Unless you are super lucky in the jawline giveaway of the genetic lottery, your neck is going to be one of the tell tale signs of your age as you head into your golden years.
Also known as a ‘neck wattle’, this is the area underneath the jawbone where your sagging skin hangs out (literally)! A turkey neck is yet another downside of the aging process caused by collagen depletion and the loss of elasticity in your skin. Genes play their part also as does losing weight midlife when your skin no longer just bounces back into place.
If you are wondering how you can get rid of your turkey neck, here are some top tips to get you on your way.
Facial Exercises for Turkey Neck
Being consistent with exercise provides great results to help reshape and tighten your neck muscles. It is important to note however that you are very unlikely to regain the definition that you once had through exercise alone, as sagging skin is usually pretty permanent unless you go under the knife. However, why not give some of these exercises a go first and see what results you get. All of these can be done whilst driving in the car, sat at your desk, when you pop to the loo, after you have brushed your teeth and should be done consistently and regularly to see real results.
LYT
LYT stands for LIFT YOUR TONGUE. Imagine sucking your tongue to sit flush with the roof of your mouth and vacuuming it tight. Hold it there for as long as you can and repeat as many times as you can throughout the day. This is a also a great trick when anyone pulls out a camera…..tongue to the top of your mouth and smile!
Kiss
Sitting straight up, tilt your head back (you can rest my head on a cushion), chin high. Pout your lips and perform the kissing motion (exaggerated). Do this as many times as you can throughout the day and do it daily.
Chew
Sitting straight up, tilt your head back, chin high. Keeping your lips together, make circular motions with your lips one way, then repeat going the other way. Again, as many as you can throughout the day and daily.
Do The Wide Cheese
With your head level, teeth together and do a big wide cheese whilst tightening the neck muscles almost like a grimace Prince Charles style, hold for 10 and repeat this 10 times. This you can do in the car!
Elongate
Posture is an important issue to be aware of in the battle against your neck wattle. Be mindful of how you sit, especially if you work on a screen all day long. Take regular breaks to practice stretching to elongate your neck.
Goop has a great article for exercises to decompress the neck and lengthen the back to help elongate and strengthen neck muscles. (Thanks Gwynnie!).
Beauty Products for Turkey Neck
There are a panoply of skincare products out there when it comes to firming turkey necks that it becomes almost impossible to know which to choose. Watch out for those that offer ‘anti-aging’ and ‘skin-firming’ benefits especially those that contain key ingredients clinically proven to help such as the following.
Firming: N-acetyl glucosamine
One magic ingredient that is hot right now is a compound called N-acetyl glucosamine (a natural form of the chemical glucosamine) and is found in many neck creams. Why? Well there is some research that suggests this ingredient can help with firming, smoothing and reducing hyperpigmentation to significantly improve the signs of aging on your neck and décolletage. Check labels to ascertain if your intended purchase contains it, if not, it is worth continuing the search.
Anti-Aging: Green Tea
Green tea is a total rockstar when it comes to anti-aging benefits for skin health and turkey necks. Green tea has been clinically proven beneficial for both applying topically as well as consuming to help support optimal benefits for maintaining firm skin. This centuries old tea is super rich in antioxidants which provides powerful protection from free radical damage to help protect the integrity of your skin keeping it nourished and radiant. It contains key compounds that have been shown to improve skin elasticity and plumpness which is exactly what you want you need in the fight against a turkey neck.
Green tea is a very common ingredient in skincare products so you won’t have any problem finding great neck creams that can help you get rid of your turkey neck. You should look out for products that contain green tea polyphenols that are standardised to contain 50%, this is the active ingredient that will get you the best results.
Supplements for Turkey Neck
Collagen
Everything seems to circle back to collagen nowadays. But when it comes to skin elasticity, collagen is your best buddy. You can read our full article all about collagen to help understand what it can do for plumping and toning your skin and why you should be taking a daily supplement.
It is literally the scaffolding that stops your skin from sagging. Collagen is a protein that is one of the main protein building blocks for hair, skin, nails, bone and joint health. Collagen depletes heavily as we age so women over 50 should find a good solution to add a daily collagen supplement to ensure skin stays healthy, plump and youthful looking.
Phytoceramides
Working synergistically with collagen, Phytoceramides help plump and nourish your skin from the inside out. They help stimulate collagen production and help improve your skin’s elasticity. Derived from wheat, sweet potatoes and rice, phytoceramides help boost the skin’s barrier function, reduce irritation, and moisturize the skin, which may also reduce the appearance of fine lines. The easiest way to consume this is choose a daily supplement. Clinical research suggests that you need a 350mg daily serving for noticeable results.
Surgical Interventions for Turkey Neck
Depending on just how bad your turkey neck is, will determine if you opt for a treatment that is much more invasive or not. Here are some of the most common surgical procedures that will provide significant results for eradicating your turkey neck once and for all.
Platysmaplasty Surgery
Also known as ‘corset platysmaplasty’, this type of neck lift cosmetic surgery specifically works on tightening and reconstructing the platysma muscle in order to remove loose sagging skin on the neck. Incisions are made under your chin and/or behind your ears to access the platysma (neck muscle) and manipulated until the desired results are achieved.
Hyo Neck Lift
This is a fairly new kid on the block for treating turkey necks but is promising to help lift, tighten and smooth the sagging skin of your neck. It involves horizontal suturing of the platysma (fibres across your clavicle) towards the hyoid (the u-shaped bone under your tongue) and then to tighten the skin to recreate a youthful mandibular angle which in other words translates as a more defined jawline.
MST Barb Thread Surgery
Neck rejuvenation with mastoid-spanning barbed tensor threads is considered relatively less invasive compared to the other surgery as it involves reshaping the neck by tightening the skin with barbed threads that are ‘injected’ into the affected area. It leaves only small marks afterwards.
Laser to Tighten Skin
Lasers can work well for neck wattles and turkey necks that are not considered too bad, offering moderate results. The side effects from this treatment are few however, it can be expensive because the process should be repeated every half a year.
The B Word
Botox is increasing in popularity and commonplace nowadays. Type A botox is not defined as surgery per se but it is still a fairly invasive, time consuming and expensive investment. This is something that you are going to have to repeat as the results only last around 4-5 months if you want to retain skin firmness. Make sure you choose a top notch specialist who comes highly recommended.
Turkey Neck: To Embrace or Not?
Turkey necks are pretty much par for the course in the aging process. They are a very common condition so know that you are not alone in your suffering. The good news is that there are things that you can do to improve it.
Growing old gracefully takes a little practice. Embracing those parts of us we don’t like (your turkey neck included) isn’t always an easy task. However, self-love for all the parts of who we are is essential for living a life you love and being happy. Be kind to yourself – always.
