“The neck angle is one of the first features people read on a face — on Zoom, in photographs, and in person. When submental fullness blurs the jaw-to-neck transition, the entire lower face looks heavier than it actually is. The technique is the difference between a result that holds for decades and one that contracts unevenly — and I perform every neck liposuction myself.”
What neck liposuction can do for you
A defined jaw and a clean neck angle are the two features that read “youthful” faster than almost anything else — and they are the two features that submental fat erases first. Neck liposuction by Dr. Truesdale removes the pre-platysmal fat through a single discreet incision, restoring the angle and definition that diet, exercise, and contouring simply cannot reach. The result reads in every photograph and on every Zoom call: a clean jawline, a sharp neck transition, and a lower face that finally matches the rest of the face.
- A defined jawline and clean neck angle — the single feature most patients describe missing. The jaw and neck finally separate the way they used to.
- Photographs & Zoom that look like you again — submental fullness reads heaviest on camera. Once it’s gone, every angle improves — profile, three-quarter, and chin-down.
- A correction that diet alone could never reach — submental fat is genetic and structural; it persists at every weight. Liposuction is the only direct way to remove it.
- A virtually invisible scar — one tiny incision hidden in the natural crease just under the chin. It fades to near-invisibility within a few months.
- A short procedure with a focused recovery — about 45 minutes under safe IV sedation with local anesthesia, never general. Most patients are socially presentable within 7–10 days.
- Results that hold — with the right candidate — fat cells removed do not return. With stable weight, the contour holds for decades.
Ready to discuss your neck liposuction goals?
Understanding neck liposuction
A focused, structural correction of the lower face — removing the pre-platysmal fat that blurs the jaw-to-neck transition.
What neck liposuction is
Neck liposuction precisely removes the layer of pre-platysmal fat that sits between the chin and the upper neck — the soft pad responsible for blurring the jaw-to-neck transition. It is a structural correction, not a skin treatment: with the right candidate, removing this fat alone restores a remarkably defined jawline.
Dr. Truesdale performs neck liposuction through a single discreet incision (smaller than a thumbnail) hidden in the natural crease just under the chin. The result is virtually no visible scar, no general anesthesia, and a sharp, clean lower-face contour that holds for decades when weight is stable.
Hidden in the chin crease
A single tiny incision in the natural crease just under the chin — healed and faded within a few months.
Targeted, not aggressive
The pre-platysmal fat is suctioned in precise, even passes — preserving the dermis and skin’s ability to retract smoothly.
Sculpted to the angle
Just enough fat is removed to restore the natural jaw-to-neck angle — never over-suctioned, never hollowed.
Back to yourself
About 45 minutes in surgery, performed comfortably under safe IV sedation with local anesthesia.
Who neck liposuction is for
Neck liposuction is designed for patients whose submental fullness blurs the jaw-to-neck angle — regardless of how fit, lean, or disciplined they otherwise are. If any of the following describes you, neck liposuction may be worth exploring:
What makes Dr. Truesdale’s approach different
Neck liposuction is one of the most frequently over-suctioned procedures in facial surgery — an over-aggressive result leaves a hollow, scaffolded neck instead of a clean angle. Dr. Truesdale designs every neck liposuction around restoring the natural jaw-to-neck transition, not maximizing volume removal.
Restraint, Not Volume Removal
The goal is the natural angle the face was meant to have, not the maximum amount of fat that can technically be removed. Dr. Truesdale photographs every patient in a seated, relaxed state pre-op so the target is your real anatomy — not an over-suctioned ideal. Over-resection leaves a hollow, scaffolded neck. Dr. Truesdale’s rule: stop when the angle is right.
The Right Candidate, Honestly Selected
Neck liposuction works only when skin elasticity, fat distribution, and platysmal anatomy line up. If a patient’s skin won’t retract smoothly, or if the issue is muscle banding rather than fat, Dr. Truesdale will say so — and recommend a deep neck lift or facelift instead. The wrong patient gets a poor result. Selection is the first step.
