Turkey Neck Surgery: Lower Facelift and Platysmaplasty

Patient Overview

• Patient: Michael

• Age: 67

• Gender: Male

• Procedures: Lower face and neck lift, platysmaplasty

• After photos taken at: 5 days post-op

• Origin: United States

• Location: Istanbul, Turkey

What Causes Turkey Neck and Why Exercise Cannot Fix It

The term "turkey neck" describes a specific pattern of ageing in the cervical region: loose, hanging skin beneath the chin and along the anterior neck, often accompanied by visible vertical bands and loss of the jawline-to-neck angle. While the name is colloquial, the anatomy behind it is precise. The platysma — a broad, thin sheet of muscle that extends from the collarbone to the lower face — gradually separates along its midline with age, creating two visible vertical cords. Simultaneously, the skin loses elasticity, subcutaneous fat may accumulate or redistribute, and the deeper support structures of the neck and lower face weaken. No amount of exercise, weight loss, or topical treatment can reverse these changes because the problem is structural — involving muscle, fascia, and skin that have fundamentally altered their position and tension.

Michael, a 67-year-old male patient from the United States, presented with a pronounced turkey neck deformity that had become his primary aesthetic concern. Dr. Cem Berkay Sinaci, a fellow of the European Board of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (FEBOPRAS) and member of ISAPS and ASPS, planned a lower face and neck lift with platysmaplasty to address every layer contributing to the deformity.

What Is Platysmaplasty?

Platysmaplasty is the surgical correction of the platysma muscle itself. In Michael's case, the separated medial borders of the platysma — the source of the visible vertical neck bands — were sutured together in the midline, recreating a continuous muscular sling beneath the chin and anterior neck. This corset-like repair restores the structural foundation of the neck contour. Without platysmaplasty, a neck lift that addresses only skin and fat will leave the underlying muscular problem untreated, and the bands will eventually reappear through the redraped skin.

The platysmaplasty is performed through a small submental incision beneath the chin, providing direct access to the midline platysmal edges. Once the muscle is repaired, the lateral portions of the platysma are tightened through the facelift incisions around the ears, creating a comprehensive muscular correction from the midline to the posterior neck.

The Lower Facelift Component

Michael's concern was primarily the neck and jawline rather than the midface, making a lower facelift — sometimes called a mini facelift or limited facelift — the appropriate approach. This targets the lower third of the face and the neck without extending the dissection into the midface and cheek regions that a full deep plane facelift would address. The SMAS layer in the lower face and jawline region was tightened, the jowl tissue was repositioned above the mandibular border, and the excess skin was redraped and removed.

The result is a restored jawline definition and a clean transition from jaw to neck — the cervicomental angle that defines a youthful profile. For patients like Michael whose ageing is concentrated in the lower face and neck, this focused approach delivers the correction needed without the longer operative time and recovery of a full facelift.

Male Neck Lift: Different Anatomy, Different Considerations

Neck and lower face surgery in male patients carries specific technical considerations that differ from female cases. Male skin is thicker, with greater blood supply due to the beard follicle network, which affects both the dissection technique and the healing characteristics. The incision placement must account for the beard line — scars placed in areas that will later grow facial hair can create visible issues. The hairline at the temples and behind the ears follows different patterns than in female patients, requiring adjusted incision design.

Aesthetically, the male neck should maintain a degree of angularity and strength rather than the softer contours appropriate for female patients. Michael's surgical plan preserved these masculine characteristics while eliminating the laxity and banding that were creating the turkey neck appearance. Having trained in advanced facial rejuvenation through fellowship with Raul Gonzalez in Brazil and cadaver dissection courses in Bangkok, Dr. Sinaci adapts his technique to the specific demands of male facial anatomy.

Five-Day Results: The Earliest Honest Look

Michael's before and after photographs at five days post-surgery show the result at its most raw. Sutures are recently removed or about to be removed, residual bruising may be present, and the tissues are still in the acute phase of healing. Sharing a five-day result is unusual in surgical galleries — most surgeons prefer to wait months before photographing — but it serves an important purpose for patients researching this procedure. It demonstrates that even at this very early stage, the structural correction is already evident.

The turkey neck bands are gone. The submental fullness has been corrected. The jawline is already more defined than it was preoperatively. These changes will only improve as swelling resolves over the coming weeks and months. What you see at five days is the minimum result — everything from here gets better.

At the same time, five days is not the final result. Swelling, particularly along the jawline and beneath the chin, will continue to diminish for six to eight weeks. The skin will settle and tighten further as it adapts to the new underlying contour. Bruising, if present, typically resolves fully within two weeks. The scars around the ears and beneath the chin will mature over three to twelve months, fading from pink to near-invisible lines.

Non-Surgical Alternatives and Their Limitations

Patients researching turkey neck correction will encounter numerous non-surgical options — radiofrequency devices, ultrasound treatments, injectable deoxycholic acid, and thread lifts. These treatments have a role in mild, early neck laxity where the platysma is still intact and the skin excess is minimal. For a case like Michael's, where the platysmal separation is pronounced, the skin redundancy is significant, and the jowling has progressed beyond what any non-surgical treatment can meaningfully correct, surgery remains the only intervention capable of producing a substantial, lasting result.

This is not a criticism of non-surgical approaches — it is an honest assessment of what each modality can achieve. A radiofrequency device cannot suture separated muscle edges. An injectable cannot remove three centimetres of excess skin. Understanding the boundaries of each treatment helps patients make informed decisions about which approach matches their anatomy and goals.

Choosing Turkey Neck Surgery in Istanbul

Michael's decision to travel from the United States to Istanbul for his surgery reflects a pattern of thorough research and deliberate choice. Watch Michael share his full experience in his patient story video. For international patients considering lower face and neck lift surgery in Turkey, the five-day result shown here illustrates the kind of early outcome achievable when the surgical plan is precisely matched to the patient's anatomy — addressing not just the visible symptoms of turkey neck but the underlying muscular and structural causes that created it.