Neck Lift for Men

What is a neck lift for men?

The skin on a man’s neck can sag as a result of aging or weight loss, and is often affected before his face. Having loose neck muscles can lead to visible bands on the neck (turkey neck) or drastic drooping of the skin. These aesthetic concerns can lower a man’s self-confidence, as he may feel people are distracted by his aging neck skin.

A neck lift can help men achieve a stronger, more contoured neck and lower face.

Philadelphia plastic surgeon Dr. Brannon Claytor performs men’s neck lift surgery to smooth and tighten the neck tissues to provide a more toned, youthful, and masculine appearance. The results of a neck lift offer men a drastic improvement to the appearance of the neck and subtle changes to their overall appearance. Dr. Claytor’s male patients often report feeling more confident and capable at work and in personal relationships.

How is a neck lift different for men?

Similar to men’s facelift surgery, a man’s skin is thicker than a woman’s, and therefore requires a unique surgical approach. A skilled plastic surgeon must manipulate the stronger, tougher connective tissues in the neck and lower face while maintaining a lighter, artistic hand when lifting and repositioning neck tissues. Dr. Claytor’s 15+ years as a board certified plastic surgeon specializing in face, neck, and body procedures have positioned him as one of the premier men’s neck lift surgeons in the Main Line area of Philadelphia.

Dr. R. Brannon Claytor

Dr. Claytor is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and holds over 15 years of experience as a cosmetic plastic surgeon. An innovator and teacher in the field of plastic surgery, he uses advanced techniques like the drain-free tummy tuck and deep plane facelift to streamline recovery and provide natural-looking, durable results.

Portrait of Dr. Claytor smiling

What can a men’s neck lift correct?

A men’s neck lift can correct the following concerns:

  • A “turkey wattle” that results from sagging neck skin
  • A “turkey neck” that results from loose platysma bands showing through the skin
  • Jowling in the lower face
  • Excess neck fat and a double-chin

Benefits of men’s neck lift surgery


The benefits of having a neck lift range from a more youthful-looking neck to a tightening of the underlying musculature. This procedure is for men who want a marked improvement in the appearance of their neck area.

  • Smoother neck skin
  • Rejuvenated appearance
  • Tightened underlying muscle
  • Improved confidence
  • Stronger, masculine jawline
  • Years (and pounds) taken off your appearance

Rhytidectomy: A surgical procedure commonly referred to as a facelift, which tightens sagging skin. A lower rhytidectomy specifically targets the neck and jawline.

Platysma: A thin sheet-like muscle in the neck. Aging can cause this muscle to sag, and a neck lift often involves tightening the platysma to improve contour.

Cervicoplasty: The procedure to remove excess skin from the neck.

Platysmaplasty: The surgical procedure to tighten and realign the neck muscles.

Submentoplasty: Combines cervicoplasty and platysmaplasty, addressing both the skin and underlying muscle.

Liposuction: Removal of fat using a suction technique. It can be used in a neck lift to remove excess fat deposits.

Incision: A surgical cut made in the skin during surgery. Placement and size vary based on the specific technique and patient’s needs.

SMAS (Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System): A layer of tissue underneath the skin. Some neck lift procedures involve lifting or tightening the SMAS layer to achieve more lasting results.

Anesthesia: Medication to prevent pain during surgical procedures. Local or general anesthesia may be used for neck lifts.

Sutures: Stitches used to close incisions.

Scarring: Mark left on the skin after wound healing. Proper care and technique can minimize visible scars from the procedure.

Recovery Time: The period a patient needs to fully heal from the procedure.

Complication: An unexpected problem that arises following a procedure. Common complications for surgeries include infection, bleeding, and reactions to anesthesia.

Revision Surgery: An additional procedure performed to correct or improve the results of the initial surgery.

Board-certified Plastic Surgeon: A surgeon who has undergone rigorous training and examinations to achieve a certification from an accredited medical board in plastic surgery.

Dermal Fillers: Substances injected to fill out wrinkles or lines, sometimes used in conjunction with neck lifts for comprehensive rejuvenation.

Skin Elasticity: The skin’s ability to return to its original shape after being stretched.

Jowls: Sagging skin below the chin or jawline, often targeted in neck lift surgeries.

“Everyone was professional and courteous. I was overwhelmed with the kindness and the way each person I met knew their job. The consultation flowed nicely from the care coordinator to the surgeon to the person who did the photography. The facility is stunning and I felt so confident and comfortable that I did not feel a second opinion was warranted.”

