Background: Aging of the neck is multifactorial with
various skin changes. For an aesthetically pleasing neck
appearance, it is critical restoring a cervicomental angle of
105 to 120 degrees, and a distinct mandibular border. A multimodality
approach is required to rejuvenate the neck and
address these multiple facets of aging. Many treatment options
can be combined to address the aging changes of the neck.
Submental fat can be addressed by traditional or assisted
liposuction. However, some patients with poor skin tone may
not achieve optimal outcomes. Thread lifting is a minimally
invasive, office-based procedure with fewer perioperative
complications and gaining popularity as a substitute for
surgical lifting.
Methods: This study aimed to answer whether combining
thread-lift with traditional liposuction for rejuvenation of
submental lipodystrophy will achieve a superior outcome in
terms of patients' satisfaction and aesthetic results or no? To
answer this question, the authors conducted a retrospective
comparative study on all cases with submental lipodystrophy
(known as 'double chin') who underwent neck rejuvenation
by either liposuction alone as group A, or liposuction combined
with thread lifting as group B, to compare the results of both
groups, and the subgroups based on the degree of neck lipodystrophy,
in terms of patients' satisfaction and aesthetic
results.
Results: The overall complication rate was 20% for group < br />A and 25% for group B. However, there were no major
complications in both groups.
While superior aesthetic results and patient satisfaction
were obtained by combining liposuction and threading of
cases with severe neck lipodystrophy, in cases of mild and
moderate lipodystrophy no statistically significant difference
was observed between both groups.
Conclusion: Combined liposuction and thread lifting is
effective and gives superior aesthetic results and patient
satisfaction more than liposuction alone in cases with severe
lipodystrophy, especially for the cervicomental angle improvement.
However, in mild and moderate cases of lipodystrophy,
the additional thread-related complications, extra duration,
and cost of thread lifting outweigh its benefits.