Paired with the Right Procedures
Many patients arrive expecting neck liposuction when they actually need a deep neck lift or chin augmentation to fully define the angle — or vice versa. Dr. Truesdale consults personally to determine which combination produces the most natural lower-face result for your specific anatomy.
Dr. Truesdale Personally
Every consultation, every surgical plan, every cannula pass — performed personally by Dr. Truesdale. No delegation to coordinators, PAs, or residents. The neck-liposuction goal: friends say your jawline looks sharp — not that something was “done.”
“A clean neck angle is the most reliable signal of a youthful face — and the easiest one to lose. Removing the right amount of fat, and never one cubic centimeter more, is what separates a sharp result from a hollow one.”
— Dr. Carl Truesdale, MD
Neck liposuction before & afters
Real neck liposuction patients of Dr. Truesdale. Every neck is sculpted only to its natural anatomic angle — never over-suctioned.
Your transformation starts with a conversation.
From first consultation to final reveal
We always tell our patients to ‘trust the process.’ You are in good hands on every step of the journey to your unique masterpiece.
Consultation
Personal session with Dr. Truesdale — facial analysis, honest assessment of candidacy, and a clear plan for what the procedure can and cannot achieve.
Planning
Medical clearance, pre-operative instructions, and a personalized plan Dr. Truesdale reviews with you before the day of the procedure.
Procedure Day
Performed personally by Dr. Truesdale through small hidden incisions under the chin and behind the ears. Local anesthesia with light sedation.
Garment & Recovery
Compression garment worn for 1–2 weeks. Mild bruising and swelling for 7–10 days. Most patients return to non-strenuous work within 3–5 days.
Contour Emerges
Swelling subsides and the jaw-to-neck angle begins to emerge. Light cardio resumes at 2 weeks; strenuous exercise around 3 weeks, once your surgeon clears you.
Look and Feel Like a Masterpiece
Sharp, defined jaw-to-neck angle — the photograph-ready contour the procedure is designed to deliver.
Individual timelines vary. Dr. Truesdale sets realistic, patient-specific expectations during your consultation — not exaggerated claims.
See if Neck Liposuction is right for you.
Meet Your Surgeon
Dr. Truesdale on neck contouring, philosophy, and real patient stories — from his self-produced Beyond the Surface docuseries and his educational content library.
Neck liposuction in Beverly Hills: the essentials
- Your surgeon
- Dr. Truesdale personally.
- Where
- True Surgical Center, the AAAHC-accredited surgical center at 150 S. Rodeo Drive, Suite 220, Beverly Hills.
- Anesthesia
- IV sedation (MAC, monitored anesthesia care) with local anesthesia, given and watched throughout by a board-certified anesthesiologist.
- Time in surgery
- About 1 to 1.5 hours.
- Going home
- Back to your hotel or home the same day with an adult who stays with you.
- Garment & sutures
- A compression garment for the first week. Sutures come out at your Day 7 visit with Dr. Truesdale, unless they are dissolvable.
- If you travel
- Arrive the day before surgery and plan on about a week in Beverly Hills.
- Back in public
- Most patients plan on 7 to 10 days before they feel ready to be seen.
- Exercise
- Light cardio at 2 weeks; heavier exercise at about 3 weeks, once Dr. Truesdale clears you.
- Final result
- The jaw-to-neck angle sharpens as swelling settles; the final contour shows at about 3 to 6 months.
The facts patients ask about first. Every plan is personal, so Dr. Truesdale confirms each of these for you at your consultation. Recovery, week by week
What happens on surgery day
Neck liposuction removes the fat that sits under the chin, just beneath the skin and above the neck muscle. It does not tighten muscle or remove skin; when those are the problem, a deep neck lift is the right operation. Here is what the day looks like for you.
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01Before you go in
You arrive at True Surgical Center having had nothing to eat or drink after midnight. You meet your anesthesiologist, and Dr. Truesdale goes over the plan with you before you go into the operating room.
