When we talk antiaging skincare, the face is the first place that often comes to mind, but the neck is a frequently neglected area that tends to show signs of aging earlier than facial skin. The first signs of lines and wrinkles in this delicate area can make an appearance as early as our mid-twenties and factors beyond genetics can play a crucial role in visible signs of aging in the neck and décolletage.
What Causes Neck Wrinkles?
The skin on the neck is different than on other areas of the body. For starters, it’s thinner and more delicate. The skin in the neck area also produces less sebum, meaning it tends to be dryer than facial skin. Another unique challenge specific to the neck is that it’s an area of constant movement, leading to repeated creasing and folding that can eventually morph into more permanent lines.
There are a variety of factors that can contribute to neck wrinkles. In addition to skin aging factors that reduce collagen and elastin, environmental factors like UV exposure and pollution can lead to lines, wrinkles and crepiness in the neck area. Lifestyle factors like diet and smoking can also contribute to premature signs of aging in this delicate area.
Tech Neck, also known as Text Neck, is another rising concern when it comes to signs of aging in this area. This phenomenon is a byproduct of our attachment to technology. Tech Neck shows up as horizontal lines across the neck that comes with tilting our heads forward to read from phones and tablets. With screen time on the rise, Tech Neck is becoming an increasingly common concern.
What Does Aging Neck Skin Look Like?
Signs of aging in the neck and décolletage area can manifest in a variety of ways. Keep a look out for loose, wrinkled skin, crepiness and dryness. You may also notice skin looks thick or leathery, with uneven skin tone or dark spots. Neck wrinkles might run horizontally across the neck or vertically in an up and down pattern that can contribute to skin that appears to sag, something often referred to as “Turkey Neck.”
How Do You Get Rid of Neck Wrinkles?
Neck wrinkles can give away our age, but the good news is that there are things you can do to help prevent and correct visible signs of aging in the neck and décolletage area. Here are our expert tips for helping keep your skin supple and youthful looking.
1. Keep Your Neck Hydrated
Hydrated skin has a plumper, firmer appearance than skin that’s dry and parched. Proper hydration can help the neck and décolletage area appear smoother, diminishing the look of lines and wrinkles.
Enhance essential hydration from within by drinking plenty of water and eating foods packed with nourishing hydration like strawberries, cantaloupe, cucumber, lettuce, celery and bell peppers.
Keep skin hydrated with serums and moisturizers featuring ingredients designed to support skin’s moisture barrier. Seek out products containing Hyaluronic Acid, a super hydrator that holds many times its weight in moisture and Polyhydroxy Acids, like Lactobionic Acid that provide antioxidant protection and barrier support.
2. Minimize sun exposure and wear SPF every day
Exposure to UVA and UVB rays can leave their mark on skin. Fine lines and wrinkles, redness and uneven skin tone on the neck and décolletage are hallmarks of sun damage. Wear long-sleeve shirts, pants, hats and sunglasses and opt for a broad spectrum sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher, helping to defend against the sun’s rays and be sure to apply sunscreen to your face and neck.
Sunscreen is your skin’s BFF. Wear sunscreen every day, even on cloudy days for consistent protection and if you’re spending an extended amount of time in the sun, don’t forget to reapply sunscreen at least every 80 minutes, if not more frequently.
3. Get your daily dose of topical antioxidants every morning
Environmental stressors such as pollution can lead to free radical damage that prematurely ages skin, leaving behind uneven skin tone and dark spots, as well as fine lines and wrinkles. When applying your antioxidant serums to the face, don’t forget to bring them down to the neck and décolletage.
4. Boost your regimen with gentle exfoliation
Regular exfoliation helps diminish signs of skin aging by smoothing away dead skin and surface debris. This smoothing action helps reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles, uneven skin tone and dark spots.
Exfoliation is an excellent way to boost your skincare regimen for the face, neck and décolletage. Depending on the product this can be done anywhere from once weekly to daily. Because the neck and décolletage tend to be more delicate than the face, gentle ingredients that help exfoliate and hydrate, like Polyhydroxy Acids are ideal.
5. Use an antiaging neck cream
When is the best time to start using a neck cream? Incorporate a neck cream into your regimen as early as your 20’s to help get ahead of the curve. And it’s never too late to begin! Meet the needs of this delicate neck area by adding a treatment product specially formulated for the neck and décolletage. Products formulated for the neck should be gentler than most face and body products, while also being effective enough to improve the look of fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration and redness.
Look for neck creams that help visibly plump, firm, contour and smooth rough texture and fine lines. An efficacious neck cream can help correct existing signs of skin aging.
6. Be mindful of your posture
Tech Neck is becoming an ever more common concern, and it’s no wonder given the amount of time we tend to spend on our small screens. Tech Neck wrinkles show up as horizontal lines that appear across the neck area from repeatedly looking down at our tablets and phones. Help prevent the signs of Tech Neck by being mindful of your posture and positioning your phone or tablet at eye level.
7. Visit a skincare professional
A Dermatologist can offer a variety of treatments like Hyaluronic Acid fillers, Botox, microneedling and laser resurfacing that can help restore a more youthful look to the neck and décolletage. These advanced treatments are a perfect partner to the skincare products in your everyday regimen.