Introduction to Mini-Neck Lift Surgery
Enhance your profile and rejuvenate your appearance with a mini-neck lift by Dr. Tina Ho, MD, designed to restore smooth, defined contours along the chin and jawline for a naturally youthful result.
What is Mini Neck Lift Surgery?
Traditional neck lift surgery restores a youthful appearance to the neck by redraping and resuspending the skin and deeper layers of the skin. A mini neck lift procedure can be described as a modified version of traditional neck lift surgery that involves smaller incisions and less tissue resuspension. This surgery is ideal for surgical candidates with milder laxity of neck skin and muscle issues or those with a good skin tone but requires deeper sculpting and resuspension of the neck that goes beyond chin liposuction. Mini neck lift surgery is therefore a less invasive procedure with shorter duration and downtime compared to traditional neck lift surgery.
The mini neck lift procedure requires the expertise of a plastic surgeon who specializes in plastic surgery of the head and neck region.
Educational videos
The Neck Lift Procedure
Learn more about the neck lift procedure and how it can subtly enhance your facial harmony with insights from Dr. Tina Ho.
Neck lift: What is Expected with Surgery?
The approach depends on the extent of deeper sculpting and whether skin needs to be removed. With all neck lift surgeries an incision will be created in the crease under the chin. When skin needs to be removed, additional incisions are made behind the ear. If no skin needs to be removed small incisions may still be placed in the earlobe creases only. Once under the skin, the platysma muscle is entered where seller sculpting of fat, muscles, and glands may occur.
What Can a Neck Lift Achieve?
See the powerful results a neck lift can achieve in this video featuring Dr. Tina Ho’s patients. Through careful technique and an artistic eye, Dr. Ho restores smoother, firmer neck contours and a more defined jawline. The transformations highlight how subtle refinements can create a naturally rejuvenated appearance that enhances confidence and facial harmony.
Neck lift: What to Expect After Surgery?
What is expected after surgery? After neck lift surgery, a compression dressing will be worn 24/7 the first week and at night the second week. Neck drains and sutures will be removed at one week out; concealer makeup may start to be applied then. Bruising and swelling take 2 weeks or longer to resolve. Return to normal social activities may be expected 1 month after surgery. Final results are realized at 6 months to 1 year following surgery.
Why Choose Dr. Tina Ho for a Mini-Neck Lift?
Dr. Tina Ho stands out among facial plastic surgeons in Philadelphia and Wayne as a double board-certified specialist with advanced training in aesthetic and reconstructive procedures of the face and neck. She approaches every treatment as both an art and a science — combining meticulous surgical precision with an artistic eye to achieve balanced, natural-looking results.
From consultation to recovery, Dr. Ho provides deeply personalized care. She listens carefully to each patient’s goals, develops a thoughtful treatment plan, and tailors every step to complement the individual’s anatomy and aesthetic vision. Her philosophy centers on enhancing natural beauty and restoring harmony, never producing an “overdone” or artificial look.
Having completed elite fellowship training under world-renowned facial plastic surgeon Dr. Dean Toriumi, Dr. Ho remains at the forefront of modern techniques in facial rejuvenation and contouring. Her expertise spans a wide range of procedures, from surgical to minimally invasive, allowing her to recommend the right combination of treatments for optimal and lasting results.
Recognized throughout the Philadelphia region and beyond, Dr. Ho has earned the trust of patients who travel from across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York for her skill, compassion, and artistry. She devotes the time and care needed to ensure each patient feels informed, supported, and confident in their results.
The ideal neck lift candidate is a healthy non-smoker. Good candidates have no remarkable medical or surgical history. Additionally, good candidates do not take blood-thinning medications. Ideal candidates also have strong bony facial features, normal hyoid position, and good skin tone. Neck plastic surgery is best used for moderate to severe sagging.
The Dedo classification of the aging neck helps surgeons decide who is right for lower face and neck surgeries like submental liposuction, facelifts, and neck lifts. The problems to be addressed also play a role.
