Patient Tells New York Times He's Thrilled with his Sleek Neckline

The New York Times reports on the use of neck-lifts, a plastic surgery procedure to improve sagging necks and double chins. The Times interviewed William Y. Hoffman, M.D. (pictured right), Professor and Chief of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at UCSF for the story.  

NECKS don’t lie. Sagging there betrays age like the rings on a tree, and now-common Botox and fillers in the face make neck imperfections stand out in stark relief. In her 2006 best-seller, “I Feel Bad About My Neck,” Nora Ephron, by then 65 and a resolved turtleneck wearer, raged against the injustice of having no remedy for her slackening throat skin, short of surgery.

But it turns out that isn’t true. These days, less-invasive options exist to improve the appearance of one’s neck, provided it isn’t a full-blown turkey wattle. Like a romance, a neck can go wrong in many ways. Weight gain or genetics may lead to a double chin. Loose skin can be compounded by underlying lax muscle. A neck-lift (on its own or with a face lift) remains the best bet for a striking, lasting fix.....

After a 50th reunion for business school made him "very neck-conscious," Douglas Weil, 74, signed up for an isolated neck-lift in November with Dr. William Y. Hoffman, Professor and Chief of the Plastic surgery division at the University of California, San Francisco. "It was one of the last things I ever thought I'd do," Mr. Weil said, adding he hasn't thought twice about his baldness. But now he's thrilled with his sleek neckline, he said, and even told his rabbi about the surgery. The rabbi's retort? "What men do to please their women!