Why does the skin on my neck change more than my face?

Something that’s often mentioned as a skin concern is the way that skin on the neck can appear age so much more noticeably than skin on the face. If this is causing you concern, what are your options and why is it happening in the first place?

  • As we age, skin on the neck can transform more noticeably than skin on the face.
  • Why is it happening?
  • What are the options?

Skin on the neck can change in so many ways by becoming wrinkly, bandy, saggy, crepey, loose, flabby and scrawny in any combination – none of which are likely to make us feel great. And while the skin on the neck is more delicate and thinner than the skin on the face, it seems to be the face that gets most of the skincare attention.

We all know by now that exposure to the sun’s rays has a detrimental and aging effect on the skin. So, given that the skin on the neck is thinner and more delicate, there’s absolutely no question that we should be using a broad-spectrum facial sunscreen every day, with a minimum of SPF30 on it.

We also have to accept that over a lifetime, we’re likely to have weight fluctuations and one of the effects of this can be to loosen skin on the neck as it stretches and loosens in line with weight gain or loss.

And it’s inevitable that all skin, including skin on the neck skin has diminished elasticity as collagen production reduces and the cellular structure skin structure weakens as we age.

Some of this we can’t help, and some of it we can try to help once we are aware of it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we just have to accept it.

Generally speaking, and just the same as with our general health, trying to eat a good, skin-friendly diet, moderate alcohol intake, not smoking, and making time for regular exercise will help with the skin’s appearance in the same way that they support the function of all our other internal organs.

As always, a thorough skin care regime will help with the face and neck specifically and you could try adding a vitamin A product (retinoid cream) to your skin care regime.

If you want to consider less invasive aesthetic treatments, injectables can target wrinkles which have developed as a result of muscle movements while dermal fillers add volume beneath the skin’s surface to smooth out lines.

Fractional radio frequency and micro-needling can work in tandem to complement each other. Radio frequency energy heats the deeper layers of skin, constricting and tightening them while fractional micro-needling stimulates the body’s natural collagen and elastin production.

If you do decide that you’re ready for a bit intervention, try to find an experienced Advanced Aesthetic Nurse Practitioner who is qualified to carry out specialist aesthetic treatments. That way, you know that you’re in the hands of a professional whose greatest commitment is to your safety and care.

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