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02Small, hidden incisions
Dr. Truesdale works through small incisions hidden in the natural crease under the chin, and behind the ears when needed.
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03Targeted, not aggressive
The fat above the neck muscle (pre-platysmal fat) is suctioned in precise, even passes, preserving the skin’s ability to retract smoothly over the new contour.
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04Sculpted to the angle
Just enough fat is removed to restore the natural angle from the jaw to the neck: never over-suctioned, never hollowed. Dr. Truesdale photographs you seated and relaxed beforehand, so the target is your real anatomy.
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05Closing and going home
The incisions are closed and a compression garment goes on. You go back to your hotel or home the same day with an adult who stays with you.
When a deep neck lift is the right step · Pairing neck liposuction with chin augmentation · Understanding neck anatomy for surgery
Neck liposuction recovery, week by week
This summary follows Dr. Truesdale’s rules for neck liposuction and the instructions that apply to every procedure. Your written instructions before surgery give the details.
Swelling and bruising under the chin. Wear your compression garment for the first week; you may take it off briefly to shower, then put it straight back on. Sleep on your back with your head raised, and ice 20 minutes on and 20 off for 5 days to a week. Day 7 visit with Dr. Truesdale: sutures out, unless they are dissolvable.
Start silicone scar gel two days after your sutures come out, twice a day for a month. Light cardio from Day 14.
No bending, heavy lifting or straining until 3 weeks; heavier exercise then, once Dr. Truesdale clears you. Hair color from 1 month. SPF 50 and limited sun for 6 weeks.
The jaw-to-neck angle keeps sharpening as the last swelling settles, with the final contour at about 3 to 6 months. Follow-ups at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months.
Full post-operative care guide · Preparing for surgery · Traveling for surgery
Neck liposuction risks, and how we keep you safe
Every operation carries risk. Dr. Truesdale goes through the risks that apply to your plan at your consultation, and each one is written in the consent you read and sign. For neck liposuction, the consent lists:
- Skin Necrosis. Skin necrosis is possible: if the blood supply to an area of skin is interrupted, that skin can die, leaving a wound that heals slowly with a scar and may need further treatment. Smoking and nicotine in any form make it much more likely.
- Nerve Injury. Nerve injury is possible and may be temporary or permanent: weakness of the lower lip from injury to the marginal mandibular branch of the facial nerve, or numbness of the neck and chin.
- Contour Irregularities. Contour irregularity, dimpling, lumps or asymmetry are possible and may need a revision.
- Loose Skin. Loose skin may become more visible after the fat is removed, and a neck lift may later be advised.
- Seroma. A collection of fluid under the skin (seroma) is possible and may need drainage.
- Long-Term Changes. The result changes with aging and with weight gain or loss.
- Over-Thinned Neck. A neck that looks over-thinned or hollow is possible.
- Dark Marks at Entry Points. Dark marks where the small incisions were made are possible and may fade over months.
Risks of any operation
- Bleeding. Bleeding during or after surgery is possible. A collection of blood under the skin (hematoma) may need drainage or a return to the operating room, and severe bleeding may need emergency treatment or a blood transfusion.
- Infection. Infection is possible and may need antibiotics, drainage or further surgery.
- Bruising and Swelling. Bruising and swelling are expected. They may last several weeks, and swelling or discoloration may persist longer.
- Scarring. Every incision or entry point leaves a permanent scar. A scar may be raised, widened, darker, lighter or more visible than expected, and takes at least 3 months to mature.
- Keloid or Raised Scar. Itching, thickening, pain or a growth along any incision can be the first sign of a keloid (a thick, raised scar). Let us know right away so it can be injected with a steroid to stop the keloid from forming. A keloid is more likely if you have had one before and may need further injections or treatment.
- Change in Skin Sensation. Numbness, tingling or a change in skin sensation around the treated areas is possible; it may be temporary or permanent.
- Delayed Healing. Delayed healing or separation of an incision is possible and much more likely with nicotine in any form.
