Ask Dr. Pane! Your Cosmetic Surgery Question Answered!

This week’s question.. “Should I get a Neck Lift and Face Lift”

At Atlantic Coast Aesthetics, we get a lot of questions about facelifts and associated procedures, as well as a good amount of questions from people who are confused about different pricing models that different surgeons put into place for various procedures. One example of this is ACA’s Question of the Week, which comes from our Facebook audience. The patient asks, “I’ve been looking into having my neck lifted & maybe the lower face. I’ve been reading about different doctors’ takes on it. Some say the lower face lift & neck lift are the same with 1 price, some say they are 2 different surgeries at 2 different costs. Many say there’s the neck lift, lower face, middle face, upper face, 3 procedures, 3 different costs? Does that mean I should go with the doctor that offers the face & neck lift as 1 procedure at 1 price? I’m confused. Thank you.” Dr. Thomas A. Pane, our Chief Medical Officer and founder, took this question on to dig into why the disparities this patient noticed exist and how to sort out a surgeon who’s actually up to the job from one who may be just selling a very expensive bill of goods.

Dr. Pane says that yes, there are some surgeons who will do the face and neck lift at the same time, but it’s important for patients to watch where they’re going for the consultation. Most surgeons don’t offer breakdowns of different parts of the face such as upper, lower and neck. Typically, the surgeon will assess the patient’s problem areas and get a sense of what needs to be done. After the assessment, the surgeon then provides a package pricing that is going to encompass all the procedures the patient may benefit from. The available packages and options will vary depending on whether the provider is a plastic surgeon that does the full range of facial procedures or one that may only do a part of the work that is possibly needed for face and neck field. Dr. Pane stresses that it’s important to keep that distinction in mind.

In general, if you have facial issues such as jowling or sagging going down in the corners of the mouth and into the cervical region, most surgeons are not going to want to focus solely on the face if the neck is part of the problem. The rationale for this is because it’s hard to have a good-looking face if the neck isn’t taken care of. However, if you do not need anything done to the neck then of course it would be just the face procedure alone. Most reputable surgeons will not suggest a patient undergo more work than is absolutely necessary to achieve the desired results.

On the other hand, sometimes patients encounter providers who do not work on the neck because it is a little more advanced and tricky, and may even try to convince the patient that the work is unnecessary. It’s fine if the patient legitimately doesn’t need it, but if you think you’re being told something to be fit into someone’s packages of services, that is a little different. And it might make you want to pause and perhaps go over that with another opinion. So yes, components are broken out, not usually for the purpose of trying to pigeonhole a patient into a specific set of services, but for delivering the services that will best address the patient’s specific issues and needs.

Dr. Pane notes that just because a given surgeon declines to do a certain procedure doesn’t make the provider a bad or incompetent doctor. Most providers who decline to perform certain services do so because of a lack of experience and abundance of concern for the patient’s well-being. While this is laudable in itself, it becomes a problem when the doctor tries to convince the patient into a position that doesn’t properly address the problems the patient faces. When this occurs, the patient should always trust their own instincts and eyes first and foremost, because the patient is the one who has to live with the results or lack of same.

If you have a question about cosmetic surgery, the staff of Atlantic Coast Aesthetics are always pleased to discuss your questions, concerns and options. Simply follow us on Facebook and Twitter, call us at (561) 422-4116 or visit us at https://acplasticsurg.com. Your question may even be our next ACA Question of the Week, answered live on the air by Dr. Pane in an upcoming Google Hangout. Remember, at ACA we believe the only bad question is the one you don’t ask!