—Patient Review

Why choose Dr. Claytor as your Philadelphia neck lift surgeon?

Philadelphia Neck Lift Surgeon Dr. R. Brannon Claytor is double-Board Certified in Plastic Surgery. As one of the few plastic surgeons in the Philadelphia area skilled enough to perform men’s neck lift surgery under local anesthesia without the need for post-operative drains, his skill and experience as a neck lift surgeon provide his male patients with a naturally rejuvenated look. Because each man’s needs are unique, Dr. Claytor will meet with you during your consultation to evaluate and create a plan to help you achieve your aesthetic goals.

Dr. Claytor’s credentials and awards

Dr. Claytor has over 15 years of experience as a neck lift surgeon in the Philadelphia, Bryn Mawr, and Main Line area. He is a member of The Aesthetic Society, the American Society for Plastic Surgeons, and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Claytor has won numerous awards for his skill and experience, including “Top Doc” by Philadelphia Magazine from 2017-2022, “Top Doctor” by Main Line Today from 2015-2021, and one of “America’s Best Plastic Surgeons of 2021” by Newsweek Magazine.

Philadelphia plastic surgeon Dr. Claytor discusses the MyEllevate neck lift procedure for men

At our Philadelphia plastic surgery center, we offer MyEllevate as a minimally invasive neck lift option for men. MyEllevate is a light-guided surgical system that tightens sagging neck muscles and skin in the lower face, jawline, and neck.

Benefits of a MyEllevate neck lift include:

  • No incisions
  • No scarring
  • Performed under local anesthesia in Dr. Claytor’s private surgical suite
  • Less than a week recovery time
  • Half the cost of a normal neck lift
  • Performed in about an hour

Watch Dr. Claytor explain the MyEllevate procedure in the video below:

Video Transcript

Dr. Claytor here. Wanted to share with you the non-surgical neck lift. How does that work? First of all, we need to understand anatomy. So here we have the patient’s jawline. Here’s their jawbone. Here is the underlying bony structure and here is that contour on the neck with that hanging fat. And so it’s not just an excess amount of skin but it’s also extra fat. So how do we deal with that?

First thing we have to do is come in with liposuction, so that’s a liposuction cannula. Then we take and come in just behind the ear and go down here and suction out that fat. And so you can see these small holes at the end of the liposuction cannula suck out that fat. And that helps reduce the amount of fat volume that’s in the neck. That was really all we had years ago.

And then we moved on and we developed the precision TX SmartLipo laser. So this is a laser that we can put in also just behind the ear and reach down here, or you can also enter just underneath the chin here and come in. And the thing that’s unique about the Precision TX SmartLipo laser is that it’s bi-directional. It shoots out the end of the laser as well as out the side so it’s a side-firing laser as well. And what that allows me to do is turn, and so I can turn that laser and shoot out at the skin, or I can shoot down at the underlying muscle. When I shoot out at the skin I’m tightening the skin. When I shoot down at the muscle I’m removing the fat layer in addition to the liposuctioning.

Then, really, the exciting part about the non-surgical neck lift is the Ellevate suture. This is a absolutely transformative part of neck rejuvenation. And the reason for that is we can remove this fat, we can tighten the skin, but ultimately we’re left with the basic triangle that makes up the angle of the jaw. And we’ve got this extra skin here. If you want to take this distance which is longer than this distance and bring that tissue back up and recreate that beautiful neckline.

So how do we do that with the Ellevate suture? So this is the device here; it detaches so that I’m able to pass it through and then reattach it to the light source. And the reason the light source is important is it helps get it that exact level as you’re doing that tissue dissection. And so you start out right here in the middle: so we’ll bring down our magnets. which represent the pivot points. Again remember the first part is the liposuction where we go in with the cannula and we remove most of the fat cells. Now the problem with that, if you do that then you may have the hanging skin. So you come along with the precision TX SmartLipo laser and you go in and—remember it’s bi-directional so you can be firing the laser into the skin which helps with skin tightening and also removing more of the fat.

Now we need to work on taking that loose skin that’s had the fat removed with liposuction and the skin tightened with the Precision TX, and we need to tighten it using the Ellevate suture. So the way we do that is this enters into the tissue and then I slide it along here and then pull through the suture. So effectively what this looks like is, I put this stitch here and then I reattached this, and now I’m able to tunnel over to my next point. And so I go over to here and then when I pop out of the skin I’m able to pull this through. And this sits like such. So you can start to see how this suture underneath the skin is going to allow for the redraping and pulling.

