Tim Morris had been miserable for over a decade due to a double-chin that made him so self-conscious he couldn’t date.
The 38-year-old, from Dallas, Texas, said fat began to accumulate around his neck in his 20s despite being an extremely active runner, hiker and football player.
He even grew a beard down to his chest at the peak of his insecurities, which he said made him ‘look like a bullfrog’.
But his life has changed tremendously after having the fat sucked out of his neck to enhance his jawline and make his facial structure more defined.
Plastic surgeons predict the $5,000 procedure — dubbed the ‘lunch-hour necklift because it takes under an hour — could be one of the hottest cosmetic trends among men this year.
Tim Morris, not his real name, from Dallas, Texas, got a neck lift at the age of 38 after saying he was unhappy with his double chin
Mr Morris says he ‘loves’ his new neck and he now feels much more confident in his appearance
Mr Morris is pictured above with the large beard he grew out to hide his double-chin. He tried different diets and exercise routines but was unable to shift it
With alternatives — such as weight loss and exercise having failed — he underwent the surgery — and said he couldn’t be happier with the results.
Mr Morris — not his real name — told DailyMail.com the surgery had revolutionized his confidence and his dating life.
He now goes for a date about every week, he said, whereas beforehand he would barely make one a month. He is yet to find anyone stable but remains hopeful for the future.
‘[Before the surgery], when I saw myself talking in a video I thought that my double chin made me look like a bullfrog,’ he said.
‘[But now] I probably just look more like a young actor you see in a movie. It seems every actor has an amazing jawline and mine is now more like that.’
He added: ‘I love my new neck.
‘It went much better than I thought. I am always looking at myself in the mirror now, I like to look at myself now — which is a change.’
The above shows how surgery for the necklift was carried out
Mr Morris had new dating pictures taken and said he now goes on a date nearly every week, whereas beforehand he would go on about one date a month
He had the surgery with Dr Raja Mohan in Texas, with the procedure involving removing fat cells from beneath the chin.
The surgeon also tightened the major muscle beneath his chin — called the platysma — using stitches.
The surgery was carried out in the early afternoon and took just an hour to complete, with Mr Morris able to go home and do six hours of work afterward.
Mr Morris had an initial consultation in early 2023 before having the surgery carried out later that year.
Doctors said he had chin ptosis — or when the flesh behind the chin drops below the jawline.
This affects millions of Americans and can be caused by a loss of elasticity in the skin, aging, poor posture and weight gain among other factors.
Dr Mohan said he commonly sees men in their 20s, 30s and 40s for the procedure who are most likely to be bothered by the shift.
He predicted this could be one an emerging new trend for men in 2024.
‘Traditionally, we believe that the patients coming for necklifts are women,’ he told DailyMail.com.
‘But we have a fair number of male patients and I think it is becoming more commonplace among men.
‘Men want to look younger, want to look good, and want to be more confident.
‘I am seeing more and more of them coming to my clinic with concerns about their neck.
‘They are seeing it in photographs more often, via platforms like Instagram, and in Zoom meetings, and this [makes them more interested in the surgery].’
Mr Morris had a direct necklift, a simple operation which takes about an hour to complete.
Dr Raja Mohan, pictured, carried out the surgery
For the surgery, Dr Mohan numbed in the area beneath the chin and then made a small incision using a scalpel.
He tightened the platysma muscle — or a large muscle beneath the chin that can cause the flesh to sag when weakened.
This was done using multiple rows of stitches to bring the two major muscles forming the platysma, on the left and right of the neck and chin, closer together.
This procedure is often referred to as a corset platysmaplasty because plastic surgeons say it resembles lacing up a corset.
The stitching was done using metal tools including a webster needle holder — which is used to hold small needles and suture material, or threads — and other metal tools to hold the incision open.
Afterward, Dr Mohan also performed liposuction — to remove fat cells from the area.
This first involved filling the area with a fluid that dislodges fat cells — with Mr Morris saying it made his chin swell dramatically.
A cannula — or needle-like tube — is then placed in to ‘hoover up’, or remove, the fluid and any fat cells that it dislodged.
After the surgery, which took about an hour, Mr Morris was advised to wear a sleeve over his neck and chin for two weeks to ensure everything healed correctly.