Before and After
Dr. Ho’s Neck Lift Results
Deep Facelift and Neck Lift: Before and After
This kind 45 year-old female patient presented originally for chin liposuction consultation, bothered by the fullness under her chin. I instead recommended a definitive deep plane facelift and neck lift for the best facial and neck rejuvenation and contouring results. She already looks amazing at three months out in these before/after photos. Final outcome is seen at six to twelve months after surgery. We are so thrilled with her results.
The “Undetectable Era” and Mini Neck Lifts
In the “Undetectable Era” of plastic surgery, the mini neck lift has become an ideal solution for patients seeking subtle, natural-looking rejuvenation with minimal downtime. Dr. Tina Ho, a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon, offers this modified version of the traditional neck lift to individuals with mild skin laxity or muscle banding who desire more than what chin liposuction alone can achieve. Unlike full neck lift surgery, the mini neck lift involves smaller incisions and less tissue manipulation, making it less invasive while still addressing deeper sculpting and support.
Dr. Ho’s expertise in deep plane facelift and neck lift techniques ensures that even mini procedures deliver lasting, authentic results that never appear tight or overdone. Incisions are meticulously placed in natural creases and behind the ears, maintaining the undetectable aesthetic that defines her approach.
Patients benefit from Dr. Ho’s boutique, personalized care and innovative recovery protocols, including ElixirMD photobiomodulation therapy. As the first female facial plastic surgeon in the United States to offer this LED-based treatment, Dr. Ho enhances healing by reducing inflammation, bruising, and infection risk. With most patients returning to daily life within two weeks, the mini neck lift reflects Dr. Ho’s commitment to elegant, individualized outcomes, revitalizing the neck without signs of a surgical procedure.
What is Platysmaplasty?
Platysmaplasty refers to a neck surgical procedure that resuspends the platysma muscle layer. Patients who may benefit from neck lift surgery often demonstrate a lower hanging or lax platysma that contributes to an obtuse neck contour angle. Dr. Ho routinely performs platysmaplasty in every neck lift surgery. She usually divides the muscle layer at midline and through this access can perform any necessary deeper sculpting. Dr. Ho then trims redundant muscles and sutures the platysma layer back together in a corset-like fashion. For those mini neck lift patients with no concerning skin laxity issues, Dr. Ho’s surgical approach commonly focuses on chin liposuction plus platysmaplasty through a single chin incision.
Enhance Your Recovery with Elixir MD
The Elixir MD™ is an innovative recovery tool that offers various treatment programs using different LED light wavelengths to achieve specific pre and post-surgical goals. These programs are supported by advanced artificial intelligence temperature controls and adjustable settings to address a range of concerns and goals. This non-invasive therapy is safe, painless, and can reduce infections after surgery while also enhancing recovery and minimizing scarring after rhinoplasty surgery.
Benefits of Elixir MD
Enhanced post-operative recovery after rhinoplasty. Using LED light, Elixir MD™ stimulates the skin to accelerate wound healing and minimize scarring post-surgery.
Improved healing and cellular repair. Specific wavelengths stimulate collagen and elastin production, which are essential for healing after surgery.
Easier rhinoplasty recovery. Reduces inflammation responsible for swelling and pain after surgery.
Improved lymphatic drainage and blood flow. Enhances the delivery of nutrients and removal of waste for optimal healing.
Elixir MD Treatment Programs for Rhinoplasty
Elixir Detox
This pre-operative therapy uses blue light to reduce the number of bacteria, oils, and toxins on the skin, reducing surgical complications such as infection.
Elixir Cellular Repair
Post-rhinoplasty, Cellular Repair uses yellow light to improve circulation, reducing bruising and swelling, accelerating healing, and shortening recovery.
Elixir NeoXcell
The NeoXcell™ treatment program combines the benefits of Elixir Cellular and Thermal to boost healing and balance melanin production for a more even skin tone.
