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Aging is a beautiful gift, a privilege. But, with the “passage of time comes cosmetic changes such as the loss of collagen, reduction of fat pads, increased elasticity, fine lines, wrinkles as well as skeletal changes that do affect how we see ourselves,” says New York-based board-certified dermatologist Dr. Marnie Nussbaum. All perfectly natural, but still a tad frustrating. You might be doing all the things too: slathering on SPF like no one’s business; swearing by retinols, lotions, and eye creams–but while we’re young and spry, we all tend to forget about preventative neck care, focusing on tightening neck skin.
From muscular to skeletal to skin type–your neck is very, very different from the rest of your face and body. For starters, the “neck has no bony support, so laxity is more of an issue than on the face,” says Dr. Macrene Alexiades, Associate Clinical Professor at Yale University School of Medicine, Director and Founder of Dermatology & Laser Surgery Center of New York, and CEO and Founder of Macrene Actives.
Even the skin on your chest and neck is very different from the skin just inches above it on your face. “The skin from the jawline down has 30 percent less sebaceous glands, so the lipidic layer is thinner and that is why the skin on the neck and decollete tends to age faster and be much more reactive,” says renowned celebrity esthetician Joanna Czech.
If our skeleton and skin structure wasn’t already plotting against us, pair that with our poor posture, electronic obsession, and overall neck care. You’ve got yourself a recipe for accelerated neck aging and sagging neck skin.
How to naturally tighten neck skin in your everyday life
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“In today’s world, we use our necks a lot… I think it may be the hardest working (often overworked), body part,” says acupuncturist, Chinese herbalist, and founder of Treatment by Lanshin, Sandra Lanshin Chiu.
From the new phenomenon known as “tech neck” to overall poor, slumping posture, our necks weren’t meant to be used–or overused–like we do every single day.
Here are all the ways in which we accidentally pull a number on our poor neck and corresponding treatments to tighten neck skin.
Posture
How could your posture possibly affect your neck wrinkles and fine lines? Think about how often you’re hunched over your phone, computer, or desk. A lot, right?
“Even when we’re not working, our neck and head spend a lot of time bent in a forward position, says Chiu. Now, multiply that by years. And because we spend so much time with our head forward and straining, our neck muscles are required to work really hard. “One consequence is that the skin will very frequently crease at the location of the bend. Over time, that creasing will result in deeper, more fixed lines or wrinkles.”
A lot of Chiu’s recommendations for neck care is focused on improving posture because she considers it to be one of the root causes of neck wrinkles. “If you can maintain a somewhat relaxed neck with good posture, it will positively impact the health of your neck, and thus the appearance of your skin,” she says.
Adjust Your Desk
Make your desk work for you by perfecting it to accommodate for the best posture possible.
“For many people that will mean raising their computer monitor or laptop to eye level so that their neck doesn’t need to hunch forward to see the screen,” says Chiu.
Chiu also suggests taking regular breaks to remind your body that hunching over is not normal. “Try setting a timer (ideally every 30 mins if possible) to remind yourself to look up, move your neck and shoulders a bit, and maybe do some mild stretching,” she says.
Adjust Your Hand
“I am seeing horizontal creases more than ever before,” says Dr. Macrene. A shocking fact that is attributed to “tech neck”–the literal pain-in-the-neck curiosity caused by looking down at our phones and electronics all day every day, and it’s not just happening to us, there’s even been an increase in celebrity horizontal neck lines.
Lines from “tech neck” aren’t just for your later years either. “I’m seeing an uptick in young people with a neck and jaw that is absolutely tied to constantly looking down at phones and laptops,” says celebrity electrical esthetician and founder of ZIIP Beauty, Melanie Simon. “The continuous looking down wrinkles the neck and it starts to have a lasting effect.”
Experts agree that holding your phone at eye level rather than looking down at it is vital. “Avoiding excessive muscular creasing (by avoiding looking down) prevents the horizontal creasing,” she says. Simon has personally seen a big difference in the aging of her neck by just keeping her phone and laptop at eye level.
Posture ‘Trainer’
If push comes to shove (or you’re just curious), bring in reinforcements–in the form of a ‘training device.’ Certain posture training devices sit at the top of your spine and gently vibrate to remind or “correct” your posture. “A little body retraining goes a long way,” says Chiu.
Tighten Loose Neck Skin With These Tools and Devices
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If you want to amp up your neck routine, the addition of a facial tool or device to refresh and tighten neck skin is the way to go. Whether it be ancient (a la Gua Sha) or high-tech (like microcurrent treatments), here are a few we recommend.