- Allergic Reactions. Allergic reactions to tape, sutures, skin cleansers, latex or medications are possible.
- Blood Clots. Blood clots in the legs or lungs (deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism) are possible and more likely with longer surgery; your surgical team uses the clot-prevention plan chosen for you.
- Anesthesia. Risks of anesthesia and sedation are possible; the anesthesia provider reviews them with you separately.
- Pain. Pain after surgery is expected and should settle over several days; pain that lasts longer is possible.
- Result and Revision. A result that does not meet your expectations is possible: healing differs between people, no result is guaranteed, and a revision may be advised, with the fees described in your patient policy.
- Serious Complications. Serious complications, including death, are possible with any surgery or anesthesia.
- Heart and Lung Problems. Heart or lung problems, such as pneumonia or an irregular heartbeat, are possible after surgery and anesthesia.
- Medication Side Effects. Side effects of the medications used during and after surgery, such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, dizziness or trouble urinating, are possible.
- Injury to Deeper Structures. Injury to deeper structures, such as nerves, blood vessels, muscles or glands, is possible.
- Persistent Sutures. A deeper stitch may work its way to the surface and need to be removed.
How we keep you safe
- Surgery only in an AAAHC-accredited surgical center, with a board-certified anesthesiologist.
- Medical clearance, and blood-clot risk screening, before surgery.
- No nicotine in any form for 3 weeks before surgery and 3 months after.
- Someone with you for the first 72 hours.
- A compression garment for the first week, a Day 7 visit with Dr. Truesdale, and a direct line to the team the whole time.
When to call us right away · Before & after gallery · Deep neck lift · Request a consultation
Neck liposuction FAQs
Bring your own questions to consultation — Dr. Truesdale personally answers every one. Below are the questions patients ask most often about neck liposuction.
The strongest candidates have persistent submental fullness, healthy skin elasticity, and stable weight. Dr. Truesdale evaluates skin quality, fat distribution, platysmal banding, and underlying jaw anatomy in consultation. If the issue is loose skin or muscle banding rather than excess fat, he’ll tell you that too — and recommend a deep neck lift instead. The evaluation is honest; the procedure is only recommended when it will genuinely help.
It depends on what’s creating the fullness. If the issue is purely pre-platysmal fat with intact skin elasticity, neck liposuction alone usually delivers a complete result. If there is meaningful platysmal banding, deep fat, or true skin laxity, only a deep neck lift or facelift can restore the angle. Dr. Truesdale evaluates anatomy precisely during consultation — sometimes recommending one procedure now and the other in 5–10 years, and sometimes both in a single recovery.
Most patients describe the discomfort as mild — closer to a sore bruise than sharp pain. See “What kind of anesthesia is used?” for details on intra-operative comfort. Oral pain medication manages the first 24–48 hours comfortably for nearly everyone. Dr. Truesdale’s team checks in within 24 hours of surgery and remains available throughout recovery.
Our surgical procedures utilize a patient-focused anesthesia technique known as MAC (Monitored Anesthesia Care) and IV Sedation, ensuring your maximum comfort and safety. This method provides a level of gentle, deep sedation comparable to the comfortable experience many patients have during a colonoscopy, which we have found helps make patients less fearful. The anesthesia is administered intravenously and meticulously monitored by a hand-picked group of board-certified anesthesiologists, who are dedicated to your well-being throughout your entire procedure.
Plan on 7–10 days of social recovery. A compression garment is worn around the chin for the first week. The single tiny suture under the chin is removed at Day 7 with Dr. Truesdale personally. Most bruising fades by day 10. Strenuous exercise typically resumes at 3 weeks, once your surgeon clears you. Final contour reveals as residual swelling settles over 6–12 weeks.
Only when neck liposuction is performed too aggressively. That hollow, scaffolded look is the signature of a surgeon who removed too much fat or worked too superficially — not of the procedure itself. Dr. Truesdale’s rule is to restore the natural jaw-to-neck angle, never to over-suction. Every patient is photographed in a seated, relaxed state pre-op so the target is based on genuine resting anatomy. The goal is friends say your jawline looks sharp — never that something was “done.”
