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How to Prevent Neck Wrinkles: 6 Ways to Achieve Smooth Skin
From SPF to Botox and collagen drinks, there are several ways to look into as you navigate the space of how to prevent neck wrinkles.
Let’s face it, most of us are not massaging the skincare potions beyond the visage or are perennially stuck down on the phone, and it shows! When asked how to prevent neck wrinkles, our experts pointed out these two major concerns, besides the most essential aspects like aging and sun exposure. As unlikely as it may sound, neck wrinkles are quickly becoming an issue for millennials. The horizontal neck lines and creases on the rather fragile and delicate skin stand out against the snatched and supple facial skin. This contrast makes the prevention and care of neck wrinkles even more necessary and urgent.
According to Alexandra Petrou, Founder Of Alexa Skin, “The skin on the neck is a bit thinner than facial skin, which is why it is important to always apply your skincare products, such as SPF all the way down to your collarbone. The muscle and skin tissue are weaker so apply gentle pressure when applying products in an upward motion and avoid tugging the skin.”
While some amount of wrinkles on the neck are natural, a lot of them can be avoided through simple care and paying attention to certain habits. For those trying to fight premature wrinkles, this article talks all about the appearance of neck creases and how to tackle them. 
Why Do Lines on Neck Appear?
The loss of elasticity and collagen in the skin affects the tightness and firmness of the skin, leading to deep wrinkles, fine lines, loose skin, and creases on the neck. Some of the common factors that can develop neck wrinkles are aging, genetics, sun damage, alcohol, obesity, and smoking. As the part of natural aging process, the volume of the dermal matrix and production of collagen fibers reduces in the skin, and the appearance of neck wrinkles becomes apparent (1).
Hyaluronic acid is one of the endogenous components that is present in high concentrations in the skin tissues. These water-retaining molecules are responsible for preventing dry skin and keeping it hydrated and supple instead. However, skin aging results in reduced hyaluronic acid which affects the skin’s turgor and culminates in the appearance of wrinkles (1).
But aging is not the only prominent culprit — among many physical side effects of using cell phones and laptops, tech neck wrinkles are an alarming skin concern. The head-down posture or ‘tech-neck’, is a result of consistent bending of the neck downwards for a prolonged time. This phenomenon is responsible to a great extent for the deep lines on the neck (2).
How to Treat And Prevent Neck Wrinkles for Crease-Free Skin
From millennials to middle-aged ladies and skincare enthusiasts to regular dermat visitors, neck wrinkles have raised eyebrows from left to right. The good news is that there are a lot of ways to prevent and get rid of neck creases (to a certain extent!). Be it simple choices like personalized and hydrating skincare products or anti-aging treatments like Botox or hyaluronic acid fillers, there’s something for everyone.
1. Extend Your Sunscreen to the Neck
SPF and sun protection are at the core of skincare. Beauty experts and gurus, across the globe have been laying prominent emphasis on applying SPF daily and reapplying every 2-3 hours. A broad-spectrum sunscreen will protect the skin from harmful sun rays and slow down the signs of aging that appear on the skin, including fine lines and wrinkles (3). This makes lathering SPF on your neck highly essential, be it a lotion, gel, cream, or serum. So next time you go on with your morning skincare routine, remember to massage the SPF lotion on your neck area.
2. Incorporate Hyaluronic Acid And Vitamin C
As far as topical treatments like serums, toners, and moisturizers go, one can easily find products with hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, and glycolic acid that efficiently penetrate the skin. These components are essential for skin hydration and moisturization. The environmental damage caused by free radicals and sun exposure on the skin can be reversed with the antioxidant properties of vitamin C (4). For hyaluronic acids, one can also opt for fillers. These injectables also deliver optimum results (1).
Alexandra Petrou says, “Apart from SPF, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid and retinols - other hydrating ingredients such as peptides can be used for anti-aging. Peptides send signals to the skin to build collagen and increase moisturization. Bakuchiol is also a great hydrating ingredient to use, it stimulates cell turnover and strengthens the skin's moisture barrier.”
3. Apply Retinols And Focus on Collagen Building
Over-the-counter retinol products have been synonymous with anti-aging for the past few years, and rightly so. Retinol is a vitamin A derivative that has significantly proven its positive effect on collagen production and helps in combating the signs of skin aging (5). For stimulating collagen in the skin, professional treatments like microneedling with radiofrequency are quite popular. These advanced treatments boost collagen production, tighten the skin, and eliminate wrinkles. Dietary collagen is another option for inducing collagen into the skin; however, there is limited research to back this.
4. Avoid Smoking
A 2013 study reveals the facial changes that smoking causes and premature aging is the most prominent one. While tobacco is responsible for collagen damage, nicotine intake directly affects the oxygen supply and creates wrinkles on the skin (6). Another study reveals the rejuvenating effects of no smoking on the skin, like reversing the visible signs of aging (7).
5. Cosmetic Treatments
Facial treatments and therapies like Botox, PRP, Sculptra, microneedling, and Fraxel laser treatment have all come into the light for not only treating but also preventing neck wrinkles. Each treatment has a different process and mechanisms. The results for each procedure vary due to certain factors like existing skin conditions, and the age of the patients. From slowing down the appearance of signs of aging, stimulating collagen, and repairing sun-damaged skin to tightening and firming the skin, there is a bevy of benefits and outcomes that can be reaped through such treatments. Your dermatologist can guide you into getting the right treatment if required.
6. Take Care of Your Neck Posture
A lot of us easily ignore the importance of our body posture and how it affects the way we look. Thanks to technology, be it your mobile phone, laptop, or tablet, a lot of people now have what’s called a tech neck or text neck. With diminishing collagen in the skin, the creases formed due to a fixated neck posture deepen and tend to find a permanent spot. To avoid this, ensure that you are making regular posture shifts and reducing your screen time.
Conclusion
Due to factors like aging, genetics, sun exposure, smoking, and tech-neck, the horizontal lines that form on the neck are more common among millennials than ever. There are a lot of things to consider when you think about how to prevent neck wrinkles. Starting from focusing on skin health with over-the-counter products to going for invasive facial treatments and correcting posture, one can effectively slow down, and even reverse the signs of aging that appear on the skin around the neck.
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