As we age, our skin produces less collagen, which is the substance that keeps our skin firm and elastic. This collagen loss leads to loose, sagging skin. Skin laxity happens when age, gravity, sun damage, and lack of collagen combine to create loose, sagging skin. This sagging skin can make a person look older and soften their contours.
Facial Laxity at a Glance
Best Results 1-4
Treatment Recovery 0- 6 days
Procedure Time 10-80 min
Skin Specialist Dr Robbie
Duration of Results 12-60+ months
Anaesthetic As per procedure
Back to Work Next Day- 7 days
The Facts to Know
Mild cases of neck laxity will respond to new biostimulatory fillers
This new filler technology stimulates the production of collagen
Moderate cases of laxity can be treated with radiofrequency or high intensity ultrasound – Morpheus, often in conjunction with biostimulatory fillers
Severe cases of neck laxity requires surgical treatment
Neck wrinkles can be treated with fractional lasers
Neck discolouration responds to IPL or BBL & fractional laser resurfacing
With all treatments it is important to blend to the face, chest & decolletage
When do I use non-surgical procedures?
Neck Laxity
Non-surgical face lifting & skin tightening is used in the following scenarios-
Patients who have mild to moderate skin laxity who are not yet candidates for surgical face lifting. This group of patients are usually between the age of mid 30s to late 50s.
Patients who are candidates for surgical face lifts but choose not to undertake a surgical procedure.
Patients who have had surgical procedures including face & neck lifts, however would like further improvements.
The MOST important factor in determining what is the best treatment is based upon a complex algorithm as outlined below.
How can HIFU or Morpheus treat neck laxity?
Yes, if you are a suitable candidate for the procedure. Remember the ideal device depends on your skin quality, age, laxity, dermal thickness, current volume & ethnicity. This is why I employ many devices & methods for lifting.
Ideal HIFU patient profile, mild to moderate laxity, thick dermis with good volume & minimal sun damage. The logic is that we can contract lax collagen & not worry about volume loss– especially in the lower face.
What treatments are there for moderate neck laxity?
Treatments that have high efficacy for moderate sagging include;
RF microneedling
Laser resurfacing
HIFU-Morpheus
New biostimulatory fillers
Most cases require a combination of the above. 2-3 sessions is the norm.
What is the ideal non-surgical treatment for neck laxity?
In reality the algorithm is very complex. Put simply it is NOT one device, or one method. I take into consideration factors such as the grade of laxity, dermal thickness, background skin quality, degree of volume loss, ethnicity, downtime, & patient expectations.
What are biostimulatory injectables?
Introduced into Australia in late 2022, biostimulatory hyaluronic acid injections have revolutionised the way we manage skin laxity. This injectable tightens skin without adding volume.
They work by stimulating cells to produce collagen. The result? Firmer, tighter skin with less wrinkles & better skin quality. This *injectable can be used to treat both facial & neck laxity.
What is a laser face lift?
Laser resurfacing using both ablative erbium & CO2 lasers can provide collagen stimulation & contraction. This can improve the jowls, marionette lines as well as eye wrinkles, & laxity. In most cases lasers can provide an upper eyelid lift as well as marked tightening of the lower lids.
Lasers should be reserved for patients with significant sun damage with poor skin quality. The downside with laser resurfacing is the downtime of 5 to 10 days. Laser resurfacing only addresses skin quality & tone, volume should be addressed with dermal fillers or fat transfer.
What are liquid face lifts?
Liquid face lifting is a term to describe dermal fillers. Placed in strategic locations, dermal fillers displace volume loss, in turn creating lift. The exact placement of fillers depends on your facial shape, & area of concern.
In the context of lifting, the most commonly displaced areas include your cheeks, chin & jawline. The art of filling is to provide traction & counter traction in key vectors (area of pull). This displacement of volume tractions soft tissue & skin in an upward & backward vector. This causes lifting.
I use both hyaluronic acid & collagen stimulating dermal fillers to achieve this lift. In most cases I combine fillers with HIFU, RF, threads, injectables & lasers.
Refer to the section on dermal fillers for a better understanding on what specific areas can be targeted.