How to hold your head up high against unwelcome neck lines with skin laser treatment.
The neck. Remember that part of you? That body part that we rarely show any love but are quick to bemoan when it inevitably shows its age? We are so invested in slathering on expensive face creams and undergoing rejuvenating facial treatments and yet are wholly negligent of our necks. “Don’t draw a line at the jawline, skincare should start at the hairline and end at the nipples,” world-renowned facialist Nichola Joss reminds us.
Neck wrinkles, and loose, sagging skin or ‘turkey neck’ (charming, thanks for that), are amongst the most prevalent signs of aging and consequently the reason why the polo neck became such a wardrobe staple. Katherine Hepburn might’ve made high necks iconic but the likelihood is that it originated out of necessity.
What causes neck wrinkles to form in the first place?
The poor neck was always ill-fated; a vertical column of incredibly fragile skin, tasked with counteracting gravity and holding up the entire weight of the skull. The gradual degradation of collagen and elastin that form the structure of skin are simply yet another ‘perk’ of the process and sagging neck skin is inevitable. However, there are two behavioural factors that hugely accelerate the formation of neck wrinkles.
SPF Abandonment
Body? Check. Face? Everyday. Neck? What?
Be honest, when was the last time you applied sun protection to your neck? When we sit out in the sun, the neck and chest take a huge amount of the solar impact, fully absorbing UV rays, so require the lion’s share of the SPF slathering.
Tech-Neck
The affliction of the digital age and the reason that so many of us are encountering neck lines at 30, tech-neck is entirely self-imposed. Tilting the head downwards at laptop screens for hours on end, causes the skin to form folds and those creases stick around for the long term. It’s easily solved with a stack of hardback books or shoebox to get the screen up to your natural eye level.
How to get rid of neck lines – what are your options?
Facing the scalpel and undergoing surgical neck lifts can yield excellent results for those suffering extreme turkey neck. However, requests for surgical neck procedures have gone down in recent years due to the huge advancements in laser capability and the application of muscle relaxant injectables and fillers that can competently reduce the appearance of lesser neck wrinkles and fine lines.
Muscle relaxant injectables
Muscle relaxant injectables to treat neck wrinkles work by paralysing the neck muscles, stopping those that pull downwards causing sagging and smoothing out fine, horizontal lines. A very effective treatment for wrinkles and lines and initial sagging. Down side? Requires regular top ups and someone to insert a large needle into your neck in the first place.
Hyaluronic acid fillers
Recommended for extremely dehydrated skin or those with skin conditions that rule out fillers and lasers. Hyaluronic acid gel is injected into neck creases with the aim of plumping them out and creating tension for a smoother appearance. The logic is there and results are immediate but vary in how long they last. There’s also a huge variant in who administers it and poor quality injections often cause lumps.
Hot In-clinic Laser treatments
Anyone who’s desperately searched ‘laser treatment to get rid of neck wrinkles’ will usually be met by reams of Fraxel, Erbium, CO2 laser treatment results. These lasers all work to improve the tone and texture of skin but pronounced sagging, (that turkey neck term again) and deep neck bands will still be apparent. The good news is that the results last years, the bad news is you have to go through the experience of zapping, crackling and burning laser on such a delicate and vital area, not forgetting the associated downtime that follows. Also, the fragile nature of the neck skin means it cannot take the laser beam intensity that the facial skin can, meaning more treatments at a lower power which further increases the cost.
The LYMA Laser for home use
Yes it’s another laser, no it’s not like any of the others. The LYMA Laser is a completely new prospect for neck wrinkles, fine lines and sagging skin. Harnessing low-level-laser technology adapted from rehabilitation hospitals, this coherent near-infrared laser beam is able to travel through the skin to transfer laser light energy into the epidermis, giving it the verve to rejuvenate and repair. The heat from the 500-megawatt laser is diffused by lenses, so there’s no pain and no down time. And the best part? It’s completely safe to use yourself at home so once you’ve purchased the laser, you get to be your own aesthetician and carry out treatments daily from your sofa.
Best neck creams actually proven to work
Better still, choose scientifically proven anti-aging skincare with clinical results to back it up. LYMA Skincare is a leader in this arena. Scientists have discovered there are 8 key mechanisms of skin aging and the patented actives in LYMA Skincare have been specifically developed to target each and every one.
Closing the loop in the LYMA Ecosystem and putting a firm full stop to aging, LYMA Skincare works alongside the Laser and the Supplement to rebuild and strengthen skin from the inside and the outside. Call it the 'Holy Skinity' but every skincare routine over the age of forty needs this.
What’s the rub? How to massage away neck wrinkles
Warm neck creams in your hands first and then, either with a flat palm, or by creating a wide ‘C’ shape between your thumb and index finger, work in upwards waterfall motions overlapping your hands so as one reaches your jawline, the other is already starting at your collar bone. Regular and repetitive massage of the neck and nape will get blood flow to the skin, improving texture and increasing the performance of the products you’ve invested in.
