Neck Rejuvenation: How to Prevent & Treat Neck Lines & Wrinkles
If you find you’re pleased with your appearance until your eyes wander down to your neck, you could be one of the many people with unwanted neck lines and wrinkles. While your skin care regimen–not to mention good genes–might be keeping your face looking youthful, when sun damage, poor sleep position and collagen loss are at work, you might need to consider neck rejuvenating treatments that help you maintain a more youthful appearance.
Let’s look at some of the neck rejuvenation methods available including injections, fillers, and treatments to help you find the best prevention strategies for you.
The Best Daily Prevention Strategies for a Youthful Neck
Often, the best advice is also the simplest when it comes to skincare strategies. Although the neck is a very specific area with specific needs, you can achieve a more youthful appearance with simple improvements to your skincare regimen, including:
Step Up Daily Sun Protection
The first step is to reduce the risk of sun damage to your neck, as sun damage really enhances neck wrinkles. By applying the same sun protection to your neck as you do to your face, you can protect your neck against UV rays. We’d also advise you to include your chest to help slow down the aging process. It’s a simple step that can make a world of difference.
Ramp Up Your Neck Skincare Routine
Don’t forget to apply moisturizer to your neck skin to help keep it wrinkle-free, plump, and taut. In most cases, you can simply use the same products you’re using on your face. But we’d also say to ramp up attention to your neck with other skincare products, including:
- Anti-aging serums with retinoids, peptides, or hyaluronic acids to address existing neck wrinkles
- Neck products such as:
There are also two unexpected strategies you can introduce to help improve the appearance of your neck:
1. Pay Attention to Your Sleeping Position
This might seem like an odd strategy, but you’d be surprised how much your sleeping position contributes to wrinkles. When you sleep on your tummy, you put pressure on your face, which can break down collagen while you sleep. Since you’re sleeping for seven to eight hours a night, this position can wreak havoc on youth-preserving collagen production. Try to sleep on your back and choose the right pillow to improve overall ergonomics. The right pillow will provide support if you tend to sleep on your side. It will avoid sleeping with your neck in an awkward position that can put more pressure on your neck skin and create those pronounced lines.
If you sleep on your tummy or side, you might also consider using an “anti-aging pillow” to help reduce that compressing effect. Sleeping on your back also means your face won’t touch the pillow as much, so your night cream will absorb into your face and neck instead of your pillowcase.
That said, it’s pretty hard to change your sleep position. Choosing the right anti-aging ingredients in your night skincare products, like retinol, to help stimulate collagen production will help make up for any issues caused from your sleep position.
2. Improve Poise and Posture
Keeping your back and neck in an upright position when sitting, standing, and walking helps reduce neck strain that can lead to sagging neck skin and neck lines. Whenever you feel yourself slouching, sit up straight and try to be aware of your posture while working, watching TV, using your cell phone, etc.
Injectable Treatments for Neck Rejuvenation
There are more “invasive” options available compared to the strategies above including injectable treatments for neck rejuvenation. Although they do require injections, they are still far less invasive or painful than surgery.
Here are some of the most effective treatments:
Neuromodulators
A neuromodulator is a small dose of a neurotoxin such as Botox that causes muscle paralysis to treat wrinkles. The mild toxin is used in targeted areas to block nerve signals, allowing the creases in your skin to relax. As a result, the appearance of wrinkles in your neck softens for a smoother, more youthful appearance. Most people require little to no recovery or downtime following treatment, although it takes about two weeks to fully recover.
Dermal fillers
Various neck injections for wrinkles use dermal fillers to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. They help plump the skin by boosting collagen production to reduce wrinkles while helping to restore elasticity by stimulating elastin. They can provide a visible reduction in necklines and wrinkles with minimal discomfort, lasting anywhere from six months to two to five years.
Recovery from dermal fillers will see a period of swelling and bruising, so it requires downtime for 24 to 48 hours. You’ll also have to avoid vigorous exercise, heat, and alcohol to reduce increased swelling, and the injection sites should not be touched until completely healed to avoid infection and interference with the fillers taking effect.
