Neck Lift | Nefertiti Lift | Platysmal Band Treatment

Wrinkle Injections for neckline

As we age, the platysmal bands in our necks shorten and pull on the jawline. This causes the young angle of our neck to be compromised and can also give us a jowly appearance. Injecting some muscle relaxing injections into these muscles can lengthen the bands, improving the appearance of the neck and jawline

Treatment of neck with muscle relaxing injections

Antiwrinkle injections are useful for treating platysmal bands in the neck (due to Australian regulations, we are not allowed to name the drugs used). We also love to use skin boosters and dermal fillers on the neck and jawline
Small injections using a very fine needle are performed to the platysmal bands in the neck and jawline

The consultation for antiwrinkle injections for neck improvement

History-taking  is very important in the treatment of necks. The following should be explored:
Is there a genetic component? ie are there others in the family who have bad necks at an earlier age?
Has the patient had treatment before?
Were they happy every time?
Did the effect of the muscle relaxing injections last well?
How is the patient’s metabolism? Do they exercise? Are they very muscular? Do they have trouble putting on or losing weight?
What in the neck is bothering the patient? The wrinkling or skin texture, the lines, the angle of the neck, the jowls, the fat?
Have they every had any complications with muscle relaxing injections before

The examination

The injector will examine the face and neck. In particular, she will look at many features, such as:
Where the lines are. How is the angle of the neck.. How straight is the jawline
Whether there is an asymmetry
Whether the neck lines are etched in at rest.
What is the skin texture like, whether there is fine wrinkling or deeper wrinkling.
Whether the patient needs a neck lift or neck liposuction

Choosing the dose

The injector will assess the face and neck and decide on the best dose after taking a history and examining the patient.
If the patient has a history of poor longevity, or needing high doses or wanting maximal effect, then a higher dose may be suggested
If a patient has a history of complications with muscle relaxing injections, or if their budget is small or if they want a more subtle result, then a smaller dose might be chosen.

Pain relief during treatment

A numbing cream (eg EMLA or LMX ) may be applied to the area prior to the treatment (45 minutes prior is ideal) Glad wrap may be used over the numbing cream to increase its effect.
Most patients do not bother with numbing cream because it takes so long to work and because the treatment isn’t very painful anyway.
Ice is often used to decrease pain and to reduce the risk of bruising

Nitrous oxide (Happy Gas) is available at our clinic.
If the patient requires a skin booster or a dermal filler, local anaesthetic may be injected first.

What happens during the neck treatment itself?

The neck and face will be cleaned with alcohol.
Ice will be applied to the area briefly before treatment
The injecgtor will inject multiple sites along the platysmal bands in the neck and along the jawline. Then pressure with gauze will be applied.
The procedure itself takes less than 5 minutes.

How do I look afterwards?

Sometimes there is nothing to see. Sometimes there can be redness, small lumps, which can look like mild acne and usually resolve quite quickly.
Most people could come during their lunch break during work and go back without their coworkers noticing anything.

Side effects and risks

In general, treatment of the neck area is low risk.
Headache happens in around 10% of new users.
Bruising occurs in a significant number of cases.
Asymmetry: Often one side is better treated than the other, this is usually because the patient is asymmetrical to start with. In some patients they only have a strong platysmal band on one side and not on the other LINK
Infection is a very rare complication, but always a possibility when the needle goes into the skin.
There is a low risk of difficulty swallowing or difficult holding up the head. The risk increases with larger doses. At our clinic, we have never seen a case of this and we have been injecting for over a decade.

Who is unsuitable for treatment for neck injectables?

There are some patients who will be unsuitable for neck injections. eg those who really have a huge amount of sag will require surgery. Also those who have a large amount of neck fat will be better treated with neck liposuction.

Instructions for care afterward

No makeup for 4 hours
No massage that day
No heavy exercise that day
No lying down for 4 hours
Lay off the acid face/neck  products for 24 hours

What to expect after neck treatment?

Nefertiti lift results
Nefertiti lift results

The effect of the injections will not start to occur for 2-8 days.
The maximal effect of the drug will be at 3-4 weeks, so a review should be booked in at 3 weeks (only after the first treatment, for subsequent injections, a review appointment shouldn’t be required)

What if I get asymmetry at some time before the 4 week point? Do I call the clinic?

No. No need to call the clinic. Sometimes asymmetry will occur because one side just comes on quicker than the other. Usually it will right itself by the time of the review appointment. If it doesn’t, then it can be treated at the review appointment. There is no point in coming in early for treatment of asymmetry.

What do I do if at 4 weeks post treatment some bands are treated better than others?

This is not uncommon, at your 4 week review appointment the remaining bands will be treated

How long will the treatment last?

The answer to this is very individual and depends on the patient’s metabolism, the dose, the placement etc.
Typically this is what happens:
At 3-4 weeks, there is a maximal effect
at 8 weeks, movement starts to return
at 12 weeks, 50% of movement should be back
at 16 weeks 80% of movement should be back.
For most patients, this is very close to what occurs.

When should I have my next treatment for muscle relaxing injections in neck?

Patients should be retreated when the movement is between 50%-80% back ie sometime from 3-4 months.

Some patients have treatment every 8 weeks

How much does it cost for the muscle relaxing injections in neck?

$400-$1200

It will cost less if combining with other areas.

Please see our current antiwrinkle injection pricing

Before injection treatment of left front platysmal band, the patient was unhappy with the symmetry of her neck bands
After treatment of left front platysmal band in neck with injections. The band has retracted well. I suggested that the patient have her other platysmal bands treated, but she just wanted symmetry of her neck and was happy with the result
THE MANSE