Bestselling author, revolutionary director, and gone-too-soon and all-around extraordinary person Nora Ephron once wrote in her wry 2006 book I Feel Bad About My Neck, \u201cYou can put makeup on your face and concealer under your eyes and dye on your hair, you can shoot collagen and Botox and Restylane into your wrinkles and creases, but short of surgery, there\u2019s not a damn thing you can do about a neck. The neck is a dead giveaway. Our faces are lies and our necks are the truth.\u201d <\/p>\n
Ephron was right\u2013particularly about the age-identifying tactic that is our neck. But in the 14 years since Ephron wrote those words, we\u2019ve had a lot of neck-defying advancements via lotions, electronic devices, and in-office procedures\u2013but also some huge setbacks in the form of \u201ctech neck\u201d from our obsession with technology and phones. <\/p>\n
Ephron would hopefully feel inspired (and maybe a touch horrified) by all the options to help us feel a little less bad about our necks. From at-home tools to lab-perfected lotions to in-office procedures, here\u2019s everything we know about Neck Care 101. <\/p>\n
Why and How Our Necks Age Faster<\/p>\n
Aging is a beautiful gift, a privilege. But, with the \u201cpassage of time comes cosmetic changes such as the loss of collagen, reduction of fat pads, increased elasticity, fine lines, wrinkles as well as skeletal changes that do affect how we see ourselves,\u201d says New York-based board-certified dermatologist Dr. Marnie Nussbaum<\/a>. All perfectly natural, but still a tad frustrating. You might be doing all the things too: slathering on SPF like no one\u2019s business; swearing by retinols, lotions, and eye creams\u2013but while we\u2019re young and spry, we all tend to forget about preventative neck care.<\/p>\n From muscular to skeletal to skin type\u2013your neck is very, very different from the rest of your face and body. For starters, the \u201cneck has no bony support, so laxity is more of an issue than on the face,\u201d says Dr. Macrene Alexiades<\/a>, Associate Clinical Professor at Yale University School of Medicine, Director and Founder of Dermatology & Laser Surgery Center of New York<\/a>, and CEO and Founder of Macrene Actives<\/a>. <\/p>\n Even the skin on your chest and neck is very different from the skin just inches above it on your face. \u201cThe skin from the jawline down has 30 percent less sebaceous glands, so the lipidic layer is thinner and that is why the skin on the neck and decollete tends to age faster and be much more reactive,\u201d says renowned celebrity esthetician Joanna Czech<\/a>. <\/p>\n If our skeleton and skin structure wasn\u2019t already plotting against us, pair that with our poor posture, electronic obsession, and overall neck care. You\u2019ve got yourself a recipe for accelerated neck aging. <\/p>\n Everyday Best-Practice<\/strong> From the new phenomenon known as \u201ctech neck\u201d to overall poor, slumping posture, our necks weren\u2019t meant to be used\u2013or overused\u2013like we do every single day. Here are all the ways in which we accidentally pull a number on our poor neck\u2013and what to do for each woe. <\/p>\n Posture<\/strong> A lot of Chiu\u2019s recommendations for neck care is focused on improving posture because she considers it to be one of the root causes of neck aging. \u201cIf you can maintain a somewhat relaxed neck with good posture, it will positively impact the health of your neck, and thus the appearance of your skin,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n Adjust Your Desk <\/strong> Chiu also suggests taking regular breaks to remind your body that hunching over is not normal. \u201cTry setting a timer (ideally every 30 mins if possible) to remind yourself to look up, move your neck and shoulders a bit, and maybe do some mild stretching,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n Adjust Your Hand <\/strong> Lines from \u201ctech neck\u201d aren’t just for your later years either. \u201cI\u2019m seeing an uptick in young people with a neck and jaw that is absolutely tied to constantly looking down at phones and laptops,\u201d says celebrity electrical esthetician and founder of ZIIP Beauty<\/a>, Melanie Simon<\/a>. \u201cThe continuous looking down wrinkles the neck and it starts to have a lasting effect.\u201d <\/p>\n Experts agree that holding your phone at eye level rather than looking down at it is vital. \u201cAvoiding excessive muscular creasing (by avoiding looking down) prevents the horizontal creasing,\u201d she says. Simon has personally seen a big difference in the aging of her neck by just keeping her phone and laptop at eye level. <\/p>\n Posture \u2018Trainer\u2019<\/strong> Lotions, Potions, and Creams<\/strong><\/p>\n Esthetician Czech has famously been a long-time advocate of skincare that begins at your nipples and ends at your hairline. \u201cTreat your neck and decollete exactly as you treat your face during your evening and day skincare routine, including products and massage\u2013and treat it the same way you treat your body, so it gets double treatments,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n While most skincare products will accomplish adding much-needed moisture, neck and decolletage-specific products can help reduce and improve pigmentation, fine lines, and skin texture. Here are a few of our favorites. <\/p>\n Macrene Actives High Performance Neck and D\u00e9colletage Treatment, $295<\/a><\/p>\n Often \u2018clean beauty\u2019 is synonymous with less-than-effective results\u2013but that couldn\u2019t be further from the truth with Macrene Actives. Designed by Dr. Macrene (whose accolades are nearly as long as this article itself), this hyper-clean line was created to replicate the results you get from lasers and injectables in her office. The three-time Harvard degree graduate has targeted and bottled natural superstar actives (many come from her upstate New York farm) that undo the damage on a DNA level, and when this treatment serum is used twice a day, it can rapidly help reduce the signs of skin aging and texture, as well as pigmentation. <\/p>\n StriVectin TL Advanced Tightening Neck Cream PLUS, $95<\/a><\/p>\n This beloved neck cream just got a brightening update, thanks to a trio of extracts that help reduce the look of discoloration common in aging skin. Don\u2019t worry though, it still has the patented NIA-114TM, an optimized form of Niacin (also known as Vitamin B3), which strengthens the skin barrier to prevent moisture loss. <\/p>\n Bonus Czech tip with any and all neck creams you might utilize: Massage the product into the chest and neck in an upward motion, which speeds up circulation and brings more oxygen to the tissue so skin is brighter and tighter. Plus it helps for better absorption of products. <\/p>\n Supergoop Glow Stick Sunscreen SPF 50, $25<\/a><\/p>\n You\u2019ve heard it time and time again\u2013so allow us to repeat it once more for those in the back: SPF! It is inarguably the most important product in your facial regime, and the same goes for your neck, too. \u201cWhile we are usually good about sunscreen and wearing hats to protect the face, the neck is an area that gets a lot of sun exposure and damage,\u201d says Dr. Macrene. <\/p>\n This Supergoop option is wonderfully hydrating and wonderfully easy to use. Just swipe the stick on face, neck, and chest\u2013then massage in. <\/p>\n Tools <\/strong><\/p>\n If you want to amp up your neck routine, the addition of a facial tool or device is the way to go. Whether it be ancient (a la Gua Sha) or high-tech (like microcurrent treatments), here are a few we recommend. <\/p>\n Gua Sha <\/em> Chiu has a very in-depth, step-by-step, 15-minute video<\/a> that guides you on how to Gua Sha your neck. Using a Gha Sha routine consistently can tremendously help with neck pain and tension, but also skin\u2019s elasticity and strength. <\/p>\n Lanshin Intro Gua Sha Jade Tool, $35<\/a><\/p>\n ZIIP <\/em> \u201cThe best way to protect the neck is to work the area under the ear, jawline and the entire face up to the hairline at the farthest points of the face,\u201d says Simon. \u201cThe ZIIP treatments I recommend for this are the Energize, Lymph & Lift, and Instant Gratification. They tighten the skin around the face, which in turn has a direct effect on the neck.\u201d <\/p>\n
\n\u201cIn today\u2019s world, we use our necks a lot… I think it may be the hardest working (often overworked), body part,\u201d says acupuncturist, Chinese herbalist, and founder of Treatment by Lanshin, Sandra Lanshin Chiu<\/a>. <\/p>\n
\nHow could your posture possibly affect the fine lines of your neck? Think about how often you\u2019re hunched over your phone, computer, or desk. A lot, right? \u201cEven when we\u2019re not working, our neck and head spend a lot of time bent in a forward position, says Chiu. Now, multiply that by years. And because we spend so much time with our head forward and straining, our neck muscles are required to work really hard. \u201cOne consequence is that the skin will very frequently crease at the location of the bend. Over time, that creasing will result in deeper, more fixed lines or wrinkles.\u201d <\/p>\n
\nMake your desk work for you by perfecting it to accommodate for the best posture possible. \u201cFor many people that will mean raising their computer monitor or laptop to eye level so that their neck doesn\u2019t need to hunch forward to see the screen,\u201d says Chiu. <\/p>\n
\n\u201cI am seeing horizontal creases more than ever before,\u201d says Dr. Macrene. A shocking fact that she contributes to \u201ctech neck\u201d\u2013the literal pain-in-the-neck curiosity caused by looking down at our phones and electronics all day every day. <\/p>\n
\nIf push comes to shove (or you\u2019re just curious), bring in reinforcements\u2013in the form of a \u2018training device.\u2019 The UpRight Go<\/a> sits at the top of your spine and gently vibrates to remind or \u201ccorrect\u201d your posture. \u201cA little body retraining goes a long way,\u201d says Chiu. <\/p>\n
\nGua Sha has exponentially spiked in popularity recently, so you might assume it\u2019s a fairly new invention, but Gua Sha is actually an ancient and formal Chinese Medicine technique. It has a plethora of benefits, including releasing muscle tension, contouring, and, yep, reducing fine lines and wrinkles. \u201cFacial Gua Sha and massage is helpful for keeping neck muscles supple and aiding circulation (this helps maintain a healthy \u201cglow\u201d too),\u201d says Chiu. <\/p>\n
\nIf you like the idea of neck care, but want to add a 21st-century, high-tech twist to it, grab an electronic device, like ZIIP or NuFace. These nano-current devices promote collagen and elastin\u2013two things wildly helpful for aging necks. They are very pricey, but if used consistently, a nano-current device can replicate the results of in-office treatments in just a few weeks. <\/p>\n