According to Marie Jhin, MD, a dermatologist in San Francisco, your skin is like a balloon. It’s small and tight at first; then, you stretch it. But when you deflate it, it doesn’t go back to its original shape, resulting in loose skin.
One of the common areas for saggy skin is a person’s neck, often due to aging and skincare neglect. Fortunately, there are ways to tighten neck skin without surgery, such as using a laser skin tightening machine, doing facial yoga, and more.
The Causes of “Turkey Neck”
There is a lot of emphasis on taking care of our facial skin through daily cleansing, toning, moisturizing, vitamin, and nutrient-rich serums, sun care, and anti-aging treatments. But most people often tend to neglect the neck. Since the neck isn’t protected, it starts to sag due to:
The aging process – As we get older, enzymes called matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) degrade collagen fibers’ structures, reducing their strength and affecting our skin’s ability to produce collagen.
Excessive exposure to the sun – The neck is the second thinnest skin on your body and is often exposed, making it susceptible to UV radiation from the sun. This reduces the collagen and elastin in your skin, resulting in photodamage and skin laxity.
Turkey neck can also happen due to extreme weight loss. It occurs because the fat is gone, but the skin’s natural pace of shrinkage is significantly slower; it can’t keep up with the rate of weight loss.
Neck Tightening Treatments
There was a time when surgery was the only option available to tighten neck skin. This method is costly, needs a long recovery time, and comes with serious risks, including scars, infections, and paralysis. Thankfully, there are now less invasive ways for skin tightening.
Skin-Tightening Devices
Skin tightening machines promote skin rejuvenation and skin elasticity improvement, but the effectiveness depends on which device you use. A laser skin tightening machine is highly recommended since it combines ultrasound and radiofrequency (RF) technology to ensure effective and highly customized treatments.
It’s fast, easy to use, and has no disposables. You can safely use this machine from the comfort of your home, too, since a license isn’t needed to operate the device.
Injectable Dermal Fillers
Dermal fillers are not surgical, but only specialists can perform them. People use fillers to reduce wrinkles and restore volume around the neck. You can see its effects instantly. However, just like surgery, there is a significant recovery time.
It’s also important to note that dermal fillers cost about $625 to $800, with each treatment only lasting between 6 and 12 months.
Facial Yoga
Facial yoga is a technique that uses massages and exercises targeting your neck, face, and shoulders. It’s proven to help with firming the skin and comes with other benefits, such as:
- Better control of face muscles
- Promoting proper nostril breathing
- Toning the face muscles
- Making your face more symmetrical
- Improved symptoms of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders
There are many exercises available online. Here is a common facial yoga exercise you can try.
- Lie down on your bed in a way where your head is hanging off the edge.
- Lift your head as high as you can, carefully and slowly.
- Repeat five times.
- Don’t continue this exercise if you experience neck pain.
Ask a Skin Tightening ExpertWhen you’re weighing your options for skin tightening treatments, it’s important to prioritize your comfort, health, and safety. You can reach out to a skin tightening expert to further educate yourself about the available treatments, as well as their advantages and disadvantages.
