The Derma Corner: How to take care of your neck so it doesn't show your age *too* easily
Wrinkles are a normal part of skin aging. Apart from wrinkles, when the collagen and elastin in the dermal layer of the skin gets broken down, the skin will look less supple and plump, and will eventually sag due to gravity. The areas where wrinkles and sagging appear the earliest are the areas frequently exposed to the sun like the face, neck, arms, back of the hands, and the upper part of the chest. Today, I’ll focus on the neck because it’s a direct extension of the face.
When it comes to skin care, the neck is actually one of the areas of the body among others that’s commonly neglected by most people. This particular area of the body frequently gets exposed, if not always, to the sun, pollution, dirt, and sweat. If you have not considered extending your application of skincare down to your neck, how will it be able to withstand all those external stressors to the skin? Furthermore, how will it be able to look smooth and youthful?
In general, sun exposure without photoprotection is a major factor for the appearance of wrinkles. While natural aging causes break down of collagen and elastin, UV from the sun speeds up this process faster. And aside from sun exposure, there are other factors that partake in the appearance of neck wrinkles.
First are genes, which play a role in how early wrinkles will start to appear on the neck. Second are excessive neck motions - when the neck is frequently bent down when using mobile phones, laptops or any gadgets, or with the way it’s bent during sleep. Third is dehydration because the skin on your neck also needs moisture and hydration to keep its skin barrier healthy. Fourth factor is smoking because nicotine and other smoke toxins will also speed up the normal aging process of the skin.
To prevent or slow down the formation of wrinkles or lines in the neck, here are some advice to take note of:
Start applying your skincare products to your neck to as soon as possible especially sunscreen. And if you have products with anti-aging ingredients in them like vitamin C, retinol, antioxidants, etc., apply them to your neck too.
If you’re already applying skincare to your neck, make sure to do it regularly just like how we dermatologists advise anyone to be consistent with skincare for the face.
Improve your posture. Since frequent bending of the neck is one of the reasons why lines appear in that area, make sure your neck is straightened out along with your spine and avoid looking down as much as possible. When you use your phones, hold it higher so that it’s almost at level with your face so that you’ll avoid bending your neck.
Stop smoking - not because it can cause wrinkles but because it damages almost all of the organs of the body.
Now there are procedures that can tighten the skin on the neck like surgery, laser, and botox just to name a few but these are best discussed with board-certified dermatologists and plastic surgeons. These are quite costly too so if I were you, I’d start taking care of the skin on my neck as early as now to delay any signs of aging.
Until my next article then, stay safe!
Dr. Nikki Paderna is currently available for online consultations thru the HealthNow and Medifi app on Google Play for Android devices and on the Apple store for iOS devices, or thru the FB page, Vivestrata Dermatology Clinic.
