The Nefertiti Lift: When the Neck Becomes Part of the Conversation

We spend a lot of time talking about the face. But expression doesn't stop at the jawline. There is an entire network of muscles beneath it, particularly the platysma, a thin sheet of muscle that extends across the neck and into the lower face. As we speak, smile, grimace and move through the day, that muscle is working too. And sometimes, it starts making itself known.

Vertical bands can become more noticeable through the neck. The jawline may appear less defined. There can be a sense of downward pull that has very little to do with what is happening in the upper face. That's where the Nefertiti lift comes in.

What Exactly Is a Nefertiti Lift?

Despite the name, there's no surgery and no actual "lifting" involved in the traditional surgical sense. A Nefertiti lift is a technique that uses strategically placed neurotoxin injections along areas of the platysma and lower face. By reducing the activity of selected muscles that exert downward pull, treatment can soften prominent neck bands and, in appropriately selected patients, create a more refined appearance through the lower face and jawline. The name is a reference to the famously elegant neck and jawline associated with the ancient Egyptian queen Nefertiti. But at STILL, we think the most interesting part isn't the name. It's the anatomy.

Your Neck Moves More Than You Think

Try this: Look in the mirror and pull the corners of your mouth downward or tense your neck. See those vertical cords appear? Those are your platysmal bands. For some people, they're barely noticeable. For others, they become increasingly visible with expression and eventually may remain noticeable even when the neck is relaxed. Neurotoxin can be used to reduce some of that muscular activity. This is different from treating wrinkles caused primarily by changes in skin quality or significant skin laxity. Neurotoxin works on muscle movement, which is why understanding what is actually creating the appearance matters before deciding whether treatment is appropriate.

The Jawline Is a Balancing Act

This is also why we don't think about the Nefertiti lift as simply "Botox for the neck." The lower face is a system. Some muscles pull upward. Some pull downward. Some influence the corners of the mouth. Some contribute to the movement and appearance of the neck and jawline. The goal isn't to shut everything down. It's to understand the forces at work and selectively quiet the ones creating an effect we don't want. Less pull. More balance. That distinction matters.

What Can a Nefertiti Lift Actually Change?

Depending on your anatomy and treatment plan, neurotoxin treatment of the platysma may help soften the appearance of prominent vertical neck bands and reduce some of the downward muscular pull around the jawline. The result should be subtle. You're not supposed to walk out looking like you've acquired an entirely new jaw. You should still look like you. Just a little more refined through an area you hadn't realized was contributing to the overall picture. STILL you. Just rested.

What It Can't Do

A Nefertiti lift isn't a substitute for a surgical neck lift, and neurotoxin cannot remove excess skin or recreate structural volume that has been lost. If the primary concern is significant skin laxity, tissue descent or another structural change rather than muscle activity, relaxing the platysma may not produce the result someone is hoping for. That's why we don't believe every visible neck concern needs an injection. Sometimes the answer is toxin. Sometimes it isn't. Knowing the difference is part of treating the face and neck well.

The Neck Requires Precision

The platysma participates in normal movement of the lower face and neck, and the area sits near muscles involved in important functions. So, this isn't an area for casual injecting. Treatment location, dose, anatomy and patient selection all matter. At STILL, treatment begins by looking at how your face and neck move rather than applying the same injection pattern to everyone. No two faces move the same. Neither do two necks.

Maybe Your Forehead Isn't the Whole Story

If you've been focused on lines in the upper face but still feel like something through the lower face or neck looks different, it may be worth looking beyond the obvious. Sometimes it's skin or structure. Sometimes it's just movement. The face doesn't end at the jawline. Neither should the conversation.

Medically reviewed by Elizabeth Adams, MD. Last reviewed: October 6, 2026.

‍