“Retinol increases collagen production in the skin, and can work to improve the appearance of common signs of aging such as sagging, wrinkles or fine lines on your neck,” Dr. Schlessinger says.
Use Retinol for Neck Firming
For board-certified dermatologist Roberta Del Campo, Retin-A (or retinoic acid) is a hero product for neck firming. "[Retinol] is a vitamin that helps speed up cell turnover and increases collagen production," she says.
As for the claim that a cream or lotion can lift sagging skin, dermatologists say that's not possible. A cream or lotion cannot penetrate the skin deeply enough to do this. Still, you may see a small change if a product contains a retinoid, such as retinol, which can help your body make more collagen.
Add retinol to your skincare routine
Known as a “Holy Grail” of anti-aging, retinol supports natural surface skin cell renewal, working to smooth the skin's texture and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Apply once a week to the neck to help get rid of the appearance of neck lines.
For fine wrinkling of the neck the use of 'wrinkle creams' can help firm and smooth the skin texture. Retinoids such as prescription tretinoin (Retin A) or a really good retinol such as my Retinol Intensive Anti-Wrinkle Night Cream.
A number of procedures may be performed to get rid of neck wrinkles. Many involve removing a small amount of skin and stretching it back to its previous position, allowing neck skin to appear more taut. Anesthesia is used, and recovery time varies.
The key to reducing the lines on your neck is to moisturize daily. Each day, apply some oil-free moisturizer on the neck, spreading the product evenly around the front and the back. In addition, you should also exfoliate the skin on your neck at least once a week.
After 6-9 months of regular Tretinoin use, you may notice firmer, less saggy skin around the eyes and jawline and fewer wrinkles. Be sure to use a good sunscreen every day (SPF 30 or higher) when using Retin A.
So what can we do to prevent jowls? Prescribe a topical Retinol cream to stimulate your collagen production to give support and structure back into your skin.
Dr. Kassouf recommends retinol topical creams to help reduce that crepey look. Retinols help restore skin's elasticity and thicken collagen (which gives our skin its structure) as well as elastin (which gives our skin its stretch).
Anti-aging lotions and serums can prevent and treat loose neck skin, particularly products containing niacinamide or tretinoin to improve skin elasticity, vitamin C to increase collagen production, retinol/vitamin A to stimulate collagen production and support cell turnover, and vitamin E to protect from sun damage.
When you look down at the floor or up at the ceiling, you are stretching your neck. Over the years, all this stretching, along with the loss of collagen and elastin — two naturally occurring proteins — can cause the neck to age faster than the face.
A plastic surgeon can remove the crepey looking skin, giving your body a more tightened appearance. Crepey skin shouldn't dictate how you see yourself in the mirror when there are so many options to improve its appearance.
Luckily, there are many non-surgical options that can help rejuvenate the appearance of an aging neck. Thermage, Kybella, Dermal Fillers, Botox, Coolsculpting, and Microneedling are among the most popular non-surgical cosmetic treatment options for rejuvenating the appearance of the neck area.
Most people notice neck skin beginning to significantly sag and wrinkle around the age of 40. That's also when underlying platysmal muscles start to detach and loosen, their edges showing through thinning skin as vertical bands from the chin to collarbone.
Genetics and hormonal fluctuations can also influence collagen and elastin production all over our bodies, including the neck. Together, these factors can cause the neck's texture to alter—a line here, a droop there, and eventually (sigh), the crepe effect.
Ultherapy is the only procedure approved by the FDA for lifting and tightening the skin of the neck and chest without surgery. This non-invasive treatment for turkey neck can be completed in just one ultrasound procedure with no downtime. And it's completely safe.
Do neck firming creams work? Yes — to an extent. "Neck creams are typically thicker than facial creams and are formulated with specific ingredients to help lift and tighten the loose, crepey neck and décolleté skin that occurs as we age, due to collagen and elastin loss," Dr. Mehr explains.
The best way to reverse a turkey neck appearance is to encourage the body to create more collagen with a non-surgical neck lift treatment like Ulthera. Ulthera, or Ultherapy, is a non-invasive treatment that uses ultrasound energy to stimulate tissues deep within the skin.
One of the best ways to tighten neck skin is to exercise regularly. This helps build up the muscles in your neck, which in turn will help support the skin and prevent it from sagging.
Unlike skin on the face, neck skin has less collagen. It's also “stretchier” than skin on your cheeks and loses strength and flexibility with age – kind of like a rubber band. All these factors increase the appearance of neck sagging, lines, creases, uneven skin tone and texture.