The real key is that we need to anchor it up here. That is the anchor. Now we’re going to come up to here—the suture is going to go along to here. And then we’re going to go up tunnel again further and come out right behind the ear. The ear has a dense amount of connective tissue attached to the mastoid bone and will allow us to anchor the suture as we’re pivoting and coming back down here where we want to have the pull, and pull this tissue back but it needs to be anchored off of here. So now we come along here, bring it through here, pop it out, draw it through the tissue, and the suture ends right here. So you can see that by pulling on this, what’s going to happen is this tissue will be moved. Now that tissue will be moved back in that direction by the pull that’s pivoting off of that anchor. As the suture pulls, everything that’s been loosened up with the liposuction and the Precision TX allows now the new neck contour comes like that.

The truly amazing part of the Ellevate suture technique is as this is tied together—and this is a permanent suture—that takes and moves this neckline back and creates this beautiful jawline and it holds it because it’s permanent. It’s percutaneous because the biggest incision that I had to make was as big as this which is about two millimeters in size. So they’re virtually invisible incisions. And then the most important thing is that the old neckline, which was here, if you draw a line out comes out some point over here. Now the new neckline: you draw a line up here, comes right through the base of the nose. By doing so, now this beautiful neckline has been created, and it’s being held in place with the Ellevate suture after the fat was liposuctioned out and the skin and muscle were tightened with the Precision TX Smart Lipo. So this is the minimally invasive—or really even you could call it the non-surgical—neck lift. I hope you found this helpful. Thanks so much.

Male neck lift procedure details

A men’s neck lift procedure includes both a cervicoplasty to remove excess skin and a platysmaplasty to remove or alter muscles in the neck. Liposuction can also be used to remove excess fat during a neck lift. This takes two to three hours and may be performed under general anesthesia or local anesthesia with sedation, depending on the preference of the patient. Dr. Claytor is one of the  Most procedures are performed on an outpatient basis.

“I had my first cosmetic surgery with Dr. Claytor and I am very happy with my results. The night before my surgery he called me to answer any questions I might have and the day after my surgery he called me to see how I was feeling.”

—Realself review

Can a male neck lift be combined with a facelift?

A neck lift for men may be performed alongside a men’s facelift, or may be performed alone. When combined together, these procedures can transform a man’s appearance and give him the youthful look he wants.

What can I expect during neck lift recovery?

Swelling and bruising may occur shortly after men’s neck lift surgery and last up to ten days. Most men can return to work and other regular activities within two weeks after their neck lift procedure.

Before & After Gallery

elevate-neck-lift-comcomitant-liposuction-24899a-after
Before
elevate-neck-lift-comcomitant-liposuction-24899c-after
After

Before and after a MyEllevate neck lift with liposuction.

*Individual results may vary.

Are there any risks associated with men’s neck lift surgery?

There are certain risks involved in a male neck lift, as there are with any surgical procedure, including problems with anesthesia or infection. There is also a risk of facial nerve damage that may occur during surgery and can result in muscle paralysis. Although these complications are rare, they emphasize the importance of choosing a skilled and experienced surgeon.

Schedule your Philadelphia neck lift consultation

If you are interested in a neck lift for men and would like to see if you are a good candidate, contact our Bryn Mawr office at (610) 527-4833 to schedule a consultation with Philadelphia plastic surgeon Dr. Brannon Claytor.

References »

Gonzalez R. Composite platysmaplasty and closed percutaneous platysma myotomy: a simple way to treat deformities of the neck caused by aging. Aesthetic Surgery Journal. 2009. doi: 10.1016/j.asj.2009.04.007. 

Robenpour M, Fuchs Orenbach S, Hadash-Bengad R, Robenpour O, Heller L. The Wide Suture Suspension Platysmaplasty, a revised technique for neck rejuvenation: A retrospective cohort study. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 2021. doi: 10.1111/jocd.14001.

Fedok FG. Another Look at Platysmaplasty in Facelifting. Facial Plastic Surgery. 2020. doi: 10.1055/s-0040-1714062.

Giampapa VC, Mesa JM. Neck rejuvenation with suture suspension platysmaplasty technique: a minimally invasive neck lift technique that addresses all patients’ anatomic needs. Clinics in Plastic Surgery. 2014. doi: 10.1016/j.cps.2013.09.005.

Areas Served:


Portrait of Dr. Claytor smiling

Medically reviewed by Dr. R. Brannon Claytor — Updated on Feb 20, 2024