ZIIP HALO
If you like the idea of tightening neck skin and crepey neck treatments, but want to add a 21st-century, high-tech twist to it, grab an electronic device, like the ZIIP HALO. Utilising both nanocurrent and microcurrent, ZIIP HALO promotes collagen and elastin production–two things wildly helpful in aging neck treatments. They are very pricey, but if used consistently, a nanocurrent device can replicate the tightening results of in-office treatments in just a few weeks.
“The best way to protect the neck is to work the area under the ear, jawline and the entire face up to the hairline at the farthest points of the face,” says Simon. “The ZIIP treatments I recommend for this are the Energize, Lymph & Lift, and Instant Gratification. They tighten the skin around the face, which in turn has a direct effect on the neck.”
ZIIP HALO Microcurrent Device, $349
Gua Sha
Gua Sha has exponentially spiked in popularity recently, so you might assume it’s a fairly new invention, but Gua Sha is actually an ancient and formal Chinese Medicine technique. It has a plethora of benefits, including releasing muscle tension, contouring, and, yep, reducing fine lines and wrinkles. “Facial Gua Sha and massage is helpful for keeping neck muscles supple and aiding circulation (this helps maintain a healthy “glow” too),” says Chiu.
Chiu has a very in-depth, step-by-step, 15-minute video that guides you on how to Gua Sha your neck. Using a Gha Sha routine consistently can tremendously help with neck pain and tension, but also skin’s elasticity and strength. Gua Sha for the neck can be an effective treatment for neck lines, double chin and jowls by toning and lifting the neck muscles, whilst stimulating blood circulation. Watch Chiu’s video to learn how to use Gua Sha on the neck.
Lanshin Intro Gua Sha Jade Tool, $35
Best Skin Tightening Creams for Neck
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Esthetician Czech has famously been a long-time advocate of skincare that begins at your nipples and ends at your hairline. “Treat your neck and decollete exactly as you treat your face during your evening and day skincare routine, including products and massage–and treat it the same way you treat your body, so it gets double treatments,” she says.
While most skincare products will accomplish adding much-needed moisture, neck and decolletage-specific products can help reduce and improve pigmentation, fine lines, and skin texture. Here are a few of our favorites.
Macrene Actives High Performance Neck and Décolletage Treatment
Often ‘clean beauty’ is synonymous with less-than-effective results–but that couldn’t be further from the truth with Macrene Actives. Designed by Dr. Macrene (whose accolades are nearly as long as this article itself), this hyper-clean line was created to replicate the results you get from lasers and injectables in her office. The three-time Harvard degree graduate has targeted and bottled natural superstar actives (many come from her upstate New York farm) that undo the damage on a DNA level, and when this treatment serum is used twice a day, it can rapidly help to tighten neck skin, reduce the signs of skin aging and texture, as well as pigmentation.
StriVectin TL Advanced Tightening Neck Cream PLUS
This beloved neck tightening cream just got a brightening update, thanks to a trio of extracts that help reduce the look of discoloration common in aging skin. Don’t worry though, it still has the patented NIA-114TM, an optimized form of Niacin (also known as Vitamin B3), which strengthens the skin barrier to prevent moisture loss.
Bonus Czech tip with any and all neck creams you might utilize: Massage the product into the chest and neck in an upward motion, which speeds up circulation and brings more oxygen to the tissue so skin is brighter and tighter. Plus it helps for better absorption of products.
Supergoop Glow Stick Sunscreen SPF 50, $25
You’ve heard it time and time again–so allow us to repeat it once more for those in the back: SPF! It is inarguably the most important product in your facial regime, and the same goes for your neck, too. “While we are usually good about sunscreen and wearing hats to protect the face, the neck is an area that gets a lot of sun exposure and damage,” says Dr. Macrene.
This Supergoop option is wonderfully hydrating and wonderfully easy to use. Just swipe the stick on the face, neck, and chest–then massage in.
Clinical Non-Surgical Procedures for the Neck
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There are a handful of non-surgical procedures that are showing promising results for neck creases and tech neck lines. One, in particular, is even impressing Dr. Macrene, a celebrity-beloved dermatologist famously known for her conservative, light hand when it comes to treatments and procedures.
“Profound is a microneedle radiofrequency treatment that significantly tightens neck skin. “Other neck firming devices have less downtime but are a bit less effective,” says Dr. Macrene. If your interest is piqued, ask your dermatologist if the treatment is a good fit for you.
No matter how you feel about your neck, know that it’s doing its best, given all the technology-based woes we’re throwing at it. But hopefully a few of these ideas, products, or tools will help you feel more confident. “One of my biggest regrets…is that I didn’t spend my youth staring lovingly at my neck,” said Ephron in the opening chapter of I Feel Bad About My Neck. So maybe tonight (and hopefully beyond that), if you can, be grateful for your lovely neck–if only to honor Ephron.
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