The neck often reveals age more than the face.
Lax neck skin, prominent bands and a “turkey neck” cannot be stopped with creams and exercises. A neck lift tightens the skin and neck musculature and restores a clear, youthful chin and neck line — naturally, without a mask-like look.
Turkey neck, double chin, platysmal bands — the neck shows the years.
On the neck, skin and musculature become lax over the years. The contour beneath the chin bulges forward, sharp lines soften, vertical bands become prominent. While the face itself often still looks fresh, the neck “reveals” one's age — an effect intensified by weight fluctuations, genetic predisposition and the natural loss of firmness.
Creams, massages or exercises cannot change this: the cause lies deeper, in the lax skin and in the separated edges of the platysma — that flat sheet of neck muscle which gives the neck its shape. This is precisely where the neck lift begins.
Neck lift, 57
The patient is troubled by tissue laxity in the face and on the neck.
Operation performed: Face and neck lift
This patient's neck lift result is particularly interesting because she lost 63 kg — half her body weight — after dieting and bariatric surgery. Following such weight loss, the tissue of the neck and of course the face becomes markedly lax, and a satisfying lift requires a great deal of surgical know-how. Because of weight-loss injections, such patients will become more frequent in future.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Rafic Kuzbari
Neck lift, 35
The patient says she has “no neck line”. She reports that her father has a similar neck shape. It bothers her above all in profile.
Operation performed: Open submental neck lift
Patient 41705 is a particularly interesting neck lift result. She is in her mid-thirties but has an unfavourable neck shape that can only be corrected with an extensive neck lift, not with liposuction or similar small procedures. Only a small incision was made under the chin and the neck was “shaped” without any skin tightening.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Rafic Kuzbari
These changes can be addressed specifically
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Turkey neck
Vertically prominent platysmal bands and lax skin give the neck its typical “turkey” appearance — we tighten muscle and skin and smooth the contour.
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Double chin & fat bulge
Fat bulging beneath the chin blurs the neck line. Where required, it is treated as part of the neck lift.
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Lax neck skin
Excess, hanging skin is tightened through a discreet approach — without tension, for a natural result.
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A blurred chin-neck line
Repositioning skin and platysma restores a clear transition between chin and neck — the jawline becomes visible again.
„Every day I see how surgery can change my patients' lives for the better.“
Tightening what has given way — skin and platysma.
In a neck lift it is not only the skin that is tightened. Through a discreet incision — usually inconspicuously behind the ear and, where the findings are pronounced, in a fine crease beneath the chin — the separated edges of the platysma are rejoined and stabilised (platysmaplasty). Bulging fat is reduced where necessary.
Only then is the skin adapted without tension. This approach — repositioning the deep structures, closing the skin without pull — is the key to a result that looks natural and lasts. A neck lift is frequently combined in the same procedure with a deep plane facelift if the lower face is also to be rejuvenated.
Aesthetic Insights · Dr Kuzbari
The neck lift in detail.
The course of a facelift
From clicking the appointment button to lifelong care — six stages in which you always know what to expect and when.
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01
Booking your appointment
24/7 online or by phone
Every facelift begins with booking your consultation. You can arrange your appointment around the clock through our online booking system, or by phone during our opening hours Monday to Friday from 8 am to 6 pm on +43 1 358 28 77.
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02
The consultation
60 – 90 minutes of personal conversation
In our detailed consultation we get to know each other personally. We seek to understand your wishes, analyse the age-related changes in your face and develop an operation plan created individually for you. We explain the surgery, how it proceeds and the period afterwards — including the possible risks and all open questions.
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03
Pre-operative discussion
final plan & all behavioural measures
As soon as you decide to go ahead, our reception team arranges a suitable surgery date. A second appointment with Assoc. Prof. Dr Rafic Kuzbari is scheduled automatically — the pre-operative discussion. You are informed about all measures to be observed before and after the operation, and every detail is discussed once more in peace.
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04
The operation
our own theatre, a well-rehearsed team
We ask you to arrive punctually at the Kuzbari Centre on the day of surgery. Your surgeon will mark your face with a surgical pen while you are seated and go through the steps once more — many patients find this reassuring. During the operation your surgeon is supported by our experienced theatre team; we use state-of-the-art medical technology and high-quality instruments. Bespoke work, never mass production.
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The first weeks afterwards
close support until you are presentable again
After the operation you recover in peace on our ward — cared for around the clock by our attentive nursing team. Your meals are prepared by the neighbouring Park Hyatt Vienna. On discharge — usually after two nights — you receive valuable advice for your first days at home as well as pain medication for the first few days. We remain reachable for urgent questions.
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06
Lifelong care
even years after the operation
Our support does not end with the last check-up. We remain your point of contact for everything to do with your result — even years after the procedure. That is the Kuzbari Experience.
Neck lift — the key points
| Technique | Neck lift with platysmaplasty Tightening of skin and neck musculature |
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| Effect | A clear chin and neck line against turkey neck, double chin and lax skin |
| Approach | A discreet incision behind the ear where findings are pronounced, additionally a fine incision beneath the chin |
| Anaesthesia | General anaesthetic as a rule |
| Stay | usually 2 nights in your own patient room |
| Surgeons | Assoc. Prof. Dr Rafic Kuzbari We discuss the individual course in the personal consultation |
“Many say I look fresher — but nobody knows exactly why.”
“I have been a patient of Dr Kuzbari for years, having hyaluronic acid treatments. During those sessions I spoke to him a few times about my neck, which to me looked old, slack and somewhat wrinkled. To be honest, for a long time I did not want to accept his advice: he said the only thing that would really help was a lift. I did not want to hear that; I was hoping for a gentle miracle cure. I certainly thought about it for more than a year, and only then decided to go ahead.”
“I arrived at the Kuzbari Centre shortly before 7 in the morning and the nurses took me to my room. I had no fears, because I knew I was in the best hands. The whole ‘crew’ reassured me — and my son dropped by as well.”
Neck & double chin — before and after.
“Of course I noticed nothing of the operation itself. Waking up was straightforward — and that same evening I dined well thanks to the Park Hyatt. I had no pain, you only feel a certain pulling because the skin has been lifted. My scars healed perfectly, without any special care. The result is absolutely natural and a joy to look at.”
„The result is absolutely natural and a joy to look at. Many people mention that I look fresher — but nobody can say exactly why.“
Who operates on you
Assoc. Prof. Dr Rafic Kuzbari performs neck lifts — alone or combined with a facelift — in the Kuzbari Centre's own operating suite.
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Assoc. Prof. Dr Rafic Kuzbari
Specialist in Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery
Over 30 years of experience, internationally recognised expert in deep plane and revision facelifts.
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Dr Shawqi Arafat
Specialist in Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery
Specialist in aesthetic facial surgery with a particular focus on neck lifts, fat grafting and preserving natural expression.
