When the neck is the first thing you notice

For plenty of people, what prompts a facelift enquiry is not in the cheeks at all. It is a softening jawline, a fullness under the chin, or bands running down the front of the neck. Whether that calls for a facelift, a neck lift by itself or the two together is the central question of a consultation with Dr. Chang Soo Kim at Bellava, 182 Route 117 Bypass Road in Bedford Hills. From Somers town hall the drive takes about 13 minutes without traffic, most of it on I-684.

What a neck lift does on its own

A neck lift, or platysmaplasty, works through small incisions, often beneath the chin and behind the ears. Through them Dr. Kim tightens the platysma muscles of the neck, removes surplus fat and redrapes the skin for a cleaner line. Bellava lists the concerns it is meant for:

sagging neck skin and slack neck muscles;
vertical bands down the neck;
fat under the chin, or a double chin;
the loose fold often called a turkey neck.

What a facelift adds

A facelift reaches higher up the face. Its incisions run around and behind the ears, and beneath the skin Dr. Kim tightens and repositions the SMAS — the supporting layer under the cheeks, jowls and neck — so all three are reshaped together. Fat along the chin and jowls can be taken out by liposuction in the same operation.

A fair rule of thumb, then: when the jowls and the folds beside the nose and mouth have changed along with the neck, a facelift deals with all of them at once. When the trouble stops at the neck, a neck lift may be all you need. Dr. Kim tells you which once he has examined you.

The surgeon and the setting

Dr. Kim holds American Board of Plastic Surgery certification; he studied medicine at Yale and completed his plastic surgery residency at Yale–New Haven Hospital. Bellava performs facelifts as outpatient procedures under local anesthesia with sedation, in its own surgical suite accredited by The Joint Commission. About Dr. Kim.

Not ready for surgery?

A liquid facelift uses Botox and dermal fillers to lift and smooth chosen areas, with no incisions and no downtime. Bellava suggests it for early to moderate signs of ageing.

Somers patients ask

Where will the scars be? Facelift incisions are hidden within the hairline and the natural creases around the ear; a neck lift adds a small one beneath the chin.

What is the first week like? You go home the same day. A supportive neck garment is worn throughout the first week and then at night for a while longer, and any bruising can usually be covered with make-up.

Could my eyelids be treated in the same operation? Often. A facelift is frequently paired with eyelid surgery, fat transfer to the cheeks or laser resurfacing.

How do I start? Request a consultation with the button on this page, or call or text, and the patient coordinator will call you back. Read the main facelift and neck lift pages, and Bellava’s page for Somers, beforehand.

Facelift for Somers, NY