Trampoline Platysmaplasty
In the sub specialty of aesthetic plastic surgery, surgeons are continuously striving to give a patient the maximal result while minimizing the incision length and down time.
An area where a dramatic advancement has been made is in the neck. A new procedure and device has just received FDA approval. The procedure is called a Trampoline Platysmaplasty (TPP), and the device is called the iGiude.
There are several groups of patients that would benefit from the use of this device and the TPP:
- The patient with visible muscle bands in the anterior part of the neck under the chin that still has relatively good elasticity of the skin.
- The patient with an obtuse angle of the jaw particularly on profile, that lacks definition of the jaw line from the chin to ear lobe.
- The patient that would typically be a better candidate for a traditional face or neck lift because of extra skin in the neck, and is willing to have a slightly less optimal result in exchange for a not as invasive a procedure with a shortened recovery period.
The surgeon makes several tiny incisions under the chin and along the jaw line to pass a soft non-palpable suture under the skin. No stitches are required for the incisions and they heal within 24 to 48 hours without a detectable scar. Imagine this suture technique as if you were lacing a sneaker and when the laces are pulled the underlying muscle and overlying skin is re contoured to give the patient a more chiseled and defined jaw line smoothing out the muscle bands as it tightens.
Liposuction of the neck can be performed at the same time in patients with excess fat.
Since the surgery is minimally invasive, there is very little swelling and bruising and the recovery is short, only two to three days.
It is possible to do the surgery under a local anesthetic, obviating the need for an anesthesiologist.
The TPP is truly a giant leap forward on the road to maximizing results with minimal pain, swelling, and recovery.
Leslie H. Stevens, MD FACS