to 3-6 months. Depending on the chin projection, some patients also benefit from a small chin implant at the same time as judicious liposuction. A platysma (muscle) surgery may also be employed to sharpen the jaw and neck definition. The real answer is best discovered through a consultation with exam and video imaging.
