• acne
• acne scarring
• birthmarks - brown
• birthmarks - port wine stains (red)
• facial volume loss
• fat deposit reduction
• gynaecomastia / man boobs
• hand rejuvenation
• injectable lip enhancement
• keloid / hypertrophic scarring
• laser hair removal
• laser tattoo removal
• leg veins / spider veins
• neck rejuvenation
• non surgical facial shaping
• rosacea and facial capillaries/redness
• skin analysis
• skin pigmentation
• sweating - excessive
• wrinkles

• anaesthesia/analgesia for procedures
• anti-wrinkle injections
• chemical peels
• dermal fillers
• laser - apogee
• laser - gemini
• laser - medlite
• laser - ruby
• lipodissolve
• make-up - dermacolour
• make-up - glo minerals
• microdermabrasion
• photodynamic therapy
• plasma skin regeneration
• retinoids - topical
• sclerotherapy
• skin care - asap
• skin care - cosmedix
• skin care - rationale
• skin needling

Non-surgical neck/décolletage rejuvenation

What is non-surgical neck rejuvenation?

The neck is an aesthetically important area of that face, and can be as important as the face in revealing one age. The neck is subject to many degenerative changes such as loss of collagen and elastin, accumulation of fat, and from external factors such as ultraviolet radiation. The neck and the colletage area are particularly prone to premature ageing because these are areas of increased sun exposure.

Traditionally, neck rejuvenation has been performed surgically to help to reposition lax skin, reduce wrinkles, and to reduce redundant fatty tissues. Non-surgical neck rejuvenation has an adjunctive role to surgery and is also an alternative to surgery. Non-surgical procedures can also address the skin texture of the neck and colletage whereas surgical procedures are unable to address this issue.

With an increasing need for minimally invasive procedures with little or no downtime, there has been a trend towards non-surgical neck rejuvenation.

What methods can be used to rejuvenate the neck non-surgically?

Various methods can be used to rejuvenate the skin and underlying tissues in the neck.
The first step is to prevent further damage by daily use of sunscreen on the neck, colletage, and hands and not just the face.

Skin texture can then be addressed. The neck and colletage area are areas of the skin that are highly exposed to UV radiation, and this causes progressive degenerative changes in the skin. These include;

Sun damage

Pigmentation, appearing as brown patches, can appear as a result of sun exposure. Solar or actinic keratosis, red and scaly patches on the skin, can also appear. The treatment of solar keratosis is not only cosmetic, but also preventative as these are pre-malignant lesions.
 

Laser is another means of helping to reduce brown pigmentation. The Gemini laser emits a green wavelength of light that is attracted to the brown pigmentation on the neck and helps to break down this pigmentation.

Plasma skin regeneration uses plasma energy to reduce pigmentation, and also has the added advantage of reducing wrinkles and tightening skin. Only the lower energy settings can be used on the neck with plasma however, and therefore a few treatments may be required to achieve the optimal results.

Finally, for solar keratosis and pigmentation, photodynamic therapy can be implemented. Photodynamic therapy is particularly targeted to solar or actinic keratosis. The advantage of photodynamic therapy is that it has the effectiveness of about 3 independent laser treatment, however, the recovery and cost is higher.

Poikiloderma of Civatte

Poikiloderma of Civatte is a condition that causes a red-brown discolouration on the side of the neck. The redness represents superficial capillaries and the brown discolouration is overlying pigmentation. The area that is shaded by the chin is usually spared. Poikiloderma is exacerbated by UV exposure, but the underlying cause is not known. Perfumes and various cosmetics have been implicated, as well as hormonal causes like low oestrogen levels. People with a family history of poikiloderma as well as fair-skinned individuals are more likely to develop this condition.

Avoidance of potential causes of poikiloderma such as perfumes, UV radiation, and various cosmetics is the first step in treating poikiloderma.

Poikiloderma is then best treated with the Gemini Laser. This helps to reduce the pigmentation and close off any superficial capillaries causing the redness. The 532nm wavelength from the Gemini is specifically attracted to the capillaries and pigmentation, and hence normal skin is relatively unaffected.

Neck fat

Excess neck fat has traditionally been treated with liposuction. Often with liposuction it is difficult to achieve a uniform result, and furthermore, the skin often appears more lax after the treatment. Compression garments are required for a few weeks which is also inconvenient.

Lipodissolve is a relatively new method of treating neck fat by injection. Lipodissolve helps breakdown the fat in the neck area. There is some associated swelling post-treatment. The key advantages of Lipodissolve are that it helps tighten the skin, and is uniform in its results.

The neck/chin is one of the best areas for treatment with Lipodissolve as the amount of fat here is usually less than other areas of the body, and the results are more dramatic as a result.

Skin Laxity

Skin laxity of the neck is best treated with plastic surgery.

Non-surgical methods have attempted to emulate the results of surgery, but have so far been unsuccessful. Skin tightening methods such using machines like the Thermage, Titan and Pitanga ST, usually use radiofrequency to help heat the skin and stimulate collagen. The effects are usually variable and subtle.

Suture lifting (Contour threads, silhouette threads, Aptos threads), is a method of lifting the skin by placing a suture under the skin to pull the skin tight. The effect of these methods has not been found to be very long lasting in the clinical studies performed, and also there is the problem of skin bunching around the ears.

Skin tags

Skin tags, or acrochordons, are generally benign growths of skin that commonly occur on the neck, armpits, and groin. They are usually from 1 to 5 mm in size, and appear as a small outgrowth of skin, connected by a small narrow stalk.

Smaller skin tags can be removed by the Gemini laser on its 532nm wavelength. Often 1 to 2 treatments are required and this is an excellent treatment for those who have multiple small skin tags, as it causes minimal disruption to the normal skin.

For larger skin tags, the Ellman Surgitron which uses high radio-frequency technology to cauterise the skin tag. No sutures are required, and a small dressing is placed over the area treated.

Vertical neck bands

Vertical neck bands are caused by changes in the platysma muscle which is the band of muscles from the collar bone to the jawline and can normally be seen when the teeth are clenched hard. This muscle, with time, can separate into bands and this can be aesthetically undesirable.

Anti-wrinkle injections can be injected into these bands to help flatten them. Anti-wrinkle injections can also be injected into the areas where bands are not present to help reduce the downward pull of the platysma muscle on the face. A resulting lift in the face can often result.

Horizontal neck bands

Horizontal neck bands are creases in the skin of the neck caused by movement of the neck which creases the skin over time.

These bands can be treated with anti-wrinkle injections, although the success of this procedure is low. A more effective treatment for these lines is with fillers. Depending on the size of the line, an appropriate dermal filler can be injected into the lines to help fill them out.

Why should I choose the Victorian Cosmetic Institute as my provider of neck rejuvenation?

Otherwise, you can phone us directly on (03) 8850 0655 (Templestowe) or (03) 9707 0888 (Berwick).