The idea of neck care didn’t initially sit well with me. Why, pray tell, do we need an entirely different arsenal of products for the few inches of skin between our face and chest? For most skincare enthusiasts, best practice is to focus on the face and rub excess product down to your neck and chest. It’s so easy for neck care to be an afterthought that buying into neck-targeted skincare can be a really hard sell. However, according to dermatologists, it’s worthwhile. “The skin on our necks is thinner and has less sebaceous glands than the skin on our faces,” Dr. Deanne Mraz Robinson, board-certified dermatologist and Chief Medical Officer of Ideal Image, tells Coveteur. Our sebaceous glands deliver moisture to our skin’s surface. “It needs more hydration and may not tolerate exfoliating acids/retinols as well, so they should be used with less frequency.”
Skincare skeptics can rest assured that the wave of neck-focused skincare isn’t entirely a ploy to take up space in your medicine cabinet—your neck actually needs some extra TLC. “It should be a part of your a.m. and p.m. facial skincare routine,” Dr. Robinson says. It helps to zero in on specific ingredients for underneath your chin. “Special ingredients can be needed for the neck skin given its less sebaceous glands and thinner nature,” she adds. “Specifically, products increasing nitrous oxide to neck skin has been shown to be efficacious in neck skin.”
Miami board-certified dermatologist Dr. Roberta Del Campo says that the neck should “absolutely” have its own care regimen. On top of it being thinner, she says, “it has less collagen and elastin to start with, therefore aging can be seen more rapidly.” Keep reading to learn more about why this is the case, as well as dermatologist-approved neck care tips.
Is It Too Early to Start Treating My Neck?
Absolutely not. In the same way that we target treatments to the thinner skin around our eyes, the same care should be given to our necks. “It’s never too [early] to start building collagen and elastin,” Dr. Del Campo says.
Dr. Robinson believes that our necks are showing signs of aging earlier than ever before. “This is due to tech neck culture,” she explains. Thanks to our near-constant looking down at our phones, tech neck refers to the lines left behind from the creasing that this position creates. “The most common issues I hear about from patients are sagging skin, wrinkles and fullness under the chin,” Dr. Robinson notes. “[The neck] is exposed to more UV radiation and pollution than our face, as we are less likely to protect the neck. Also, thinner skin intrinsically ages faster.”
Can I Get Rid of Neck Lines?
No, but it’s not necessarily a life sentence. “It is not possible to get rid of lines completely,” Dr. Del Campo says. "But there are treatments that can improve the appearance.” Namely, Botox, but there are options before opting for that.
Dr. Robinson suggests starting with SPF. Then, she says, some clients look into using filler to plump neck creasing or getting Baby Botox—a smaller dose of traditional Botox—injected in the platysma bands in the neck to counteract tech neck posture.
You can also go the laser route. Dr. Robinson looks to collagen-stimulating treatments like Ultherapy to stimulate collagen and resurface the skin. “For patients that are good candidates, I will start an Ultherapy treatment plan alongside some of these other therapies so we can blend more instant results alongside the benefits of Ultherapy, which will be seen over three to six months,” she says. “Ultherapy uses ultrasound energy to stimulate collagen production in the deeper layers of the skin.” This boost of collagen, she says, will plump the lines that tech neck often causes.
What Products Should I Be Using on My Neck?
Techno Neck Perfecting Cream
Dr. Robinson recommends Techno Neck because it infuses the skin with a hearty does of nitrous oxide, which is said to keep wrinkles at bay, reduce scar formation, and ease the overall impact that aging can have on the skin.
The Neck Serum
The latest addition to Nécessaire’s lineup blends peptides with niacinamide, squalane, and rosewater to give a firmer, tighter appearance to neck skin.
HSR Lifting Neck and Décolleté Cream
Per Dr. Del Campo, this formula “combines powerful amino acids to strengthen the skin and improve wrinkles and hyperpigmentation.”
Neck Nectar
Sumiko WilsonThis product earned Dr. Del Campo’s seal of approval thanks to the peptide-rich formula, which she says stimulates collagen and restores firmness to loose new skin.
Plum Plump Hyaluronic Acid Serum
On an everyday basis, Dr. Robinson says that a hyaluronic serum is key to a solid nightly neck care lineup. Plum Plump is an ideal pick for more supple skin because the formula features five different weights of hyaluronic acid to penetrate each of the skin’s layers.