The Procedure

Depending on the extent of the surgery your surgery incisions may differ. A traditional neck lift requires more extensive incisions and produces more noticeable results. In this method incision often begins behind the ears and ends in the posterior hair and a small incision may be made under your chin for liposuction in the neck area.
The excess skin and fat are removed through the incisions. The tissue underlying the neck skin is repositioned, and commonly the neck muscle is tightened with sutures.
For a limited neck lift procedure, incisions are placed only around the ears. The outcome of this type of neck lift is limited and does not alter the contours of the face.
This procedure takes about one to two hours depending on the type of neck lift that you require. It can be done under intravenous sedation or general anesthesia.

Recovery

Immediately after surgery, your neck will be bruised and it will feel tight and numb. The bruising will resolve over the next four to five days but the feelings of tightness and numbness may remain for several months, if not longer.
After your neck lift surgery, a dressing is placed around your face and neck to control swelling which can be removed after the first day. Drainage tubes may be placed on your incisions which will be removed in your first follow-up appointment.

In the first two weeks after your surgery, It’s better if you keep your head above your heart in a raised position while resting.

You will experience some mild level of pain in the first two days that is manageable by oral painkillers. Within two weeks of surgery, all sutures are removed and the majority of bruising and swelling will have subsided. You may wash your head the next day and return to work within 2-3 days. You can drive after the first week. However, strenuous physical activity should be avoided for six weeks.
You can cold compress the area but avoid using ice compress as it may interrupt the natural flow of blood and cause skin death.

Possible complications

Like any other surgical procedure, though infrequent, complications may occur and they include Fluid retention or excessive loss of blood and fluids, infection, reaction to anesthesia medications, pigmentation changes (hypo/hyper), skin numbness – this is to be expected and is usually only temporary.
Some potential complications specific to facelift surgery include:• Permanent muscle weakness or areas of permanent numbness
• Facial nerve injury that may lead to weakness of the lower lip muscle in very rare occasions
• Temporary or permanent hair loss at the incisions
• Facial asymmetry