Elixir RoXium
RoXium™ uses yellow and blue light to reduce swelling/bruising, prevent skin oxidation, decrease sebum, minimize pores, and clear the complexion.
How Much Does a Mini Neck Lift Cost?
Starts at $15,000-$24,000 plus facility and anesthesia fees.
Patient Testimonials
Real Stories from Neck Lift Patients
Patient Testimonial: Facelift & Neck Lift
This beautiful patient in her 40s came to me for surgical consultation, bothered by her aging face and neck. We pursued a deep plane facelift and deep neck lift to restore more youthful contour to her face, jawline, and neck. We are so grateful for her kind testimonial that describes her patient journey and for her beautiful, natural results.
Real Patients, Real Results
Patient Testimonials
4.9 stars rating from 298 reviews
RealSelf
5 stars rating from 168 reviews
As Seen In
Dr. Tina Ho in the Press
Dr. Tina Ho has been featured in leading media publications that highlight her expertise in facial plastic surgery.
Related Procedures
Explore additional procedures that complement a your procedure for balanced, natural-looking rejuvenation.
Each neck lift surgery is different and customized to the individual patient. Therefore, the types of incisions involved as well as the degree of swelling, bruising, and pain following surgery will vary by patient. The incisions associated with mini neck lift tend to be smaller compared to those created in traditional neck lift surgery. Closed suction drains are typically placed underneath the skin to collect bloody drainage and help reduce the formation of a hematoma (blood fluid collection) or seroma (serous fluid collection) from the neck that may impact healing. The drains may remain for several days to a week following surgery. A compression dressing is applied around the head and neck region at the conclusion of surgery to prevent hematoma or seroma formation as well. Every mini neck lift patient will follow up with Dr. Ho the day after surgery for dressing replacement. Each patient will then return one and two weeks following surgery for suture removal. Any immediate post-operative bruising and swelling can be managed well with icing, head elevation, and compression dressing adherence with the majority resolving within the first two weeks after surgery. Post-operative pain is typically managed well with prescribed pain medication. Improvement in the neck contour is typically observed once most of the swelling has subsided. Bruising, swelling, and overall downtime is typically less with mini neck lift compared to traditional neck lift surgery.
The ideal surgical patient for the mini neck lift procedure is a healthy non-smoking individual who has no remarkable medical or surgical history, does not take blood-thinning medications, and demonstrates strong bony facial features, normal hyoid position, and good skin elasticity. Patients with mild skin and soft tissue laxity issues in the neck or patients with good skin tone and require deeper sculpting and resuspension that goes beyond chin liposuction and otherwise do not require more aggressive correction offered by traditional neck lift surgery are the most ideal candidates for mini neck lift.
The Dedo classification of the aging neck helps guide the plastic surgeon in determining ideal candidates for neck lift as well as the specific anatomic components of the lower face and neck of the individual patient that need to be addressed with surgery. Class VI patients have an abnormal hyoid position and will likely have suboptimal results with neck lift surgery. Dr. Ho applies the Dedo classification principles as well as her aesthetic experience and intuition to produce beautiful, natural results for her surgical patients.
The Dedo classification helps guide the plastic surgeon in determining ideal candidates for lower face and neck surgery including submental liposuction, facelift, and neck lift, and what anatomic issues need to be addressed with surgery. Class, I patients possess good skin and muscle tone with little fat and an ideal cervicomental angle. Class II, III, IV, and V patients demonstrate skin laxity, focal fat accumulation, platysmal banding, and weak chin, retrospectively. Class VI patients have an abnormal hyoid position and will likely have suboptimal results with surgery.
It is common for other procedures to be performed at the same time as mini neck lift surgery, which includes but are not limited to the following: facelift, facial fat transfer, submental liposuction, chin augmentation, laser resurfacing, and blepharoplasty. Dr. Ho is experienced in a wide range of aging face procedures and will thoroughly evaluate each mini neck lift candidate to decide whether they would benefit from additional procedures at the time of their surgery.
