For men with really loose skin around the neck, traditional face or neck lifting was the only option. Some doctors would also offer a complex z-plasty, easily drawn but more challenging to actually do. Back around 2001, we had a series of older guys accompany their wives for facelift visits. After 20 or 30 of these fellows tried to convince Dr. Lindsey to just “cut that waddle out,” and after Dr. Lindsey tried to explain to all these folks that that procedure just isn’t done. Finally we just went ahead and did one. It worked. Then we did a few more. Now we’ve done around 320. And Dr. Lindsey has taught two instruction courses on the procedure.

Essentially, a conservative ellipse of neck skin including the “waddle” is excised, the neck muscles are sewn together, and the skin is closed with sutures which stay in 5 or 6 days. A head wrap is needed for one night. It is an excellent option, the looser and flappier the neck skin, the better this is. The only real risk is the scar line. In all of our cases- and we’ve done folks who are on TV, in court, and international businessmen- only three people have had significant scarring along the incision.

The decision if this is the correct procedure for any specific person really varies on that person’s anatomy and their tolerance for a small scar running down the neck. For most aging men who want a significant change in their neck without a lot of downtime, and without looking like they had a facelift- this is a great option.