Neck Lift in Bellevue
A neck lift corrects the loose skin, vertical banding, and blurred jawline that age concentrates below the chin. It restores the clean transition from jaw to neck that photographs notice first.
The operation stands alone for patients whose face still sits well, and joins a facelift when the two are aging together — which is the more common finding, and the reason a full facelift here includes the neck.
Dr. Day plans the operation from your anatomy: skin, muscle banding, and the fat above and below the platysma each get their own answer.
Your surgeon
Dr. Kristopher Day is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, and is fellowship-trained in craniofacial surgery.
Meet Dr. DayThe operation
Every consultation — and every operation — is with Dr. Day.
Incisions sit behind the ear and, where needed, in the crease beneath the chin. The platysma muscle is tightened at the midline to correct banding, excess fat is contoured, and the skin is redraped along its natural lines.
Where the jawline needs structural help rather than soft-tissue work, chin augmentation is the honest companion conversation, and the consultation sorts which applies to you.
The neck has three separate problems that look like one in the mirror: loose skin, fat sitting above or below the muscle, and the vertical banding that comes from the platysma separating. A neck can have any one, two, or all three, and each responds to something different — which is why a treatment aimed at the wrong one disappoints. The exam names which you actually have before anything is planned.
Is it right for you
Good candidates are bothered by neck laxity, banding, or fullness out of proportion to the rest of the face. If facial aging accompanies it, combining with a facelift produces one coherent result in one recovery.
Skin quality, weight stability, and smoking status all shape the plan; smoking stops four to six weeks around surgery.
Recovery
Home the same day, desk work in the first week, and social comfort typically by week two. A supportive dressing protects the new contour early on.
Exercise builds from week two at half effort; full activity returns at four to six weeks, with the final contour settling over three to six months.
How the weeks before and after surgery fit together is covered in the practice's recovery guide.
Results
View the Full GalleryFace & Neck Lift
Neck Lift
Neck Liposuction
Questions, answered
The rest belong in a conversation. Consultations are unhurried by design.
Neck lift or facelift — how do I know which I need?
If the jawline and face read younger than the neck, a neck lift alone may be enough. When both are aging together, the combined operation is the coherent answer. The consultation settles it with your anatomy, honestly.
What causes neck bands?
The platysma muscle loosens and separates with age, and its edges show as vertical cords. Tightening the muscle at the midline corrects them — skin treatments cannot.
Where are the scars?
Behind the ear and, when the midline is treated, in the natural crease beneath the chin. Both sit where the eye does not look.
What about non-surgical options?
Injectables address small volumes of fat beneath the chin, and are honestly offered here when they fit. They do not tighten loose skin or correct banding — that is the neck lift's territory.
How long is recovery?
Desk work in week one, social comfort around week two, exercise building from week two at half effort, and full activity at four to six weeks.
How much does a neck lift cost?
Cost depends on the extent of the operation and whether it joins a facelift; your consultation includes a written breakdown. CareCredit and Alphaeon financing are available.
Financing Options