How To Fight Neck Wrinkles As We Get Older

One of the most popular posts on my blog has been how to hide our aging necks. I know I’m not the only person who hates looking in the mirror and seeing neck wrinkles. It’s so depressing, but it’s also a normal part of aging. So what can we do about our neck wrinkles as we get older?

When Do Neck Wrinkles Appear?

For most of us, we don’t notice neck wrinkles until around the age of 50. But, if you’re like me, you have neglected your neck for 50 years, and the damage has already been done. One of the things many women don’t anticipate as they get older is skin by the neck that gets super saggy. I was shocked a few years back at how saggy my neck looked. As you can see in the photo below, I have a saggy and wrinkled neck. I began to notice my wrinkled neck about three years ago because my iPhone portrait mode was so unforgiving. My wrinkles were glaringly exposed!

How To Fight Neck Wrinkles as We Get Older

Depending on how severe your neck wrinkles are, you have many options.

• Hide Your Neck Wrinkles

Hiding your neck is the easiest solution to fight neck wrinkles. I am very comfortable wearing a turtleneck, high collars, and scarves to hide my neck. However, we run into a  problem in warm weather. None of these solutions work in warm weather. Here’s a post was about how to hide our aging necks.

• Neck Exercises

You can do neck exercises to tighten your neck. However, it’s important to note that neck exercises aren’t as effective as proper skincare or surgeries. Because no matter how much you exercise, you can’t get rid of excess skin.

• Use Retinol-based neck creams and serums with vitamin C

Retinol is also invaluable when it comes to cell regeneration. It speeds up the process of cell turnover to produce younger, softer-looking skin. Using neck creams hydrates the skin, and many include sunscreen.

I use Roc’s Multi Correxion for Face & Neck and Roc’s Multi Correxion Crepe Repair, which are both recommended by doctors. I use Roc products to hydrate my skin and see beautiful results. However, excessive skin is not going to go away with neck creams. You will need a more robust solution.

• Botox Injections

Another option for eliminating neck wrinkles is Botox. This involves injecting a small amount of botulinum toxin into the skin. Multiple side effects are associated with this product, so it should be discussed with a trained health care professional before injection. Because I have excessive wrinkles that aren’t responding to neck creams or neck exercises, I thought I would try Botox injections for my neck.

• Dermal Fillers

Injectable dermal fillers plump up the skin in the targeted area while simultaneously smoothing the surface.

• Hyaluronic acid fillers

This is a milder, “smarter” choice vs. botox, where instead of controversial fillers, the doctor will be injecting hyaluronic acid into your skin to make it more taut and hydrated. It even promotes collagen production in the skin to improve its health and firmness through time.

• Surgery

Several surgical procedures may be performed to get rid of neck wrinkles. Many involve removing a small amount of skin and stretching it back to its previous position, allowing neck skin to appear tauter. Anesthesia is used, and recovery time varies.

 Botox Injections for My Neck Wrinkles

I was invited to the Skin Pharm Cosmetic Center in Atlanta to experience a free cosmetic treatment of my choice.

Skin Pharm is a modern beauty brand founded by nurse practitioner Maegan Griffin in 2017. After 8+ years in aesthetic medicine, Maegan created Skin Pharm because she wanted the Skin Pharm experience as a patient – and she figured others would, too.

I was greeted by a lovely and inviting waiting area when I arrived at Skin Pharm. Then I was taken to my room, where I met my board-certified nurse practitioner Kathryn Seeger. First, we talked about my goals and my desire to look natural and not overdone. Then, she suggested getting Botox injections for my forehead, around my eyes (crow’s feet), and my neck!

I didn’t know that Botox could be used on our necks!

Kathryn said her mother loves getting Botox for her neck! Well, if it’s good enough for Kathryn’s mother, it’s good enough for me!

Botox injections are not at all as painful. Kathryn was very gentle, and I didn’t even feel the injections.

For the neck, she made me do a dramatic “E,” which pulls my neck muscles so that she could follow my vertical necklines. When injected into the vertical bands of the neck, Botox can relax the dynamic muscles, making them less prominent and resulting in a smoother, younger-looking neck.

The Results

I had my Botox injections done in December before all my holiday photos. As you can see in this photo, my forehead and neck are a lot smoother. Botox doesn’t get rid of my wrinkles, but it softens them. They are still visible but not as deep.

I am pleased with the results and plan to keep using Botox. Unfortunately, Botox only lasts 4-6 months, so it’s maintenance twice a year.

Kathryn also suggested micro-needling and PRP for skin tightening.

Skin Pharm has cosmetic centers in Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville, and Charlotte (coming soon).

Thank you Skin Pharm in Atlanta and Kathryn Seeger for my fantastic gifted treatment. All opinions are my own.

Have you done anything about your neck wrinkles? I would love to know!