Jennifer was in her early 50s when she started noticing changes that didn’t match how she felt. “I started noticing some age lines that were appearing, the rings around the neck and also my skin seemed a little loose,” she says. “I was really concerned about the turkey neck showing up.”
She had originally gone to see Chicago facial plastic surgeon Anil Shah, MD, to talk about a rhinoplasty and mini facelift, but when the conversation turned to the neck, it all started to make sense. “I feel like if you’re going to have your face, you know, have a facelift as I did, a mini facelift, the neck has to match,” she says.
Deciding to Have Surgery Younger
At 52, Jennifer knew some might say surgery could wait. But for her, it was the right time. “I remember looking in the mirror thinking I don’t look that age that is looking back at me,” she says. “I don’t feel that age.”
Dr. Shah says this is often an ideal age for neck and lower face surgery. “The skin still has so much elasticity,” he explains. “It’s the best time to restore structure before those tissues age further.”
What Her Necklift Involved
Jennifer’s surgery included a necklift, mini facelift, fat transfer to the cheeks and a rhinoplasty, all completed on the same day. “There were stitches under the chin for the neck, and then behind the ear and on the side for the mini lift,” she says.
According to Dr. Shah, her results came not from removing fat but from repositioning deeper structures. “Modern neck rejuvenation isn’t just about skin,” he explains. “It’s about lifting muscle and improving anatomy.”
The Recovery Timeline
Jennifer had a month off between jobs and used that time to heal. “The downtime for me was probably about like three weeks,” she says. “As far as pain goes, I would say probably just honestly a couple [of] days.”
What was more challenging was mobility. “You really couldn’t move your neck back and forth,” she says. “You had to kind of just stay straight with your body. That was a little challenge, but keeping that in mind, it made sense because you want everything to heal properly in its place.”
‘I Look How I Feel Inside‘
Now fully healed, Jennifer says she feels like herself again. “I think I, from my age, I think I look darn good,” she says. “I feel more confident. I feel like my inside, how I feel inside, matches my outside.”
She often gets asked how old she is and doesn’t always want to answer. “Some people say upper 30s, 40s,” she says. “But yeah, no, I’m 52. I’m hesitant to tell them sometimes because I like the age they come up with.”
As for the decision to have surgery, she has no regrets. “It was worth every penny,” she says. “I did this for me. I wanted to feel good about how I looked and how I felt. It made a big difference in my life.”
