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.
“Neurotoxins [like Botox] can be used to soften neck banding, and smaller particle hyaluronic fillers can be used for fine lines and wrinkles in order to soften and rejuvenate the neck," she adds. Lasers and radiofrequency are a less invasive option.
In our mid-to-late 20s (and certainly by our 30s), most of us begin to notice some looseness of the neck skin, particularly close to the jawline, a deepening of the horizontal neck lines and more pronounced platysma.
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. What you see is turkey neck.
Petroleum jelly is a strong moisturiser and moisturised skin is less likely to look older and the wrinkles would be less visible that way, but petroleum jelly alone can't actually prevent wrinkles.
Causes of crepey skin
Sun damage is the most common cause of crepey skin, but it certainly isn't the only cause. Crepey skin can also result from aging, a lack of moisture, excessive weight loss, or any combination of these.
Radiofrequency When you have this type of radiofrequency, a thin tube (or needles), is inserted into your skin to heat up the tissue beneath. This allows your dermatologist to provide heat exactly where you need it to tighten loose skin. Dermatologists often use this procedure to tighten the neck or upper arms.
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.
This is called extrinsic aging. As a result, premature aging can set in long before it was expected. In other words, your biological clock is more advanced than your chronological clock. Controllable factors such as stress, smoking and sun exposure can all play a role in expediting extrinsic aging.
The most common signs of an aging neck are the development of vertical muscle bands, sagging skin, and excess fat deposits. Muscle bands occur due to the regular use of the platysma muscle, with the vertical lines representing the muscle edges.
If the outermost layer of the epidermis doesn't contain enough water, skin will lose elasticity and feel rough. Despite this connection, however, there's a lack of research showing that drinking extra water has any impact on skin hydration or appearance.
vitamins A, C, D, and E. omega-3 fatty acids.
They're caused in part by skin losing elasticity and being exposed to UV light over time. You may also notice premature wrinkles as a result of repeatedly looking down at the phone, smoking, or not using sunscreen.
These are the best neck firming creams, according to dermatologists: RoC Multi Correxion 5-in-1 Anti-Aging Chest, Neck, and Face Cream. Revision Nectifirm Advanced. No7 Restore & Renew Face & Neck Multi-Action Serum.
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.
Neck exercises
Just grab a pack of sugar-free chewing gum and chew it twice a day for 10 minutes. Doing so will help build muscle under your chin and in your neck, fighting off that double chin and turkey neck.
"You can improve tone on the neck, but the amount of collagen and elastin in the neck skin is less than most other areas on the body. You can't really tighten that area up that much, unless you move to the more surgical end of the spectrum."