SolveYourProblem Article Series: Cosmetic Surgery
Learn All About Cosmetic Surgery

Turkey Neck: Can Cosmetic Surgery Help?
   

Men, women, and talk show hosts worldwide have long since taken to using colorful scarves, discreet neck kerchiefs, and turtle neck sweaters to disguise a blemish on their looks known as turkey neck. Excess skin due to recent weight loss, loosened muscles, and even the signs of ageing all contribute to a sagging neck portion that looks unsightly and robs the sufferer from the joy and comfort of wearing low-cut clothing, summer clothes, or even regular sweaters. While winter clothes may help in disguising this condition, the onset of summer does little to allow this charade to continue, and if anything a discreet neck kerchief suddenly sticks out. Cosmetic surgery can help to alleviate turkey neck, and usually is the only option available. The latter is especially true if turkey neck syndrome is associated with the need to also correct a double chin and sagging jowls. So far many have shied away from actually taking any steps to correct this appearance since it required extensive surgery and a long recovery time. Fortunately, time has brought many new treatment options and with the advances made in the field of medicine, what once took almost a month to recover from, is now a procedure that may be accomplished in as little as a couple of hours and recovered from in as little as two to three weeks.

Turkey neck is usually the result of loosened muscles. Surgeons have found that by making a small incision behind each ear and underneath the chin, and then either shortening the muscles or tightening them will have the desired results. This surgery is invasive enough to warrant a general anesthesia and should therefore only be undertaken if you are in good health. If this step is too drastic to contemplate, you may wish to consider Botox injections first. Sometimes these injections are all you need to do away with the look associated with turkey neck. Other times these injections in addition to the surgery will enjoy the desired effect. A relatively new method of dealing with turkey neck is a sling that may be inserted underneath the skin of the neck. It provides the surgeon with the opportunity to tighten the skin in the future as needed, especially considering that sagging may reappear as you age. This new device will eliminate the need for future costly surgeries and instead enable your physician to simply make minor adjustments to your neck to help you keep that youthful countenance you have come to love. Instead of having to repeat the procedure, the surgeon will be able to simply find the sling and tighten, which takes all but twenty minutes. A noted side effect is a possibility for inflammation, yet even this risk may be minimized by simply inserting the sling deeper underneath the skin and not so close to its surface. Other conditions are sometimes also lumped under the name of turkey neck, even though they technically do not fall under this heading.

Excess fat underneath the skin, for example, may mimic the turkey neck effect, yet a simple liposuction procedure will be able to do away with this mass. Granted, liposuction is not without its risks, yet the recovery will be speedy if all directions the physician gives you are followed down to the last detail. If the problem is not an excess of fat, but instead an excess of skin, the surgeon will be able to make an incision similar to the one that is used to tighten the muscles on the patient who suffers from authentic turkey neck. Yet, instead of tightening the muscles, it is the skin that is tightened and the excess thereof is removed. No matter which procedure your physician may indicate is needed, a recovery period of about a week is not unusual, and observing the rules and regulations your surgeon recommends are vital to a successful post-operative period. Rest, adequate wound care, and even nutrition are important factors of the healing process. Another often overlooked fact is the requirement to remain smoke free for at least two weeks prior to and two weeks after surgery. Failure to heed your doctor’s warning may inhibit a successful healing process and thus make you a candidate for future surgeries to correct that which personal negligence or failure to follow directions harmed.

Click here for all your cosmetic surgery needs, wants and questions answered. Over 100,000 healing and surgery products. Ask an expert. Find a specialist. It's my SovleYourProblem recommendation.

# # # # #

by SolveYourProblem.com : 2006

> Home > Cosmetic Surgery Articles : Main Page