5 tried and tested ways to reduce neck wrinkles

Have you looked in the mirror lately? Have you noticed some changes in your neck area, like lines that were not there before? If you're about to hit 35, those new lines may be neck wrinkles. As we get older the skin around the neck starts to get loose and starts to sag, some people call this "Turkey Neck".

Why we get neck wrinkles? Many reasons, first it's the natural process of aging. As we gain years, gravity starts to work against us pulling everything down, including our skin. If that isn't enough, the collagen and elasticin production experiments a decrease, and that ladies is how we get the wrinkles.

Neck wrinkles don't appear overnight, it's a process that happens gradually. The skin on the neck starts to lose its elasticity and it cannot stay tight any more. There are two kinds of neck wrinkles: horizontal and vertical.

The horizontal wrinkles occur due to the decrease in collagen production in the skin, this is part of the natural aging process. With us, women, add a decrease in estrogen production, long-termed exposures to the sun and a poor hydration, and there you have it.

If you keep your head in the same position over long periods of time, like when you spend great amounts of time in front of your computer or your phone, or when you sleep, that's how you get the vertical wrinkles.

Another reason why the neck shows signs of aging before other parts of your body is due to the make-up of the skin. The skin around the neck is not attached to any bones, so no extra support system. That is why it's an easy target of gravity.

Genetics also play a part when it comes to neck wrinkles. Some people may get wrinkles and gray hair well into their 60's, while some may start showing wrinkles in their late 40's. That is why is very important to take care of your skin when you are young, it will keep the signs of aging away for a little more time.

Aging gets to us sooner or later, but don't you worry, there are tried and tested treatments to delay the appearance of neck wrinkles or treat them if they have already appear.  

You should treat your neck skin the same way to treat your face. Start with a good cleansing by using a gentle creamy cleanser. Exfoliate your neck skin at least once a week, it's better if you do it with a cleansing brush. Use a neck specific-serum. Always use a sunscreen and a moisturizer. When applied do it with upward movements.

There are some exercises you can do to tighten your neck and firm it. They can help you tone the muscles of the neck so that lines and wrinkles can be reduced.

The question is, do this neck exercises really work? Well as with any exercise routine you have to be consistent and practice them every day, that way you'll see results. If you don't like those neck wrinkles then give your neck the attention needed to delay or reduce them.

Here are 5 neck exercises to help you reduce the neck wrinkles.

Form an "O" with your mouth and pull down the sides of your mouth until you feel the muscles underneath your neck working. The movements have to be short and fast. Do 3 sets of 20 minutes each. With this exercise you will reduce wrinkles and strenghten your neck.

Place your right hand over the neck and pull the skin down with your hand. Once you do that, tilt your head back until you feel a tightening in the neck and then return to the original position. You need to do this slowly, 3 sets of 20 times each.

Again place your hand over the neck. With your hand pull down the skin and move your head slowly, first to the right then to the left. 3 sets, 20 times each.

First, lie on your back. Now raise your head and neck, like you were starting to do a crunch, in this position move your head right then left. 3 sets, 20 times each.

You need to open your mouth to form an "O", In this position, without closing your mouth at all, pronounce the vowels from "A" to "U". Do 3 sets of 10 reps each. This exercise can also help if you have a double chin.

Botox was originally created to smooth lines around the face; around the eye area to smooth out "crow's feet", in the forehead, in the skin between the eyebrows.and to smooth the expression lines around the mouth.

Starting this century, doctors and specialists have begun to expand the use of Botox to treat other areas of the skin, one of those being the neck area to get rid of the "turkey neck".  

The question is Can Botox really get rid of the neck wrinkles? Yes and no, let us explained. The use of Botox in the neck is not a cure-all. The properties of Botox work best to soften shallow lines, like the ones we get in the thin skin of our face. However, the skin around the neck is much thicker and neck wrinkles have much deeper folds. 

Botox will help tighten the skin and stimulate the underlying muscles, but it will not help severe cases, to eliminate wrinkles in those cases, you'll have to go the surgery route so you can have a proper neck lift.
 

Botox works better or is more effective on the vertical neck wrinkles or platysmal bands because the vertical cords respond better to a local treatment. It is not effective in the horizontal wrinkles because these lines are formed through skin creasing and muscle contraction, and in this case, Botox has little or no effect at all.

Botox can help treat your neck wrinkles but it has two cons: one, it's not cheap, it is rather expensive and if you go this route be sure that it is applied by a certified doctor or dermatologist. Two, results are temporary, it'll last at best, around six months. After that, your skin will return to the before-botox state, you'll have to get another treatment and then another and then another. 

If you want to explore the Botox route, do enough research to know if this is the treatment for you.

There is a more high tech way to treat neck wrinkles: laser treatments. How do you get rid of those dreaded neck wrinkles with lasers? There are many laser treatments that will do the work. Let us tell you about two of them.

This treatment uses highly focused ultrasound technology to tighten, firm and lift the skin of your neck naturally.
Ultherapy will penetrate deeply into the skin's layers and it will boost the production of collagen at that deep level. This increase in collagen production is what helps firm and plump the skin's cells and fill the gaps in the skin's surface.

This is an in-office treatment that will take from 30 to 60 minutes and it requires no special recuperation. As it uses ultrasound imaging, the doctor or specialist will be able to see the layers of skin tissue his working on. It is a non-invasive delivery of ultrasound energy deep into your skin so it doesn't disturb the skin's surface.

There are two types of fractional laser. One is more gentle and is called Fraxel, (doctors called it non-ablative as it doesn't wound the skin) and the other one is the CO2 laser system which is a more invasive treatment. 

The Fraxel lasers are recommended for younger people (under 50) with fine neck wrinkles, the CO2 lasers are better for older patients, with deeper neck wrinkles. Be aware that the Fractional CO2 lasers require more downtime time than the Fraxel.

The Fractional CO2 treatment is ablative (it wounds the skin), but according to doctors, it is the gold standard for skin tightening and wrinkles reduction. The recovery time is longer, you'll need at least 2 weeks. This treatment works because it vaporizes the top layer of the skin, promoting the growth of new and fresh layers. This is what will restore your skin giving it a fresh look and of course, it will get rid of the surface neck wrinkles. 

If you're looking to get more long-term results in getting rid of your neck wrinkles, then you should consider a neck lift. Now, what is a neck lift?

A neck lift also called lower rhytidectomy, is a cosmetical surgical procedure that will improve the visible signs of aging in the jawline and neck. The neck lift surgery can treat that loose skin and the muscle banding in the neck that causes abnormal contours.

Consult with a certified doctor if this is an option for you and if you are a good candidate for a neck lift. The results of the Before and After may be worth it.

There are some precautions and care you need to address before and after treatments for neck wrinkles.

Before a neck lift, you may need to do the following:

• Get some lab results of testing and medical evaluation (to check if everything is all right)
• If you take some medications, you may need to adjust them or you'll be asked to take some medications
• If you're a smoker, you'll need to stop
• And you have to avoid taking aspirin and anti-inflammatory drugs (to prevent any increase in bleeding). 

After a neck wrinkle treatment, to achieve better results, you need to be aware that long-term results will be affected by your everyday skincare routine.

• Use sunscreen
• Apply creams with retinol
• Stop smoking
• Eat a healthy diet

All the neck wrinkle treatments mentioned before can get you results, you just have to carefully study them to know which one you prefer. But remember that prevention is the first thing recommended, so start showing your neck some love and take good care of it like you would care for your face.