LAM FACIAL PLASTICS

Hi Dr. Lam. I am 55. I had a facelift some years ago. After I had that done, and it calmed down, I now have excess skin under my jaw, especially on my right side. My dr said it was because of my salivary glands. I don't know... I do not think I had this before; it's as if the facelift brought about the fatty neck waddle. Anway, I'd like a stronger jawline and a smoother neck. I don't want a facelift. I worry that results with neck lifts aren't great when I researched info on the Lifestyle Lift. No one seems happy with it. Maybe it's not the same thing. Perhaps it's hard to swallow, and you feel too pulled, etc. after this procedure? I also wondered if this is something you can do with just local anasthetic.

1. if your doctor said it was a salivary gland then it could be. the gland he may be referring to is known as the submandibular (or old name "submax") gland. when it is prominent or "ptotic" (hanging), then it obscures what a facelift result can do. in addition, it can actually become more prominent after a facelift. removing it is not easy without risk. i personally do not remove those glands due to the inherent risk of the procedure.
2. if in fact it is not your gland, then we have a different situation. if it is loose skin, then facelifts do an okay job at improving that situation but not perfect. the procedure you are referring to is a 1 hour quick facelift under local anesthesia. i personally do not want to comment on that company's ethics or marketing but it is not the same kind of lift that i do. i perform a deeper lift to lift the tissues upward under sedation. however, even in my hands no neck lift is ever "perfect". that is something you must understand.
3. if you do not want a facelift but want some kind of improvement, then i could inject some filler round the gland to blend it in better. however, if the neck is already very full, i would have to be careful with this technique.
4. neck tightening lasers, etc. probably will not do enough in your situation to be honest with you.
the other thing that is important is to see the big picture. if you have already had a facelift and you are in your 50s, many people get obsessed with the big things they know about: jowls, neck descent, etc. they don't think about anterior cheek hollows, etc. i find someone that comes to me is tired and hollowed out and all they care about is the tiniest neck wrinkle (may not be in your case) and i have to help them see the big picture of where their aging is. as you know, for me fat transfer in 85% of the population (unless someone is significantly over weight), is the key to making a face look great. sorry for the long answer. just some thoughts.
best,
sml