“In 2017, women surveyed who said they routinely spend money on their appearance spend an average of $3,756 a year (or $313 a month), which adds up to $225,360 throughout their entire lifetime (ages 18-78). The survey also revealed that more than one-fourth of all appearance-related spending is on the face ($51,120), which is more than any other body part or area. Interestingly, the survey results indicated that people in their 30s on average spend more on facial moisturizer and anti-aging products than people in their 40s, 50s or 60s.”

Aging Necks

What treatments REALLY work

Aging is inevitable. We can't turn-back time, turn-off aging processes or induce the skin to function as it did when we were young. But, we can provide some substances and therapies to supplement what is lacking, and support some of the processes which are slowing down.

Everyone's skin ages differently, and may manifest different symptoms. What you see on the outside, is only part of what's going on in the inside.

TURKEY NECK
The skin on your neck, like the skin on your face, is very susceptible to aging. Two of the most common signs of aging are crepey skin and turkey neck.

Crepey skin affects the surface of your neck and can make the skin look crinkly and rough like your elbows. Turkey neck, on the other hand, affects the underlying musculature and elasticity of the skin on your neck and results in the loose, dangling, often wrinkly folds that look very much like a turkey’s wattle.
All these conditions become more common as you age, but there are steps you can take to slow-down and improve the neck's appearance.

What Causes it?

•     Loss of skin elasticity & structural proteins
•     Loss of muscle tightness/Atrophy
•     Fat re-distribution
•     Bone position & Osteoporosis
•     Excess UV Exposure
•     Poor Diet
•     Menopause
•     Poor Health
•     Aggressive therapies/Possibly previous Botox use

 Skin Elasticity
As we age, our bodies lose their natural ability to repair and and create enough healthy structural proteins (collagen & elastin). One of the first components that begin to suffer the ravages of time is collagen. Collagen is a protein found in skin's middle skin layer (the dermis) that provides structure and support for the tissue on top of it.

Over time, collagen production begins to slow and the existing collagen is more susceptible to breakdown brought on by lack of healthy nutrient supplementation in your diet, the sun’s damaging UV rays, and free radicals that build up in your skin. This breakdown of collagen causes your skin to lose the youthful elasticity it once had.

 Muscle Tightness & Atrophy
The muscles that support your neck, and the skin over top of it, can weaken with lack of use or just the passage of time. As these muscles weaken, they are less and less able to support the skin to which they are attached. This means that your skin won’t be pulled back into place as readily as it was before. Your muscles may not feel any different, but the visible results are saggy skin.
Botulinum toxin A (Botox), easily crosses the muscle membrane barrier, resulting in muscles weakness in the surrounding (non-injected) muscles.
New research has found repeated injections of Botox can, over time, lead to muscle weakness, atrophy, and loss of contractile tissue in non-injected muscles far from the injection site.

 Fat Distribution
Some people are just naturally more disposed to carry extra fat under their chin and along their neck. This excess fat can cause your skin to stretch and result in the folds that resemble the turkey’s wattle. A healthy diet, exercise, and slow weight loss may help decrease these fat deposits.

Bone Structure, Loss of Bone Mass, & Postural Changes
The position of various bones in the neck can have an effect on the skin underneath the chin.

In a more rounded or forward-thrust head, this can make your neck skin more susceptible to gravity and the looseness that comes with age, gravitational pull, and a decrease in muscle tightness. This can be compounded with incorrect posture, and bone loss due to osteoporosis, causing the head to become forward-thrust.