The neck has become an extension of the face. No doubt about it! However, when it comes to skin-care regimens, one mistake people often make is to focus exclusively on their face. When we interact with someone and look into their eyes, our vision takes in a lot of the upper body as well.
Remember, the neck gets a lot of sun exposure except for the small "V" area just under the chin because of the little shadow that’s created there. The neck is at high risk for sun-related damage such as brown spots, wrinkling, dry crepey skin, and red spots. Along with the chest, the neck is also a high-risk area for skin cancer. This is particularly true for women or anyone who gets high doses of sun on their chest and neck. Women may be a bit more at-risk since today's fashion designs can reveal a lot of skin. And while no one wants cancer, no one wants scars created by skin cancer removals on the face, neck, chest, or cleavage areas either. The best approach is prevention!
How do you keep your neck looking young and healthy?
1. Protect the neck from the sun. When applying sunscreen, don’t stop with just the face. Be sure to go below the chin covering the neck and chest with your broad-spectrum titanium dioxide or micronized zinc-based sunscreen. We like EltaMD UV Facial.
For the neck and chest areas, avoid brands that are tinted so you don’t stain your blouses and tops. Tinted sunscreens are great for the face serving double duty as a foundation or concealer, but if a tinted cream gets on your clothes it’s permanent.
2. Keep a lightweight cotton scarf on hand for heavy sun-exposure days. A physical barrier is powerful protection and a scarf is easy to throw in a bag.
3. Apply facial moisturizers to your neck. If it’s good for your face, it’s good for your neck. Keep your neck well hydrated to prevent dryness. Dry skin always looks more wrinkled. Think about grapes vs. raisins! Keep your neck a grape!
4. This goes for your facial anti-aging creams too. Apply them to your neck to extend their age-defying benefits beyond the face.
5. Try Nectifirm rejuvenation cream. It helps with fine lines and improves skin texture.
6. Chemical peels are a great way to even skin texture and soften discolorations. Schedule a complimentary consultation with one of our aestheticians to discuss how our peels can help you.
If you want to try this out on your own, we recommend a light home peel like our DCL glycolic acid peel pads. If you have sensitive skin, try the lighter 10% peel. If you feel confident that your skin is strong enough, try the 20% strength. Home peels prime your skin for the in-office peels.
7. Photorejuvenation techniques like our IPL (intense pulsed light) laser device can be used to even out brown and red spots in the neck area. This approach requires a series of several treatments, but there is very little downtime and achieves great results!
8. Botox can be used to soften the bands extending vertically on the neck as well as the horizontal lines (the "necklace lines") that can form across the neck.
9. Nefertiti was known for her long, elegant neck. We can help you create a more graceful profile with our "Nefertiti lift." This new, in-office treatment is done with botox. It adds definition to your jawline and gives you a lift along the sides of the neck.
10. Last but not least, Kybella is an exciting advanced treatment that dissolves fat on the neck under the chin area. That’s right, we can now get rid of your "double chin" WITHOUT surgery! All that’s involved is a series of easy, virtually painless injections. SoCo Dermatology was one of the first dermatology offices in the state of CT to perform this technique.
So don’t forget your neck!
Now that you know how important this is, get in touch with us!
Call us: (203) 323-5660 or
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