Achieving good and long-lasting natural results for rejuvenation of the ageing neck has remained a challenge for me even after 30 years of practising plastic surgery.
One of my mentors in Melbourne has described the ageing neck as the holy grail. In 2017 I heard an inspiring presentation by France’s Dr Daniel Labbé, arguably the best neck-lifter in Europe. In May 2019, I made my way to Caen, in Normandy to learn from the master at his St Martin private hospital on the outskirts of Caen, near the Memorial de Caen. Dr Labbé runs a two-day course for four plastic surgeons, four times a year. It is the epitome of professional surgical education and shared knowledge with human anatomy, patients and surgical technique as the focus.
L to R: author, Dr Marie-Laune Pellitiei (Aubagne), Dr Eric Fassio (Montpellier), Dr Daniel Labbe (Caen) and Dr Bruno Le Fourn (Nantes).
Dr Daniel Labbé is a senior French plastic surgeon with a world-wide reputation for his pioneering surgery for facial palsy, vascular malformations and more recently for rejuvenation of the human neck and face. He researched the anatomy of the human neck in the anatomy dissecting room over the last decade and discovered the hitherto unnamed cervico-mental angle suspensory ligament (CMAS), which together with the digastric and platysma muscles is key to achieving a youthful neck appearance.
The technical details are beyond the scope of this article, but the author was amazed how much new knowledge and understanding he gained in two days under the influence of Dr Daniel Labbé, for rejuvenation of the aged, fatty and loose neck. This necklift method is applicable to both men and women with ageing neck morphologies. Please phone 0800 444 054 for more details.
Words — Dr Michael F. Klaassen FRACS
parnellsurgeon.co.nz • 80 Bassett Rd, Remuera
