What the Heck Do We Do With Our Neck? Does Anything Work?
What the Heck Do We Do With Our Neck?
We cleanse, layer, hydrate, and lovingly tend to our faces, and then, for some reason, stop at the jawline. Meanwhile, our neck has been sitting there this entire time, quietly keeping receipts.
Believe me, it’s also a habit of mine too.
So, does anything actually work? Yes, but let’s keep our expectations honest. The right products can deeply hydrate, soften the appearance of lines, improve texture, and help the skin look firmer, but they cannot magically lift everything overnight. As with most things in beauty, consistency is where the magic happens.
When Should We Start?
Apparently, yesterday.
The ideal time to begin caring for the neck is in our twenties, before the lines and sun damage become obvious. But if that ship sailed somewhere around our third decade, there’s no reason to panic. It is never too late to take better care of your skin.
Years of sunshine, natural collagen loss and constantly looking down at our phones can make horizontal lines, crepiness and loss of firmness more noticeable.
Call it “tech neck,” aging or simply a life well lived, I prefer the last one.
Keep the Routine Simple
You do not need another complicated ten-step routine. The easiest place to begin is by bringing everything you already use on your face down to your neck and décolletage.
In the morning, apply an antioxidant such as vitamin C, follow with a nourishing moisturizer or targeted neck product. A few choices HERE and finish with broad-spectrum sunscreen. SPF is the least glamorous product in the cabinet, but it may be the one doing the most work.
At night, gently cleanse the area and apply ingredients such as peptides, growth factors, or a treatment created specifically for the neck. A retinoid may also help with texture and fine lines, but proceed gently; the skin here can be more delicate and easily irritated.
What Can Neck Products Actually Do?
A well-formulated neck product can help the skin feel softer, feel nourished and healthy, look smoother and appear more supple and supported. With continued use, it may also improve the appearance of fine lines, dryness and crepey texture.
What it cannot do is recreate the results of an in-office procedure, and I’m always suspicious of any jar that claims otherwise.
For more noticeable laxity or deeper lines, treatments such as microneedling, laser resurfacing or collagen-stimulating injectables may offer a bigger change. Those are conversations to have with a qualified, experienced provider.
The real answer is beautifully uncomplicated: protect your neck from the sun, give it targeted nourishment and be consistent. It doesn’t need perfection or promises in a pretty jar.
It simply needs to be invited into the skincare routine.
Have fun nurture your lovely neck. It is after all, the throat chakra ;)
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