Your neck skin is different from your face and here’s why:
There’s no fat on your neck - pinch your neck then your face.
Neck skin is like the skin on your eye lids - sensitive & thinner
Very few oil glands in the neck, less oil & moisture means skin gets drier faster
When collagen decreases - as you age, or prematurely from sun damage and smoking, you lose moisture & firmness and horizontal lines start
If you are starting to see horizontal lines, sagginess or a less defined jawline, a neck cream is the right way to go if you want to prevent the signs of aging. But not all neck creams are created equal. And price doesn’t always equate to better performance.
I researched eight popular neck creams and found a wide variety of ingredients. Interestingly, most of the products will hydrate and soften the skin, some also brighten, but many lack active ingredients to stimulate or protect collagen & elastin, which is essential. Several have proprietary ingredient technology that provides a mesh type lift, which I think is good. When evaluating what ingredients to look for here are some good ones:
Griffonia Seed Extract
Palmitoyl Tripepetide - 38
Palmitoyl Tripeptide -5
Matrixyl 3000
Alaria Esculenta
Sea Buckthorn
In addition to using effective products on your neck, include these steps:
Apply neck cream or skin care products morning & night using upward strokes
Use sun protection every day, all year
Regularly exfoliate, for normal skin two to three times a week
Consider professional treatments to accelerate the effectiveness of your home care products and provide deeper results.
Stay tuned next month when I focus on the neck muscles with a video on neck exercises.