Dr. Joel Kopelman, MD, FACS, performs neck lift surgery for patients in Palm Beach County, with offices in West Palm Beach and Boca Raton. He is a facial plastic and oculoplastic surgeon with more than 35 years of experience. Your consultation, surgery, and follow-up visits all take place here in Palm Beach County.
A neck lift tightens loose platysma muscle, removes excess fat under the chin, and trims sagging skin to restore a defined jawline. Most patients go home the same day.
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Dr. Joel Kopelman
OCULOPLASTIC SURGEON
Platysmaplasty tightens and lifts the muscles of the neck. Dr. Kopelman releases the loose or banded muscle and re-secures it to create a firmer contour. Many patients also benefit from neck liposuction to sculpt the profile and remove stubborn fat.
Excess neck fat sits either above or below the platysma muscle, in what surgeons call the pre-platysma and sub-platysma fat pads. Reducing these deposits during surgery restores a natural contour to the neckline.
At your consultation, Dr. Kopelman checks whether your concern comes from fat, muscle laxity, loose skin, or a mix of all three, and recommends liposuction, platysmaplasty, or both.
A neck lift with Dr. Kopelman typically costs $40,000 to $50,000. Your quote depends on the technique, time in surgery, anesthesia, and whether you combine the neck lift with another procedure, such as a facelift or eyelid surgery. You’ll receive a written quote after your consultation. Cosmetic surgery is generally not covered by insurance.
Consultations cost $350, in person or virtual. The fee covers a full year of visits with Dr. Kopelman, as many as you need, and is not applied toward the cost of surgery.
Our approach to a neck lift involves tightening the deeper tissues beneath the platysma muscle. By addressing the muscles on the side and center of the neck, the surgeon restores a natural, youthful position without pulling the skin tight or creating a windswept look. Two small incisions, one below the chin and the other behind the ear, keep scars discreet and easy to conceal.
Removal of loose, sagging skin
Tightening of the neck muscles
Reduction of double chin fat
A more defined jawline and smoother neck contour
Patients go home the same day as their neck lift. Whether your procedure included platysmaplasty, liposuction, or both, expect mild discomfort, swelling, and bruising for roughly two weeks. A compressive elastic strap goes around your neck to reduce swelling and support healing.
Follow-up appointments begin the morning after surgery, and the surgical team is available by phone throughout your healing period. {CLIENT CR-08: Florida follow-up location and Dr. Kopelman’s Florida schedule}
Any surgery carries risk, and a neck lift is no exception. Serious complications are uncommon, but you should know what they look like before you decide.
The main risks are a reaction to anesthesia, bleeding, infection, and scarring that heals slowly or stays visible. There’s also a small chance of injuring a branch of the facial nerve, which can leave nearby muscles weak for a while.
Some things feel strange but are a normal part of healing. Your neck may feel tight or numb, you might notice some burning or tingling, and the skin can get dry. These usually settle on their own as you recover.
Safety starts well before your surgery date. Dr. Joel Kopelman or Dr. Ross Kopelman goes over your medical history and every medication you take, including over-the-counter ones.
At least two weeks before surgery, you’ll stop blood thinners like aspirin, ibuprofen, fish oil, and vitamin E. That lowers your chance of bleeding, bruising, and swelling. If you smoke, you’ll stop at the same time, since nicotine slows healing and makes visible scars more likely.
After surgery, you’ll come back for scheduled follow-up visits here in Palm Beach County. If anything isn’t healing the way it should, we catch it early.
Most neck lift results last 7 to 10 years. Your neck will keep aging, since no surgery can stop that, but the improvement keeps working for you as the years go by.
If you’re weighing a neck lift against a full facelift, Dr. Kopelman’s guide to facelift vs. neck lift walks through how the two compare.
Dr. Joel E. Kopelman, MD, FACS, has spent more than 35 years in facial plastic and oculoplastic surgery, focused on rejuvenating the face, neck, and eyes.
His training started with an internal medicine internship at Johns Hopkins, followed by an ophthalmology residency at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. He then completed fellowships at UCLA, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, and Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.
That mix of facial and eyelid training shapes how he approaches a neck lift. He looks at the jawline, lower face, and neck as one connected area, and plans incisions under the chin and behind the ears so they settle into natural creases.
Dr. Kopelman is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery. He’s also a member of the American Medical Association.
He also teaches patients directly through his YouTube channel, where he explains procedures, recovery, and what results to expect.
Dr. Joel E. Kopelman is a facial plastic and oculoplastic surgeon with more than 35 years of experience in cosmetic surgery of the face, neck, and eyes. You can read his training and credentials in the Meet the Doctor section.
He shares procedure explanations and patient education videos on YouTube and Instagram, so you can see how he approaches cosmetic surgery before you book a consultation.
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— COMMON QUESTIONS
Your consultation includes a review of your medical history along with any prescription and non-prescription medications you take. Blood thinners such as aspirin, ibuprofen, fish oil, and Vitamin E must be stopped at least two weeks before surgery to reduce bleeding, bruising, and swelling. If you smoke, you must refrain from smoking for at least two weeks before surgery, since nicotine compromises healing and increases the risk of visible scarring.
A neck lift is usually performed under local anesthesia with intravenous “twilight” sedation, and the procedure takes approximately three hours. The goal is to elevate and tighten sagging soft tissue through short, hidden incisions. Fat below the chin and neck is re-contoured, the underlying muscle is repositioned and tightened, and excess skin is trimmed behind the ear.
The incisions are placed within the natural creases below the chin and behind the ears, so they become inconspicuous as they heal over the following months.
For patients whose main concerns are loose neck skin, banded muscles, and jowl fat, a full facelift is not always necessary. When mid-facial volume loss and upper-face sagging are minimal, an isolated neck lift, performed through shorter incisions, restores a smooth contour without the more extensive dissection of a traditional facelift.
A full facelift, including a deep plane facelift, is the ideal treatment for patients with moderate-to-severe jowls, extensive muscle and skin laxity, and mid-facial volume loss. A deep plane facelift releases key retaining ligaments so tissues are repositioned rather than pulled, producing natural, long-lasting results. Patients who ask about a facelift usually have an aging pattern that extends beyond the neck, and during your consultation, you will learn which approach best fits your anatomy and goals.
Yes. Depending on your cosmetic goals, the surgeon may recommend complementary procedures such as cosmetic eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), fat grafting, endoscopic brow lifts, and laser skin rejuvenation, including IPL treatments, to enhance your overall facial appearance.
In Palm Beach County. Your consultation, surgery, and follow-up visits all take place locally, and consultations are at our West Palm Beach and Boca Raton offices. Dr. Joel Kopelman performs the procedure.
A consultation costs $350, in person or virtual. The fee covers a full year of visits with Dr. Kopelman, as many as you need, and is not applied toward the cost of surgery.
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