The skin of the neck is thinner than the skin on the face, which accounts for why this area may age faster than facial skin. It also tends to be an area people neglect in general when it comes to sunscreen and skincare. Once the skin on the neck starts to become crepey or less elastic, you may notice wrinkles, and the platysmal bands may become more visible. At the office of Mimi Lee M.D. PA, we offer a treatment called the Nefertiti lift that targets many of these changes with only the use of cosmetic injectables.
What Are the Origins of the Nefertiti Lift?
This treatment gets its name from Queen Nefertiti of ancient Egypt. Her famous bust shows a long, smooth neck with a sharp jaw angle that looks youthful and elegant. The Nefertiti Lift was introduced in 2007 by Swiss dermatologist Philippe Levy in the Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, where he documented a technique for reshaping the jawline with botulinum toxin.
Why the Jawline and Neck Change With Age
The Platysma Muscle
The platysma is a broad sheet of muscle that starts from the upper chest and goes across the neck into the tissue around the mouth and jaw. It pulls the lower face down and can draw the corners of the mouth and jowls toward the collarbone. The platysma tends to tighten with age, making it more prominent and intensifying the downward effect.
Skin Elasticity and Collagen Loss
Collagen and elastin are the two proteins that keep the skin firm and springy. Production of both slows after your mid-twenties, and because the neck skin is so thin, it loses support faster than other areas. Once the scaffolding thins, skin stops snapping back and the tissue can start to be more slack.
Bone and Fat Volume Changes
The bone along the jaw and chin slowly resorbs, so the frame that used to keep the skin more taut recedes. A youthful face and neck also have more fat pads to make them smooth and full of volume, but these eventually shrink and drop downward, changing the contour of the neck and jawline.
What the Nefertiti Lift Changes and What It Does Not
The Nefertiti Lift focuses on the muscle in the neck. It relaxes the platysma to release the downward tension of the muscle and make it look less prominent in the neck. It does not work directly on neck wrinkles or add volume, and it does not remove loose skin. Dr. Mimi Lee will look at your muscles and the overall shape and condition of your neck to determine if relaxing this muscle will make a significant difference in your appearance.
How the Nefertiti Lift Compares to Other Jawline Treatments
Masseter Botox
The masseter is the thick chewing muscle at the back of the jaw. Injecting it slims a square or wide face and eases teeth grinding, but it changes width, not the downward sag. The two relax different muscles, and many patients combine them.
Kybella®
Kybella is an injectable form of deoxycholic acid that dissolves fat cells under the chin. It permanently reduces a double chin once the fat is gone. Sometimes this treatment is also used alongside the Nefertiti Lift for those with a tight platysmal band and excess submental fat.
Dermal Filler
Filler rebuilds structure by adding volume, sharpening a jaw that has lost bone and restoring its border. Filler replaces lost support beneath the skin. Dr. Lee can place both in one visit to help reduce the downward pull and build up volume in the chin and jaw again for rejuvenation of the entire face and neck.
Will Your Jawline and Neck Benefit From a Nefertiti Lift?
- Your Jawline Is Less Defined When You Smile: If your lower face flattens or your jaw edge disappears when you smile, active muscle is pulling that skin down. Relaxing the platysma keeps the contour steady through expression.
- Platysma Bands Show When You Clench: Tighten your neck in a mirror. If two vertical cords jump forward, those are platysma bands, and Botox can treat them directly.
- Your Neck Looks Older Than Your Face: When your face looks refreshed, but your neck gives your age away with cords and creasing, injections can balance the two areas.
- Mouth Corners Turn Down at Rest: Corners that sag when your face is at rest are likely being pulled downward by overly tight muscles. Botox lets the corners settle into a more neutral position.
- You Want a Nonsurgical Option First: If you are not ready for a procedure with incisions and weeks of healing, this offers a lower-commitment step to try before anything permanent.
A Timeline for Nefertiti Lift Results
Days 1 to 3
You can return to your day right away. The injection points may look slightly red for a few hours, and you will not see any change in your jaw or neck yet, since the toxin has not taken hold.
Days 3 to 5
The muscle begins to relax, and the area may start to look lifted. Your jawline will start to look more defined as the neck cords settle, but the effects will still be settling in at this point.
Week Two
The full result is usually visible around two weeks, when the jawline looks its sharpest and the neck its smoothest. Book any injections at least two weeks ahead of an event you care about.
Months 3 to 4
Muscle movement gradually returns, and the softening fades, which is when most patients come back for maintenance. Repeating on this schedule may train the muscles to be more relaxed, and we may be able to spread treatments further apart.
Schedule a Nefertiti Lift Consultation in Little Rock, AR
At Mimi Lee M.D. PA, every Nefertiti lift begins with a face-to-face exam where Dr. Lee watches how your muscles move and decides on the right dose for your anatomy. She personally performs each injection, drawing on more than two decades of microinjection work and over 130,000 units of botulinum toxin administered. Dr. Lee is a board-certified surgeon recognized by AY Magazine as a Best Non-Surgical Cosmetic Professional, and she plans conservative, natural-looking results. Call 501-224-0880 or request your consultation online to learn more.