Surgery · Results

Neck Lift for Jawline Definition: Before and After

What a lifted neck can add to the border of the jaw, and how to judge it in profile

Apgujeong, Seoul | Board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Jonghwan Choi
Skin and platysma below the jaw · Frames held for Rewind patients · KHIDI-registered for international patients

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Jawline

Jawline definition

How much jawline definition does a neck lift create?

It depends on what is blurring the jaw

A neck lift sharpens the jaw line only as far as the blur comes from the two tissues it works on: skin below the jaw that no longer retracts, and a slackened platysma, the thin muscle sheet across the front of the neck. When those are the cause, tightening the muscle and redraping the skin can bring back a visible border where the jaw meets the neck. When the softness comes from fat beneath the muscle, an enlarged gland, jowls sitting above the jaw, or the shape of the jawbone and chin, a neck lift on its own changes less. Rewind Plastic Surgery in Apgujeong has not yet released neck lift photographs or any measured figure for the change, so this page gives no number.

What this page rests on: Rewind's fee schedule, which lists a neck lift alone and a facelift combined with a neck lift; the clinic's Korean surgical text for its double-chin muscle operation, which names a blurred border between jaw and neck as the reason the platysma is bound; and three published papers on facial photography and facial anatomy. No photograph from a different operation is used as a stand-in.

Jawline definition is also a matter of angle. The same neck can look soft in a photograph taken with the chin dropped and crisp in one taken with the chin slightly raised, so a neck lift result is read in profile first and with some suspicion. Here the photograph gets as much attention as the surgery: what a profile pair should show, what can fake a change, and which parts of a jaw line sit outside the reach of this operation.

If you arrive with a softened jaw and a loose neck, the useful outcome of a consultation is a finding that names the tissue responsible. That finding decides whether a neck lift is the right tool at all, and it is the only fair basis for predicting what your own profile could look like afterwards.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi assessing a patient's jaw line and neck at consultation
Fig. 01 · The border of the jaw is read by hand and in profile
Cases

Before & After

Rewind neck lift profiles: frames held for the clinic's own patients

No neck lift pair from Rewind's own patients has been released for publication yet. Images from double-chin or facelift cases would show a different operation working on different tissue, so none are placed here. Each frame below is held for a Rewind neck lift patient, and its caption will name every listed operation performed in the same session.

Neck lift: frames held for Rewind patients

BEFORE PHOTO
AFTER PHOTO
BEFOREAFTER
frame 01
Neck lift alone, side profile at rest
Held for a Rewind neck lift patient. Individual results may vary.
BEFORE PHOTO
AFTER PHOTO
BEFOREAFTER
frame 02
Neck lift alone, oblique view along the jaw
Held for a Rewind neck lift patient. Individual results may vary.
BEFORE PHOTO
AFTER PHOTO
BEFOREAFTER
frame 03
Facelift with neck lift, side profile
Held for a Rewind neck lift patient. Individual results may vary.

When a pair is released, a neck lift performed alone and one combined with a facelift will be labelled apart, because the jowl and the cheek change only in the second. Neck surgery can cause bleeding and a haematoma, infection, prolonged swelling, asymmetry between the two sides, thickened scars, numbness of the neck skin and injury to the facial nerve branch near the jaw line. A photograph records one person's anatomy and healing, and the same change cannot be promised to anyone else.

Limits

Limits of the operation

Four structures that set how defined a jaw line can look after a neck lift

A neck lift works below the jaw. The outline you see in profile is drawn by more than skin and muscle, and four structures set the ceiling on what the operation can add.

structure 01
The platysma and the skin
These are the neck lift's own territory. Where slack muscle and loose skin blur the border, binding the muscle and redraping the skin are the steps aimed at restoring a line. How far the border sharpens depends on how loose both were and on how they heal.
structure 02
The jawbone, the chin and the hyoid
Bone sets the ledge that skin drapes from. A short or set-back chin, a soft jaw angle or a low-set hyoid, the small bone at the top of the throat, all keep the angle under the chin softer, and a neck lift does not reshape any of them.
structure 03
Jowls above the jaw
Tissue that has slid over the jaw line from the cheek sits above the neck lift's field. A 1989 anatomical paper on the retaining ligaments of the cheek describes the attachments that anchor this tissue; once the jowl has descended, the face becomes part of the plan.
structure 04
Deep fat and the gland
A full profile can come from fat beneath the platysma or from an enlarged submandibular gland. Both are separate listings at Rewind, both are found at the examination, and lifting skin removes neither of them.

Fullness that sits in the fat layers has its own operations at Rewind: the deep neck lift for fat beneath the muscle and double-chin liposuction for the layer above it.

Profile

Reading a profile

How to read neck lift photos in profile, check by check

A neck lift pair is mostly a pair of side views. A 1999 paper on standardised photography in facial plastic surgery set out how head position, lighting and camera distance can each change how a face appears. The checks below apply that principle to the jaw and the neck.

01Head

Is the head held at the same tilt in both frames?

