For better or worse, stopping the aging process is impossible. Wrinkles are a completely natural part of this process, and they’re unavoidable. Still, many people will go out of their way to prevent their age from showing.
If you’re bothered by the way your skin looks, you might want to know how to get rid of neck wrinkles. Luckily, there are several ways of doing this. But before we get to them, it’s important to understand why these wrinkles occur in the first place.
What Causes Neck Wrinkles?
The neck area is among the first parts of the body to get affected by wrinkles. There are many factors that contribute to this, such as your genetics, environment, and your skin phototype. Your phototype and genetics are outside of your control, but you can eliminate or reduce some other risk factors.
UV exposure is the best example. UV rays destroy collagen and elastin fibers, which form the connective tissue in your skin. Once they’re broken down, the skin gets less flexible, weak, and wrinkles start showing up.
Other factors that accelerate this process are regular smoking, stress, poor diet, and many other lifestyle factors. These are all things you have control over, so you can prevent wrinkles to some extent.
But if prevention is no longer an option, and you’re looking for a remedy for your neck wrinkles, take a look at the following methods:
1. Apply Coconut Oil to Your Skin
Coconut oil is considered a superfood for a wide variety of reasons. But applying it to your skin has just as many benefits as consuming it.
Coconut oil helps your skin a few different ways. A study has shown it has anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties. It’s also effective at reducing oxidative stress, which plays a major role in the aging of your skin. Because it’s not harsh on the skin, coconut oil is perfect for areas where the skin is sensitive, such as your neck.
Try making coconut oil a part of your evening skincare routine. Even though you won’t notice immediate benefits, you can expect positive changes to occur in the long run.
2. Try a Retinol Cream
Retinol is a Vitamin A derivative that has been proven to be effective against natural wrinkles. It helps your skin make up for the lost collagen, which gives it more elasticity and helps remove wrinkles to some extent.
There are many over-the-counter options to try out. Bear in mind that, due to other compounds contained in these creams, not every product will be suitable for your skin type. You can consult your pharmacists to find the best one. But generally speaking, over-the-counter retinol creams shouldn’t come with any side effects.
Prescription retinol creams should only be considered if OTC solutions don’t work. Retinoid is very potent, and can damage the delicate skin of your neck if you use it in high concentrations. It’s extremely important that you discuss the use of these drugs with your dermatologist, and apply them in moderation without deviating from the prescribed dose.
3. Try Neck Exercises
Collagen loss makes your skin turn loose, and too much of it can cause visible lines that can be very hard to remove with creams. Thankfully, there are a few exercises you can try to get rid of this excess skin and tighten it.
The “kissing the sky” exercise is among the most effective ones. Sure, it might look a bit silly and you might feel awkward while doing it, but it will have a significant positive impact on your neck lines. Here are the basic steps of this exercise:
- Sit comfortably in a chair and maintain good posture.
- Tilt your head backwards and look up.
- Pucker your lips as hard as you can.
- Hold for around five seconds, then tilt your head back forward.
If you do this exercise a few times each day, this skin on your neck will become smoother over time.
4. Exfoliate Your Neck Skin
Exfoliation is among the most effective treatments for rejuvenating the skin. If you’ve ever tried it, there’s a high chance you’ve noticed at least some improvements. With the right methods, you might be able to significantly reduce your neck wrinkles. New wrinkles can even be fully removed with exfoliation.
The moisturizers and nutrients found in the best exfoliation formulas provide your skin with compounds that have an anti-aging effect. Exfoliation removes dead cells from your skin and promotes the growth of new, healthy cells.
There are two ways you can approach this: physical and mechanical exfoliation. Whichever option you choose, it’s important to keep your skin sensitivity in mind and make sure you don’t use any solutions that might be too rough on it.
5. Stay Hydrated
You already know the importance of staying properly hydrated. Dehydration is a very serious issue, the effects of which can be detrimental to your health, and even life-threatening in severe cases.
But did you know that simply drinking water regularly can go a long way in terms of battling wrinkles and keeping your skin vibrant?
A study has shown a clear difference between the skin of those that were well-hydrated and those that weren’t. Regular water intake is associated with better biomechanical behavior in skin cells, which results in healthy and youthful-looking skin.
Make sure you’re properly hydrated on a day-to-day basis, especially during hot days. Your skin is among the first body parts to suffer from heat exposure, so keeping it hydrated will help rejuvenate it.
The Takeaway
Now that you have more information on how to get rid of neck wrinkles, go ahead and try some of them out. Combining them is likely to produce better results, so don’t be afraid to experiment with various options.
We left out surgical procedures on purpose, as there are many natural ways of keeping your skin strong and vibrant. Of course, this can only take you so far, so when it comes to a point at which home remedies and lifestyle changes don’t work, you can always resort to surgery.
References:
https://www.dermnetnz.org/topics/facial-lines-and-wrinkles/
https://www.arpansa.gov.au/sites/default/files/legacy/pubs/RadiationProtection/FitzpatrickSkinType.pdf
https://www.healthguidance.org/entry/11649/1/what-is-collagen.html
https://www.iquitmonday.org/face-facts-smoking-causes-wrinkles/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5796020/
https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9284/3/3/28
https://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/557377
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ac9f/1f8a23b3b64f83173bafce942d307afba3ea.pdf
https://labtestsonline.org/conditions/dehydration
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4529263/
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