Ways to Get a Younger Looking Neck

The skin on our necks is thinner than the skin on our faces and it’s exposed to the same wear and tear. So what are you doing about your neck?

You have your anti-aging skincare routine down to a science, you never leave the house without wearing vitamin c serum and sunscreen, and at night you refuse to let your face touch the pillow without applying under-eye treatment and moisturizer. But what are you doing about your neck?

Americans spend so much effort preventing signs of aging like creasing and wrinkling in the space between their chins and foreheads. In reality, the neck often starts to look older long before crow’s feet enter the picture. The skin on our necks is thinner than the skin on our faces and it’s exposed to the same wear and tear. Unfortunately, it also tends to get a lot less TLC, if any at all.

“Over time, skin loses collagen and elastin,” says New York City plastic surgeon Benjamin Paul, MD. Dr. Paul explains smoking and sun damage can also further accelerate aging of the skin on the neck. Those aren't the only causes of neck aging. As we get older, laxity in the neck occurs due to a loss of support from connective tissue and muscle. This leads to what we commonly call a “waddle” or “turkey neck" and looks like loose skin under our chin.

The appearance of sagging skin on the neck can affect everyone. Repeated pulling of the platysma muscle, which is the muscle men often flex while shaving, tugs on the overlying skin and causes it to wrinkle over time. According to Dr. Paul, thyroid or neck surgery also loosens the neck and can contribute to an older appearance.

While there’s not much we can do about getting older, it is possible to slow down the physical signs of aging. Here are some ways you can prevent future sagging skin and promote a younger-looking neck.

The Use of Topical Treatments

The truth is that buying a separate product for these areas is unnecessary and more often than not a total waste of money. Surprisingly these products rarely contain ingredients that can help improve the signs of aging or they come in jars, and appallingly they almost never contain sunscreen!

Anything you use on your face you can use on your neck!  We use all of our products on our neck.  When you are applying skin care just use what you are using on your face for our neck at the same time, that goes for sunscreen too. Skin anywhere on your body requires the same types of beneficial ingredients as your face—skin-replenishing ingredients, antioxidants, soothing agents, skin-restoring ingredients, and sunscreen during the day to delay the appearance of aging skin! If you are having issues with an aging neck then use your anti-aging skin care products there are well. If you have some skin discoloration issues on your neck then use the brightening skin care products.

Protect Your Skin From the Sun

It’s common knowledge that sun exposure causes major damage to your skin. This includes the delicate skin on your neck, which is one of the first places the signs of aging can take hold. According to Dr. Paul, the single best thing you can do to preserve a youthful neck and prevent sagging skin, age spots, and fine lines is to wear sunscreen.

The American Academy of Dermatology recommends an SPF of at least 30 because it blocks 97 percent of the sun’s damaging UVB rays. Apply sunscreen to your face and neck every morning before putting on your makeup, whether you’re spending the day indoors or outside. Remember to reapply every few hours to make sure your skin is always protected.

Embrace Technology to Improve Sagging Skin

It can be challenging to treat sagging skin with topical products alone. At the same time, many patients are hesitant to go under the knife to correct loose neck skin. Luckily there are several professional skin tightening options that can give them the results they desire without surgery.

“Radiofrequency and ultrasound devices aim to tighten the neck with energy,” says Dr. Paul. The treatments have been shown to tighten loose neck skin by using energy to heat the skin and boosts the production of collagen and important proteins. However, Dr. Paul cautions that the effects of these devices is limited and patients may need multiple treatments to see results.

Go Under the Laser, Not the Knife

We know lasers can reduce unwanted hair and remove tattoos, but these incredible devices can also be used to rejuvenate the skin and promote a more youthful look. Laser resurfacing involves directing short, concentrated, pulsating beams of light at the face or neck to remove damaged skin layer by layer.

With laser resurfacing, “the goal is to improve lines, texture, and surface irregularities,” says Dr. Paul. There are two types of lasers commonly used in skin resurfacing: ablative CO2 lasers and non-ablative (fraxel) lasers. “There is more tightening with ablative lasers, though there is a higher risk of neck scarring,” Dr. Paul cautions. “Choose your laser doctor carefully.”

Try Intense Pulsed Light Therapy For Dark Spots

If you have dark spots on your neck, you’re looking at the results of sun damage. Luckily, you don’t have to live with age spots forever. Intense pulsed light therapy (IPL) is similar to a laser treatment in that it uses energy to treat wrinkles, dark spots, and sun damage. But it’s different because it releases many different wavelengths of light, so is more scattered and less targeted. During an IPL treatment, pigment in the skin absorbs the light, which is converted to heat. The heat then destroys the unwanted pigment to fade the appearance of red and brown spots. According to Dr. Paul, it may take between three and five IPL treatments to see results.

This article was originally published at aedit.com/aedition

https://aedit.com/aedition/8-ways-to-get-a-younger-looking-neck

Leave a comment

All comments are moderated before being published