Dropping the chin folds the skin under the jaw and softens the border; raising it stretches the neck and sharpens the line with no surgery at all. Compare the tilt first, using the line from the top of the ear opening to the lower edge of the eye socket as a level.

02Posture

Are the shoulders and neck in the same position?

Shoulders drawn back and a neck pushed forward change the throat angle on their own. A comparable pair shows the same posture, with the neck neither stretched upward nor slumped.

03Muscle

Is the neck relaxed in both frames, or tensed in one?

Platysma bands stand out when the neck is tensed and fade at rest. A first frame taken tensed and a second taken relaxed will exaggerate any change, so check that the mouth and the neck are held the same way.

04Light

Where does the shadow under the jaw fall?

Light from above draws a dark band beneath the jaw that can suggest a border the tissue does not have. Soft, even light shows the outline more plainly. Compare the direction of the shadows, and read a dramatic one with care.

05Timing

How long after surgery, and which operations were done?

Swelling blurs a new jaw line and settles at a pace that differs between people. A useful second frame states how long after surgery it was taken, and its caption names every operation in the session, since a facelift or fat removal performed alongside changes the profile too.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi operating under loupe magnification at Rewind Plastic Surgery
Fig. 02 · The platysma is the part of a jaw line a neck lift can reach
Rewind

Why here

Why Rewind reads the cause of a soft jaw line before discussing any profile

A photograph shows an outcome. The examination explains what produced the softness in the first place, and at Rewind that explanation comes first.

01Diagnosis

Each blurred border is traced to a tissue

Skin is lifted and released to judge its elasticity, the neck is tensed to show the muscle, and the profile is read for fat and for bone. A neck lift is proposed where skin and muscle account for the softness, and something else is proposed where they do not.

02Evidence

No borrowed pairs stand in for a neck lift

Double-chin and facelift results change different tissues. Showing them under a neck lift heading would misstate what this operation does, so the gallery waits for the clinic's own neck lift cases.

03Continuity

The same surgeon judges the jaw line at both ends

Rewind is a single-surgeon practice. The board-certified plastic surgeon who assesses your profile performs the operation and reviews the result, so one pair of eyes judges your neck at the first visit and again once it has healed.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi indicating the cheek and jaw area of a patient during consultation
Fig. 03 · Where the jowl ends and the neck begins is settled at the desk
Clinic

The clinic

Where neck lift jawline assessments and reviews take place in Apgujeong

Operating room at Rewind Plastic Surgery, Apgujeong

Fig. 04 · The operating room on the clinic floors

Consultation room at Rewind Plastic Surgery, Apgujeong

Fig. 05 · The room where a profile is first assessed

The clinic sits on floors four and five of the Richro Building, Apgujeong, in Gangnam, Seoul. The jaw line is assessed, operated on and reviewed there by the medical director himself. Appointments are offered Monday to Wednesday and on Friday, 10:00 to 19:00, and on Saturday, 10:00 to 16:00; the clinic does not open on Thursday or Sunday.

Neck lift: listed on its own
Facelift with neck lift: one combined listing
Target: skin and platysma below the jaw
Jowl, deep fat and gland: separate findings
Incisions and anaesthetic: set at the examination
Surgeon: Dr. Jonghwan Choi
Dr. Jonghwan Choi, board-certified plastic surgeon

Board-certified plastic surgeon

Dr. Jonghwan Choi is certified in Korea as a specialist in plastic surgery, has written ten peer-reviewed papers and assesses every neck he operates on. Rewind treats patients from abroad under KHIDI registration M-2025-01-08-09288.

Fees

Fees

Neck lift prices for a jaw line plan at Rewind

A jaw line plan draws on different lines of the fee schedule depending on where the softness sits. These are the listings a neck lift profile could fall under.

Neck liftSkin and platysma below the jaw line
₩5,000,000
Facelift with neck liftWhere jowls above the jaw have come down with the neck
₩14,000,000
Mini faceliftThe lower face alone, when jowls blur the line and the neck holds
₩3,000,000
Subplatysmal fat removal, as an additionAdded when fat under the muscle fills the angle
₩1,500,000

Every figure is a list price that already carries the anaesthetic fee, and VAT is added to the bill. The line your jaw line plan uses is named in writing after the examination, with any addition shown beside the finding that justifies it.

Fit

Suitability

Which jaw lines a neck lift can sharpen, and which it leaves as they are

A neck lift is likely to add definition when

  • The border between jaw and neck has softened because the skin below it hangs loosely
  • Bands run down the front of the neck when you tense it
  • The jawbone and chin give a clear ledge for the skin to sit against
  • The jowls are still mostly above the jaw line, or are treated in the same operation
  • Your weight has been stable and you can plan for a surgical recovery

Expect little from a neck lift alone, or a different plan, when

  • The fullness comes from fat under the muscle or from an enlarged gland
  • Jowls hang over the jaw and the cheeks have descended with them
  • The softness is mainly bony: a short chin or a low-set throat angle
  • Skin is still elastic and the problem is volume, which a lift would trade for a scar
  • Smoking continues, or a bleeding disorder, blood-thinning medication, pregnancy or breastfeeding is present
After

Settling

When a neck lift jaw line can fairly be judged

Rewind publishes no timetable for how a neck lift result settles, and none is invented here. What can be said is why an early photograph of the jaw line misleads, and what keeps shaping the outline afterwards.

