Key Takeaways
- Turkey neck usually comes from muscle banding, submental fat, or loose skin, and treatment depends on the cause.
- BOTOX® Cosmetic received FDA approval in October 2024 for moderate to severe platysma bands, the vertical cords in the neck.
- Sofwave is FDA-cleared to lift lax submental and neck tissue, a strong option when loose skin is the main concern.
- Precision Tx™ is the one Dermacare treatment that addresses both submental fat and skin laxity in a single session.
- Significant skin laxity with little elasticity left usually responds best to a surgical neck lift.
Loose skin under the chin can seem to show up overnight, leaving your jawline looking sharp one year and out of sync with your face the next. Skin makes less collagen as you age, and the neck often shows it first since most people skip skincare there.
Turkey neck has more than one cause, and the right turkey neck treatment depends on which one applies to you. Muscle banding, fat, and loose skin each need a different fix, so finding yours first can save you from a treatment that was never going to work.
What Causes Turkey Neck?
Turkey neck happens when muscle, fat, or skin changes with age, most often seen as visible muscle bands running down the neck, fullness under the chin, or skin that no longer bounces back.
Vertical muscle bands, known as platysmal bands, run from the collarbone toward the jaw and grow more visible as the platysma, a thin sheet of muscle under the neck skin, weakens with age. On the other hand, chin fullness, called submental fat, doesn’t respond to the same treatments as loose skin. True laxity happens once collagen and elastin decline enough that skin no longer springs back.
Plenty of people deal with more than one of these at once, which is why a single injectable or device sometimes falls short. Knowing your cause is the first step toward a treatment that actually addresses what’s happening in your neck.
Non-Surgical Solutions for Turkey Neck
If you’re wondering how to get rid of turkey neck without surgery, mild to moderate cases usually respond well since there’s still enough elasticity to work with. Dermacare’s med spa treatments are led by Jeff Birchall, M.D., who’s spent more than 25 years matching treatment to cause instead of using one approach for everyone.
1. BOTOX® Cosmetic for Neck Banding
BOTOX® Cosmetic received FDA approval in October 2024 to treat moderate to severe platysma bands, the vertical cords from collarbone to jaw. It’s injected at a dose of 26, 31, or 36 units depending on severity, temporarily reducing the muscle activity that pulls those cords into view.
It softens platysmal banding well, but won’t tighten loose skin or reduce fat. If banding is your main concern, it’s often the fastest, lowest-downtime option here. KYBELLA® or Sofwave are likely better if fullness or sagging is the bigger issue.
2. KYBELLA® for Submental Fullness
KYBELLA® targets fat beneath the chin, often called submental fat, using deoxycholic acid, a substance your body already produces to process dietary fat. Once those fat cells are destroyed, they don’t come back, and most people need sessions spaced about a month apart for their full result.
This treatment works well when fullness is your main concern, since it removes fat without addressing skin elasticity. If your skin has also started to sag, pairing it with a skin-tightening option or surgery will get you closer to the result you’re picturing.
3. Sofwave for Loose, Sagging Skin
Sofwave is FDA-cleared to lift lax tissue in the submental area and neck, one of the few non-surgical options built specifically for the skin-laxity version of turkey neck. It uses ultrasound energy to heat a precise layer beneath the skin’s surface, triggering new collagen and elastin over the following months.
Most people need just one or two sessions, with results building gradually rather than showing up right away, and it suits mild to moderate laxity best. If your skin has sagged significantly, a surgical neck lift will serve you better.
4. MyEllevate® Neck Lift for Mild-to-Moderate Laxity
Those with mild to moderate laxity can also consider MyEllevate®, which uses light-guided sutures to lift skin from underneath through minimal incisions. The sutures typically last for years, making this a reasonable middle option between injectables and surgery for a more defined neck without general anesthesia.
MyEllevate® works best when there’s still some skin quality to work with. If your skin has lost most of its elasticity, a suture-based lift will likely fall short of what surgery can accomplish.
5. Silhouette InstaLift® (Thread Lift)
Silhouette InstaLift® takes a similar approach but uses biodegradable threads instead of permanent sutures. The threads create an immediate lift, and the collagen they stimulate keeps adding structure for months afterward.
This thread-lift approach suits patients in their 40s and 50s whose skin still has enough elasticity to respond well. Someone with more advanced laxity is usually better served by a surgical lift.
Precision Tx™ for Combined Fat and Skin Laxity
Precision Tx™ is the one option here built to address both submental fat and loose skin in a single treatment. A provider inserts a small laser fiber through tiny incisions, liquefying stubborn fat for removal through gentle suction while also heating surrounding tissue to trigger new collagen.
Good candidates typically have mild to moderate laxity along with stubborn chin fat that hasn’t responded to diet or exercise, and are in good overall health. Most people return to normal activity almost immediately, with noticeable results, especially fat reduction, appearing over six to 12 weeks.
If your laxity is significant enough that a surgical facelift is already on the table, results will likely be more modest than what surgery can achieve.
Addressing Severe Turkey Neck with Surgical Neck Lift
When laxity is significant enough that non-surgical treatments can’t meaningfully help, a surgical neck lift offers more complete correction. Mark Schoemann, M.D. and Dermacare’s surgical team create incisions under the chin and behind the ear, tighten the underlying platysma muscle, and remove excess skin, adding liposuction when excess fat is involved.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, swelling can take several weeks to months to resolve, and incision lines take up to six months to mature. Results are considered long-lasting, though sun protection and a healthy lifestyle help extend them.
This option makes the most sense for patients with more advanced laxity who want a complete correction, since surgery removes the excess skin that non-surgical treatments can only tighten around.
Get Your Turkey Neck Treatment at Dermacare
Turkey neck rarely comes from just one cause, and the right result depends on whether banding, fullness, or loose skin is behind what you’re seeing in the mirror. Whether you’re weighing cosmetic procedures for turkey neck or turkey neck removal, Dermacare’s team can help you find your cause and build a plan instead of guessing.
Learn more about our skin tightening services, or contact us to find out which treatment option matches your neck.