The fat cells removed do not return. With stable weight, the contour holds for decades. New weight gain can produce some submental fullness elsewhere on the neck, but the area treated remains structurally improved. Many patients eventually combine the result with a facelift or deep neck lift 10–20 years later as additional skin laxity sets in.
Yes — a significant portion of Dr. Truesdale’s patients travel from across the United States and internationally. The process typically begins with a virtual consultation with Dr. Truesdale himself (not a coordinator), followed by in-person pre-operative evaluation the day before surgery. Our patient-care coordinators help arrange travel, hotel, and local transportation, and Dr. Truesdale’s team conducts virtual follow-ups after you return home. Plan to be in Beverly Hills for about a week in total.
Request a consultation through the form at the bottom of this page, email contact@doctortruesdale.com, or call (424) 363-4112. Our team responds within one business day to schedule either an in-person consultation at 150 S. Rodeo Drive, Suite 360, Beverly Hills or a virtual consultation worldwide. Every consultation is conducted personally by Dr. Truesdale and costs $750, fully credited toward the cost of your procedure.
Most neck liposuction patients are between 25 and 55, though patients with strong genetic submental fullness often benefit earlier. The best indicator is anatomic: when the jaw-to-neck angle has blurred despite stable weight, and when skin elasticity is still strong enough to retract smoothly after fat removal.
The cost of neck liposuction can vary based on the patient’s situation, including if it is a revision surgery and if this surgery will be combined with other surgeries or treatments. The total cost may include the surgeon’s fee, operating room fees, and anesthesia fees. At Truesdale Facial Plastic Surgery, we believe the surgeon’s philosophy and experience, and your comfort with him, are just as important as the final cost of the surgery. We can provide an approximate range for this procedure over the phone, and your patient care coordinator (PCC) will confirm the pricing for you after your consultation with Dr. Truesdale.
Yes. You may take your compression garment off briefly to shower, then put it straight back on. Keep showers cool to lukewarm, with no steam or saunas.
On your back with your head raised on two to three pillows, a wedge pillow or a recliner, for the first two weeks. Keep your compression garment on through the first week.
The incisions are small and sit in the natural crease under the chin, and behind the ears when needed. Two days after your sutures come out you start silicone scar gel, twice a day for a month. If a scar becomes thick, painful or itchy, call us: an early steroid injection helps prevent a keloid.
Neck liposuction removes fat; it does not remove skin. If your skin has lost elasticity, removing the fat can make loose skin more visible, which is why Dr. Truesdale checks skin quality at your consultation and recommends a deep neck lift instead when it is the better operation. The consent you sign also notes that a neck lift may later be advised.
The consent you sign lists these possible complications: skin necrosis, much more likely with nicotine; nerve injury, which may be temporary or permanent (weakness of the lower lip, or numbness of the neck and chin); contour irregularity, dimpling, lumps or asymmetry; loose skin that becomes more visible, when a neck lift may later be advised; a fluid collection (seroma); a neck that looks over-thinned; and dark marks at the entry points. It also lists the risks of any operation, including bleeding, infection, blood clots and the risks of anesthesia. Dr. Truesdale reviews each one with you. See neck liposuction risks and safety.
Schedule your neck liposuction consultation
Restore the defined jawline and clean neck angle that submental fullness has been hiding. Dr. Truesdale personally conducts every consultation. We respond same-day, Monday-Friday.
Book a Surgical Discovery Call online
After clicking the booking link, select “new patient” under Schedule Your Appointment and fill out the form to see our current availability for a Surgical Discovery Call with a Patient Care Coordinator and book immediately. Call us (424) 363-4112 for additional appointment times and information.All times are based on Los Angeles, Pacific Time (PT).
Book Discovery Call →Prefer to share details first? Submit the form and a Patient Care Coordinator will reach out the same business day (Monday–Friday).