Necklift

Q: Dr. Eppley, I am interested in a necklift to get rid of my turkey waddle. What would be the best surgical option to do so? I have attached a side view picture of my neck so you can assess the waddle. What type of recovery would be needed?

A: Thank you for sending your picture. Your turkey neck poses a bit of a challenge given your hairstyle. Normally a more traditional lower facelift (neck-jowl lift) would be the preferred treatment. But with no hair cover around your ears, this makes it challenging for incision placement to get the optimal neck contouring which is needed most in the center of the neck. This leaves us with the alternative option of a direct necklift with a fine line neck scar down the center of the neck between the underside of the chin and the adam’s apple. You situation is actually common in today’s world as so many men now just shave their heads.

A direct necklift has a much simpler recovery than a more traditional lower facelift as the loose neck skin is excised directly rather than being loosened and being shifted to another location (ears) for removal. One can look pretty good in a week after surgery other than a healing neck scar.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana