Is Neck Aging Bothering You? Then You Need To Do This…

Hi there, Chicky,

I know you’re probably thinking about your Thanksgiving menu right about now. Or if you don’t cook you are probably thinking about Black Friday deals. You know what I’m thinking about? Neck aging. That’s right. I can’t look at or think about a turkey without automatically touching my neck. After all, it’s one of the first areas to show signs of aging and one of the hardest areas to rejuvenate. Believe me, I’ve tried. It’s my Achilles heel of aging. The chink in my youth armor. The bane of my middle age existence. You get the point. And although I faithfully address all the signs of aging, this one area, in particular, gets a special kind of anti-aging love.

If you’re around my age (ahem, a spring chicken), then I’m sure you’re familiar with the 90’s TV show, Ally McBeal. There was a character on the show named Richard Fish who had a “wattle fetish.” A woman’s neck flab turned him on. Now, that’s funny for a tv sitcom, but in real life, a saggy neck is nothing to laugh about. It’s downright depressing.

Those of you who are lucky and are not yet showing signs of aging, beware; you still need to take preventative measures. Start now. If you already have moderate neck aging, like sagging and crepey skin or you’re developing the dreaded wattle, there are effective ways to minimize this…

SUNSCREEN

The skin on our necks tends to be thinner and more delicate than the skin on our faces, making it more sensitive to the sun. You should apply sunscreen to your neck every day. Make it part of your morning skincare routine. EVERY DAY.

EXFOLIANTS

As we age (blah), our built-in cell renewal process slows down. This causes dead skin cells to build up on the skin. Add old makeup, dirt, and oil to the mix, and you get dull neck skin.

Exfoliating helps keep the top layer of your skin (epidermis) bright and younger looking.

RETINOL

Proven, effective and non-negotiable. Retinol reverses the signs of aging and should absolutely be part of your anti-aging routine. If you want to know more about the benefits of retinol, read my post (here). If you’re not using a retinol by now, you’re losing out. If you’re using it on your face and that’s it, work it on down. Your chest too.

HYDRATE

It’s important to keep the skin on your neck hydrated and nourished. Serums and moisturizers containing hyaluronic acid help your skin attract and retain water, making skin look plumper and less wrinkled. (You should be drinking plenty of water for this too)

ANTI-OXIDANTS

You know I love my antioxidants. They protect the skin against the effects of free radicals which can cause premature aging.

Products that contain Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Niacinamide have been proven to be effective anti-agers. They encourage the production of collagen and strengthen the protective outer layer of the skin. The result: improved elasticity and texture…definitely good for the wattle.

BOTOX

Okay, this is gonna get more expensive now.  We already spend enough money on Botox for our faces, and now we have to include the neck? WTF? But…it works. I do it. Not as often as on my face, but it’s gotta be done.

Let’s break it down…

Platysmal bands- You may not be familiar with the term, but you know what these are. They’re the annoying vertical bands that run down your neck.  If you want to know if you have this problem, here’s how: Get in front of a mirror and make a grimacing face (like the emoji). If you see vertical cord-like bands popping out, those are your Platysmal (I call them dismal) bands. They’re horrible! I hate them. They are a dead giveaway that you’re on the north side of young.

Luckily, Botox can be injected along the length of the bands, relaxing the muscle, and making these bad boys disappear. Temporarily of course, but I’ll take what I can get.

Necklace Lines – These are the horizontal crease-like lines we get across the neck. As we lose collagen and elastin (because of freaking aging again), the skin can’t snap back, and the creases stick around – like an aging choker. Botox or Dysport injected into the necklace lines can make them less noticeable.

Saggy Neck Skin – Ugh. Just ugh. When Botox/Dysport is injected along the jawline temporarily lifts the jowls and tightens the turkey wattle. Slightly. But good enough for now.

FILLERS

If your necklace lines are deep, fillers, like Juvederm, Perlane, or Restylane can be injected in the creases to fill them in. Simple.

MICRO-NEEDLING

If you read my post on micro-needling, you know I’m a new convert. After reading this study done on skin needling I’m even more convinced. In the study, 8 people ages 45-65 with aging necks were treated to two sessions of skin needling (8 weeks apart) using Dermaroller MF8.

The study showed that just two treatments of micro-needling improved skin texture, and significantly reduced wrinkle depth in 90% of the patients. So roll those tiny needles down your neck ASAP!

LASERS

Finally, and depending on the severity of the sagging, there are more advanced options…

Ultherapy – uses ultrasound energy to rejuvenate the skin. The way it works is by heating the underlying layers of the skin. The existing collagen is broken down or injured, and then has to heal itself (like in the needling). As it does this, the skin is tightened and new collagen is built.

I’ve tried this. It’s a little pricey but it did work to slightly lift and tighten that area. I’m looking into other alternatives though, because of the price. I will keep you posted.

Thermage – uses radiofrequency energy to do the same thing. It combines heat energy to treat the deep tissues, and cooling effects, to protect the surface of the skin so it’s better tolerated by the patient.

Fractional CO2 laser treatment – this treatment has been shown to provide a safe and effective way to rejuvenate the neck by tightening lax skin and improving skin texture – in just one treatment. ( study )  This one has a little more downtime than the others (7-14 days).

Okay, so I gave you the good news. Now here’s the bad news…cuz here we keep it real…

The things I mentioned above work for moderate skin laxity and slightly loose jowls. If you have severe neck sagging as a result of weight loss, for example, there’s not much you can do other than getting a neck lift. No cream, lotion or magic potion is going to significantly tighten that area. Don’t waste your money.

I hope this was helpful to you. Have you tried any of these treatments? Have you tried something not mentioned here? let me know in the comments.

xoxo,

V