Neck Lift Turkey

Plenty of people notice it first in a photo taken from below, or on a video call with the laptop on their knees. The face looks fine. The neck doesn't. There are cords running down from the chin, a soft fullness where the jawline used to be, or loose skin that some people call a "turkey neck". A neck lift in Turkey treats those three things together, which is why it's an operation in its own right and not just the cheaper half of a facelift.

This page explains what's involved, how we decide between a neck lift on its own and one combined with a facelift, and what the recovery is really like.

Three problems, one operation

Most ageing necks have more than one thing going on. The platysma, a thin sheet of muscle running down the front of the neck, separates in the middle and shows as vertical bands. Fat collects under the chin and blurs the jaw. And the skin over both loosens.

A full neck lift deals with each of these. The two edges of the muscle are drawn back together and stitched, which is called platysmaplasty and is what removes the bands. The fat under the chin is taken out. Only then is the extra skin trimmed and re-draped. Fixing just one of the three leaves the other two where they were, and that's behind many disappointing results. The order matters as well: with the muscle repaired first, the skin is laid over a firm base.

Say you only have a double chin

With firm skin and muscle and nothing but fat under the chin, a neck lift is more than you need. Pinch the skin there; if it springs straight back, liposuction alone may do. Chin liposuction is the smaller and more fitting operation, at €2,500 rather than €4,000.

The trouble comes when the skin and the muscle have loosened too. Taking the fat out on its own can then leave the neck looking slacker than before, because removing volume from around a band doesn't move the band. That's the most common reason people are unhappy after neck liposuction elsewhere.

Neck lift or facelift?

The answer depends on whether your face sags as well. If the jowls and cheeks are still holding up and the problem sits below the jaw, a standalone neck lift covers it. If the lower face has dropped too, tightening only the neck can leave a sharp neckline under a face that hasn't moved, which looks odd.

The mistake can go either way, and age alone doesn't decide it. We look at your face in person. Side-on and three-quarter photos let us make a first call before you travel. A standalone neck lift costs less than the combined operation, so a clinic has a financial reason not to tell you that you qualify for it. We'd rather you knew.

If your face does need work, our facelift pages explain the options, and the two are very often done together, which means one recovery instead of two.

The three prices, explained

Each figure on our list matches a different finding. Fat on its own is chin liposuction at €2,500. Treating the whole neck, muscle, fat and skin, is a neck lift, which is €4,000. For people who need more, our list includes a four-part package of facelift, temporal lift, eyelid surgery and the neck lift itself, in one session, at €8,950. The plan you receive names one of these three, with the reason.

Options without surgery

For mild problems, there are smaller steps. Botox can soften faint bands for a few months. Skin-tightening treatments may help slightly loose skin a little. Small pockets of fat under the chin sometimes respond to injections that dissolve fat. None of these repair the muscle or remove real excess skin, though, and once those are the issue, surgery is the reliable answer. They can still be a sensible first step if you're not ready for an operation yet.

Neck lift cost in Turkey

Our price for a neck lift in Turkey is €4,000. The surgeon's fee, anaesthesia and hospital stay are covered, along with the compression garment, airport transfers, a translator and video check-ins for a year. Chin liposuction is €2,500 if fat is the only issue.

Published prices abroad are mostly higher. In the UK, a neck lift typically costs around €8,750 to €12,150, German clinics start from about €4,000, and the American average is close to €11,250. The bigger question, though, is whether you're being assessed fairly for a standalone neck lift or a combined one, because that changes the neck lift price more than the country does.

The lower face and neck lift

You'll often see the phrase "lower face and neck lift". In practice it's a facelift and neck lift joined into one operation, for a softened jaw as well as a loose neck. Recovery is a little longer than for the neck alone, and the plan explains which you need. Many people searching for a neck lift in Turkey turn out to need this combined version.

Platysma bands

Those vertical cords from chin to collarbone are muscle edges, not skin folds. That's why creams and skin treatments don't touch them. Only the repair described above gets rid of them for good.

The scars

The main cut sits behind the ear, following its natural curve into the hairline. There's usually a small one under the chin as well, in the crease, which is where the muscle is repaired. Both fade a lot over several months, but they're permanent lines rather than invisible ones. In most conversations the ear itself hides the one behind it.

Wearing your hair cropped short? Tell us beforehand, because the line behind the ear is then placed a little differently.

Judging neck lift before and after photos

Seen side-on, a neck lift before and after should show a firmer jaw and a sharper angle beneath the chin. From the front, the neck should look smooth, not tight.

Timing matters. Swelling still shows in photos from the first few weeks, while three months on gives a fair picture of the final contour. If a standalone neck lift is what you're weighing up, reviews from people who had exactly that are the most useful.

The nerve along the jaw

Close to the jawline runs the marginal mandibular nerve, which helps move the lower lip. Once in a while it's bruised during surgery and the smile looks slightly lopsided for some weeks. It nearly always recovers on its own. It's a fair question for any surgeon: how do you protect it?

Neck lift recovery

We keep a close eye on you in the first two days, when bleeding under the skin is most likely. You'll be in hospital for around half a night and in Istanbul for six, seeing a nurse daily, with a last check about a week after surgery. The neck garment, which comes with the price, stays on for a week or two.

At the hotel and at home, sleep on your back with your head up, and turn your whole body rather than twisting your neck. Light activity is usually fine during the second week, and walking from the first day. Bruising tends to be gone by week three, though the neckline goes on improving for months.

After weight loss

Big weight loss often leaves the neck looser than the face. A neck lift in Turkey can work well here, since the skin is usually the main problem and there's less fat to remove. It's best to wait until your weight has been steady for several months, so the result isn't undone by further change. If you've had weight-loss surgery, bring your surgeon's notes, as they help with timing.

Questions to ask before you book

Before booking, find out whether the surgeon thinks, having examined you, that you need a facelift too or that the neck alone will do, and which of the three problems your neck actually has. You're also entitled to know how many standalone neck lifts they've done, separately from combined ones, how they protect the nerve along the jaw, and to see before and after photos of necks like yours. A good surgeon for a neck lift in Istanbul will answer all of that without hesitation.

Back to work

Most people with desk jobs go back after about two weeks. A high collar covers anything left. If your work is physical, plan on about a month. Video calls are usually fine sooner, often within the first week, especially with the camera set at eye level.

Ten years on

Results from a neck lift usually last eight to ten years, similar to a SMAS facelift. The repaired muscle holds well. The skin over it keeps ageing slowly, as it would anyway. Many people go on to have a facelift years later if the face starts to sag on its own. That isn't a sign the neck lift failed; it's simply the next step for a face that has kept ageing. A steady weight and good sun protection both help the result hold. A small tidy-up of the skin under the chin, many years on, is a minor procedure if it's ever wanted.

Who is a good candidate?

Neck lift candidates usually have bands, chin fullness or loose skin that other treatments haven't shifted. Age matters less than general health and being able to give up cigarettes. Most enquiries come from people over forty-five, and men's scars are planned around the beard. A steady weight helps the result last.

Why neck skin is different

Neck skin is thinner than facial skin and responds less to tightening. That puts a limit on how much change is realistic, especially with very loose skin. Heavily sun-damaged skin is slower to settle too. Thin skin is also why smoking matters so much. Thin skin with a poor blood supply heals badly at the edges of the cut, so stopping before and after surgery is a requirement, not a suggestion.