Direct Excision of the Turkey Jowl Deformity

Abstract

The aging of the neck is a combination of accumulated submental fat, platysmal banding, and redundant skin. Traditional face- and neck-lifting procedures successfully address these components. Unfortunately, the cost, both in terms of downtime and expense, often becomes prohibitive for a large section of the interested patient population. For select male patients, direct excision of the turkey jowl deformity with a straight-line closure offers a novel alternative. A review of 100 consecutive cases of direct excision of turkey jowl deformity procedures was performed. Minimal follow-up was 1 year. All surgical procedures were performed in the office setting with local anesthesia. Eight patients had extrusions of suture without recurrence of banding. Four patients required steroid injections for mild scar hypertrophy; 2 of these patients requested minor scar revisions 1 year later. There were no cases of postoperative bleeding, infection, or nerve injury. All 100 patients were satisfied with the overall cosmesis, and none had revision jowl surgery. Direct excision of the turkey jowl with a straight-line closure offers a major improvement in the aging neck with minimal downtime, expense, and complication rate. This procedure can be easily accomplished and safely performed in an office environment.