The Nefertiti Lift: The Neck Treatment Most People Have Never Heard Of
There’s a photograph of Nefertiti — the ancient Egyptian queen whose bust has been housed in Berlin’s Neues Museum since 1913 — that has become quietly famous in aesthetic medicine. Not for her eyes or her cheekbones, but for her neck. Clean. Long. The jawline sharply defined. The transition from face to neck utterly seamless.
Aesthetic doctors named a treatment after her. That alone tells you something about what it’s aiming to achieve.
The Nefertiti Lift is not a lift in the surgical sense. There’s no incision, no recovery, no anaesthesia. It’s a carefully placed series of neurotoxin injections targeting specific muscles in the lower face and neck — and when done well, the effect is genuinely remarkable.
To understand the Nefertiti Lift, you need to understand the platysma.
The platysma is a broad, flat muscle that runs from the collarbone up through the neck and fans out over the lower jaw. In youth, it lies flat and smooth beneath the skin. With age — and with repeated movement, weight fluctuations, and loss of overlying soft tissue support — it can begin to pull downward on the jawline, contributing to jowling, and develop visible vertical bands running down the neck.
These platysmal bands are one of the most telltale signs of an ageing neck. They can appear at rest or become more pronounced with movement — turning the neck, swallowing, or speaking.
The Nefertiti Lift works by injecting small amounts of botulinum toxin (neurotoxin) along the lower jawline and down the prominent fibers of the platysma. By relaxing these downward-pulling fibers, the treatment allows the upward-lifting muscles of the face to work without opposition — creating definition at the jaw and a smoother, longer-looking neck.
“The platysma actively drags the lower face downward,” explains Dr. Low Chai Ling, Medical Director, SW1 Clinic. “When we relax it strategically, we’re not just improving the neck — we’re allowing the jawline to re-emerge. Patients are often surprised by how much definition comes back.”
Most people are familiar with neurotoxin for frown lines or crow’s feet — areas where muscle movement directly creates wrinkles. The Nefertiti Lift is different because it’s working on a postural problem, not just a dynamic wrinkle problem.
The goal isn’t simply to smooth skin. It’s to rebalance the muscular dynamics of the lower face and neck — specifically, to neutralise the downward pull of the platysma and restore the visual definition of the jawline.
This requires a precise understanding of anatomy, injection depth, and dosing. Too much neurotoxin in the wrong place can cause difficulty swallowing or weaken the neck in ways that are uncomfortable. The procedure must be performed by a doctor with detailed knowledge of the underlying muscular architecture.
At SW1 Clinic, the is tailored to each patient’s individual muscle anatomy, assessed both at rest and during movement to map the treatment accurately.
Clinical evidence for neurotoxin in neck and jawline rejuvenation is well-established. A study published in the confirmed that platysmal band treatment with botulinum toxin produces significant improvements in neck appearance with high patient satisfaction and a strong safety profile [1].
Separate research documented the lifting effect at the jaw from lower-face neurotoxin placement, confirming that relaxation of the platysma in the lower facial region contributes to visible jawline definition over time [2].
Results typically begin to appear within one to two weeks of treatment and last approximately four to six months, with some patients noting sustained improvement with regular maintenance [3].
“The Nefertiti Lift tends to produce results that look incredibly natural — because you’re not changing the face, you’re restoring a balance that was there before,” says Dr. Chua, SW1 Clinic. “Patients look refreshed and defined, but nobody can tell exactly why.”
The Nefertiti Lift is particularly effective for patients who:
- Have early to moderate jawline softening or early jowling
- Notice visible platysmal banding at rest or with movement
- Want to define the jaw without surgery or filler
- Have a long or prominent neck where definition has softened
It’s less effective for patients with significant skin laxity, excess submental fat, or advanced structural changes — those patients typically benefit more from combined approaches including HIFU or radiofrequency treatment.
The ideal candidate is someone who can see that their jawline has softened but whose underlying bone structure and skin quality are still relatively intact. The Nefertiti Lift reveals the definition that’s already there — it doesn’t create something new.
For patients whose changes are more advanced, the Nefertiti Lift is most powerful as part of a combination approach. Pairing it with:
- for deeper tissue lifting
- along the jawline for structural definition
- for the lower face
…creates a comprehensive lower-face rejuvenation that works at multiple levels simultaneously.
At SW1 Clinic, are often combined with the Nefertiti protocol to address dynamic lines in the mid- and upper face at the same appointment — creating an overall fresher result.
Mei Lin, 44, had noticed for several years that her neck was beginning to show vertical lines that became more prominent when she turned to look sideways. She also felt her jawline had softened. She came for a consultation expecting to discuss surgery but was relieved to hear she was a good candidate for the Nefertiti Lift.
Two weeks after her treatment, the bands in her neck were significantly reduced and her jaw appeared more defined. “It’s exactly what I wanted — I look like a better version of myself, not a different person,” she said. She’s been returning for maintenance every five months since.
If your jawline has begun to soften and your neck is showing the early signs of age, the Nefertiti Lift may be worth discussing with a doctor. The consultation process will include a thorough assessment of your muscle anatomy and a discussion of whether standalone treatment or a combined approach is more appropriate for your goals.
Book a consultation at to find out whether the Nefertiti Lift is right for you.
[1] Carruthers, A., & Carruthers, J. (2003). Botulinum toxin type A treatment of multiple upper facial sites: patient-reported outcomes. , 29(5), 468–471. [VERIFY CITATION] [2] Brandt, F. S., & Bellman, B. (1998). Cosmetic use of botulinum A exotoxin for the aging neck. , 24(11), 1232–1234. [3] Kane, M. A. C. (2003). The functional anatomy of the lower face as it applies to rejuvenation via chemodenervation. , 19(1), 29–34. [VERIFY CITATION]