Early
Swelling hides the border
Swelling, bruising and tightness under the jaw are normal after neck surgery and blur the very outline the operation was meant to show. A photograph from this stage records healing and little else.
While healing
Posture distorts the profile
Stiffness leads many people to hold the head forward or the chin down in the first weeks, which softens the angle in any photograph. The surgeon gives the neck movement limits for your case.
At review
Judged in person
The surgeon who operated compares your profile with the findings from the examination. Review dates are set for your case and are not published for this listing.
Over years
Ageing continues
Skin keeps loosening and the platysma can slacken again. Rewind records no durability figure for its neck lift listing, so ask about it at the consultation.

Named risks that can affect the jaw line itself include asymmetry between the sides, a contour irregularity under the chin, bands that persist or return, a thickened scar and weakness of the lower lip from injury to the facial nerve branch near the jaw. Bleeding, haematoma, infection and prolonged numbness are also discussed before a date is set. Results vary by individual and cannot be promised.

Doctor

Professional

At Rewind a neck is assessed, operated on and reviewed by one board-certified plastic surgeon, so the profile you compare afterwards is judged by the person who read it first.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi, board-certified plastic surgeonRewind,
Dr. Jonghwan Choi presenting at an academic session
Fig. 06 · Presenting at an academic lifting session

Rewind's Doctor

Dr. Jonghwan Choi Medical Director

The jaw line is read
before it is operated on.

Dr. Jonghwan Choi, board-certified plastic surgeon and medical director, with ten peer-reviewed papers and a practice focused on facial lifting.

Board-certified plastic surgeon (Plastic Surgery)
10 peer-reviewed publications
Medical Director, Rewind Plastic Surgery
Korean Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons
Former chief director, Apgujeong Y&T Plastic Surgery
Korean Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
J Craniofac Surg · JKMS · Arch Craniofac Surg
Korean Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association
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Ask

Questions

Neck lift and the jaw line: questions about results

How much jawline definition does a neck lift create?
As much as loose skin and a slack platysma were taking away. Where those two blur the border, tightening the muscle and redraping the skin can bring back a visible line. Fat beneath the muscle, the gland, jowls above the jaw and the shape of the bone set limits, and Rewind publishes no measured figure for the change.
What do neck lift before and after photos look like in profile?
A fair pair shows the same head tilt, the same posture and a relaxed neck in both frames, with even light. The change to look for is a clearer border beneath the jaw and a tidier angle under the chin. The caption should say how long after surgery the second frame was taken and name every operation performed.
Where are Rewind's own neck lift results, if not in the frames above?
They are held back until patients agree to publication and each pair can be captioned in full. Putting a double-chin or facelift case in their place would misrepresent what a neck lift does. At the examination Dr. Choi points to the features of your neck the lift would target, and those it would leave.
Can a neck lift change the shape of my jawbone?
The operation works on skin and the platysma below the jaw and leaves bone as it is. A short chin or a soft jaw angle gives the lifted skin less of a ledge to sit against, and the examination explains what that means for the profile you can expect.
Why does my jaw line look sharper when I raise my chin?
Raising the chin stretches the skin and muscle under the jaw and moves the shadow line, which tightens the outline with no change in the tissue itself. Lowering it does the reverse. For that reason a neck lift pair is only comparable when the head sits at the same tilt in both frames.
My jowls hang over the jaw line. Will a neck lift alone define it?
Only partly, since jowls lie above the field a neck lift reaches. Tissue that has slipped from the cheek over the mandible is lifted through a facelift combined with the neck lift, or through a mini facelift when the neck still holds. The combined listing is ₩14,000,000.
Can a deposit beneath the platysma blunt a neck lift result?
Yes. A deposit under the muscle keeps the throat angle full even after skin has been redraped, and taking it out is an addition priced at ₩1,500,000. Suction handles the superficial layer. Depth and profile tell the surgeon which layer is responsible.
How should I photograph my own neck to compare later?
Use a plain wall, hold the head level with the neck relaxed and the lips closed, and shoot a side view with light spread evenly across the face. Repeat that set-up at every stage. Tying hair back from the jaw and ears helps your own record and the clinic's first look at your neck.
Booking

Reservation

REWIND,booking

Send a side view of your neck with the head level, and we reply within one business day, in your language.

By sending this inquiry you agree that Rewind Plastic Surgery may use the details above to contact you about your consultation. We keep them only for that purpose.

Scientific evidence

Published research on facial photography and the anatomy of the lower face

The first paper explains how photographs in facial plastic surgery are standardised so that a pair can be compared fairly. The second describes the retaining ligaments that hold the soft tissue of the cheek, the region where jowls form above the jaw. The third is the original description of the superficial musculo-aponeurotic system, the fascial layer of the face that continues down into the platysma. None of them studies Rewind patients or predicts how your own jaw line will look.