Collagen inducers
Collagen inducers such as Sculptra stimulate your skin’s natural collagen production helping restore volume for smoother skin and a younger appearance. This treatment can last for over two years although it does require ongoing treatments before you see results. There is also zero down time for collagen inducers although it takes roughly 24 hours for your skin to fully heal. You should follow the same basic instructions as dermal fillers to see the best results.
Consulting a qualified dermatologist for personalized treatment plans will ensure you are suited to the treatment, will see the best results, and will avoid reactions to the materials injected.
Lifestyle Habits for a Younger Neck
Healthy lifestyles aren’t just about living longer. They can also allow you to enjoy a more youthful appearance, including improving your overall skin health. You can adopt the following healthier lifestyle habits for a younger neck:
A balanced diet rich in antioxidants
The foods we eat impact our health and appearance and can increase or decrease our risk for diseases. With the proper nutrients, you can slow down the aging process, including reducing the lines, wrinkles and sagging on your neck. Although a healthier diet can’t guarantee you’ll always look younger, it can help you age better by maintaining overall better health. The foods that are the most important when it comes to anti-aging are healthier sources of protein like oily fish, fats like avocado and olive oil, and foods rich in antioxidants like dark chocolate, green tea, orange vegetables like sweet potatoes and pomegranate.
Staying hydrated
While suddenly increasing the amount of water you drink each day isn’t a miracle cure for neck wrinkles, it contributes to a healthy diet that can help keep you looking younger. However, you are more likely to see results if you don’t drink enough water every day. Increased water intake, in this case, can increase the thickness of your skin, which can help you look younger.
Quitting smoking
Doctors recommend avoiding smoking or secondhand smoke exposure to improve collagen and elastin production as a natural anti-aging strategy.
Consider collagen supplements
Although there is limited research, many people are discovering improvements in skin and hair using collagen supplements. Collagen is found in high amounts in your skin, and reduced production contributes to the signs of aging, including sagging neck and wrinkles. You can improve collagen synthesis, in theory, by taking collagen supplements. Additionally, to support your body's natural collagen production, consider incorporating more protein-rich options like chicken, tofu, fish, and eggs. Additionally, fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C, like tomatoes, potatoes, and citrus fruits, can be helpful.
Non-Injectable Alternatives
There are several non-injectable options like retinol creams and microneedling to help reduce the signs of neck wrinkles. Microneedling stimulates collagen production in the skin by making tiny punctures that trigger the skin's self-repair process. It takes two to three days to recover and four to six weeks after treatment before you see the results. Just like injectable treatments, microneedling requires a dermatologist consultation to understand if this is the right treatment for you.
If you want something less evasive, retinol creams are available to stimulate fibroblasts and synthesize collagen fibers, improving skin elasticity and enhancing elastin fibers.
Surgical Options
If you find you are very dissatisfied with your neck’s appearance, you can also take more drastic action and discuss surgical options with a board-certified plastic surgeon. Although surgery is highly invasive, it will provide the more noticeable results you desire.
The surgical options available include:
- Cervicoplasty: This process is known as a neck lift and is used to resolve poor skin elasticity by removing the excess sagging skin.
- Platysmaplasty: In this case, the neck muscles that can cause issues like poor neckline definition or bands on the neck are addressed. This is often done in hand with a neck lift.
- Liposuction: This procedure reduces fullness in the neck by suctioning excess fatty deposits, whether under the chin or for the whole neck.
Although signs of aging can be discouraging, you shouldn’t let your appearance interfere with your confidence or quality of life. You can use several daily routine strategies to both prevent and help reduce neck lines and wrinkles or seek treatments such as fillers to help reduce their appearance.
If you find the appearance of your neck is causing confidence and lifestyle issues, you can also seek consultation with a dermatologist or certified plastic surgeon to explore more effective methods that require downtime and healing. You should feel empowered to take the steps you feel are necessary to help you love yourself throughout every stage of your life.