Face and Neck Contouring
Age, genetics, hormonal shifts, and weight changes can contribute to facial volume loss and sagging of the face and neck tissues, with early aging changes apparent in our late 20s and early 30s. Decreased tissue elasticity and volume loss results in jowls, heaviness along the jawline, and loose skin and tissues in the neck. More and more of our patients desire minimally invasive and non-surgical treatment options, wanting to avoid the invasiveness, downtime, and scars of surgery. Statistics show that non-surgical treatments such as the fat-melting injectable medication Kybella and laser tissue tightening have soared in popularity over the last 5 years. While our facial plastic surgeon Dr. Fishman excels at surgical facial rejuvenation, she also achieves excellent results with minimally invasive face, neck, and tissue contouring options via treatments such as Embrace RF, FaceTite, AccuTite, and Morpheus. These procedures help Dr. Fishman treat a wide variety of patients, achieve significant and rejuvenating aesthetic results, and avoid the scars and prolonged recovery of surgery.
Minimally Invasive Face and Neck Contouring
Benefits of minimally invasive face & neck contouring
Minimally invasive tissue tightening procedures for face and neck contouring provide excellent rejuvenative benefits without the long downtime or invasiveness of surgery.
Minimally invasive procedures such as Embrace RF, Morpheus, FaceTite, and AccuTite can melt excess fat, tighten skin, and improve skin texture and the appearance of acne, cellulite and stretch marks.
Among the benefits of minimally invasive face and neck contouring are high patient satisfaction and improved self-confidence. Â
I have always had a double chin throughout my life. When I went in for my consultation, Dr. Fishman gave me all sorts of recommendations to understand what options I have. She was very informational and I learned so much even from the initial meeting. There was no pressure in selecting any of the procedures! I got the EmbraceRF treatment and am so pleased with the results. Definitely recommending my friends to this practice.
Most commonly, minimally invasive face and neck contouring procedures such as Embrace RF, FaceTite, and AccuTite are performed in our office, with the help of laughing gas (also known as ProNox) and injectable numbing or freezing medications. Dr. Fishman treats the tissues of the forehead and brows, upper and lower eyelids, smile lines, jowls, and the neck with the radiofrequency tissue tightening treatments of FaceTite and AccuTite, and sometimes adds lipocontouring or liposuction to remove excess fat during the same treatment. The combination of FaceTite or AccuTite, liposuction, and microneedling with radiofrequency (called Morpheus 8) is called Embrace RF, and best addresses jowls, the contours of the lower face and jaw, and neck in patients not ready for or interested in surgery. Â
Dr. Fishman sometimes performs Embrace RF, FaceTite, and AccuTite treatments with other procedures such as blepharoplasty (eyelid lifts), chemical peels, or lip lifting. Depending on other procedures, minimally invasive tissue contouring procedures may be performed in the operating room, with the help of general anesthesia.
Minimally Invasive Face and Neck Contouring: Treatment Details
Candidates for Embrace RF, FaceTite, and AccuTite​
Dr. Fishman’s experience and artistic vision allow her to approach every individual’s face with a unique understanding of anatomy, function, appearance, and the important balance between these, which is essential in aesthetic surgery. Every person is unique, and every face is unique as well. With every patient and every treatment, Dr. Fishman carefully selects and tailors the best treatment option for every individual.
A good candidate for minimally invasive face and neck contouring procedures such as Embrace RF, FaceTite, and AccuTite neck lift surgery has moderate-pronounced signs of neck aging, and has realistic expectations of aesthetic surgery. Good candidates for neck lift surgery should be in good physical and mental health, and avoid the use of nicotine.
FaceTite treatments tend to have best results in younger patients (those in their 20s to early 50s), because the procedure works by stimulating collagen and elastin formation, says Dr. Fishman. Patients who are not ready for surgery, want to avoid the longer scars associated with facial surgery, or younger individuals seeing the first signs of aging are good candidates for FaceTite face and neck contouring. Those with more pronounced skin and tissue laxity, significant jowling, heavy smile lines, or platysmal banding or muscle separation in the neck may do better with surgical face lifting, neck lifting, or both. Â
Frequently Asked Questions
The duration of treatment depends on the complexity of the case and the need for associated procedures. Dr. Fishman usually completes an Embrace RF treatment (which is a combination of FaceTite, lipocontouring, and Morpheus of the lower face and neck)Â over 3 hours, while she takes less than an hour to do a simple FaceTite or AccuTite treatment.
Minimally invasive tissue tightening treatments like Embrace and AccuTite leave few to no scars. Dr. Fishman uses a small, thin probe (about the size of an angelhair pasta) to provide RF heat energy to the treated tissues of the face and neck. She places this probe under the skin using tiny nicks in the skin, which are carefully hidden in the crease under the chin and below the earlobes. These scars tend to heal beautifully, and often cannot be seen at all. The Morpheus microneedling radiofrequency treatment does not involve incisions, and leaves no scars.
Dr. Fishman usually performs the minimally invasive contouring treatments of FaceTite, AccuTite, and Morpheus in the comfort of our office, often using relaxing by-mouth medications and laughing gas (also called ProNox) in addition to numbing medicine. During their initial recovery, most patients report a mild sore or a tight sensation, which is well-treated with Tylenol and Motrin. Most Morpheus patients do not take any pain medications, and report mild tightness and itching only. These symptoms resolve over several days to a couple of weeks after treatment.Â
This is a great question, and the answer is likely yes with some modifications. Dr. Fishman recommends the treated parts of the face and neck heal for at least a year after minimally invasive contouring treatment before further treatments or surgery. There are some individuals that decide to pursue surgery like a deep plane facelift or neck lift after minimally invasive facial contouring either in our practice or elsewhere; Dr. Fishman says that with the rising popularity of minimally invasive treatments, this scenario is becoming more common.  Patients previously treated with minimally invasive contouring tend to do well with surgery, given good healing after their initial treatment and close post-treatment follow-up and care after surgery. Â
Insurance companies typically do not cover cosmetic or aesthetic surgeries; and our practice does not work with insurance plans. We offer financing plans to make aesthetic treatments more affordable. Please inquire about financing options after your consultation with our staff.
After Surgery
- Expect a compressive dressing around the face and under the chin; this stays on overnight and is replaced with a lighter compressive chin strap the morning after treatment. Dr. Fishman encourages patients to wear the supportive chin strap garment as much as possible the first few days and nightly for 2 weeks after treatment.
 - Know that most swelling is resolved after the first 2 weeks, though the face continues to heal both inside and outside for ~6+ months after surgery.
 - Keep your head elevated on 2-3 pillows while sleeping and as much as possible during the day.