So many things change when you hit your golden years. Even just walking down the stairs isn’t as easy as it used to be, and what the heck are those lines on your forehead staring back at you in the mirror?

One of the things many women don’t anticipate as they get older is skin by the neck that gets super saggy. 

But there are things you can do to zap away the look of crepey skin on your neck. Let’s take a deep dive into “turkey neck” and what you can do to diminish its appearance.

What is “Turkey Neck,” and What Causes it?

Have you ever seen a turkey before? Well, did you take a close look at its neck? Turkeys are known for the rubbery skin on their necks, which has a striking resemblance to someone’s neck if it had loose skin with extra wrinkles.

“Turkey neck” is another term for a crepey, saggy neck. It’s when the skin on the neck is no longer firm and looks a bit loose. Wrinkles and folds are usually accentuated, kind of like crumpled up crepe paper or foil.

It happens mostly in older men and women when the muscles around their neck area become flaccid and underused, leading to looser skin.

Although many maturing women find crepey skin on the neck as a source of insecurity, it’s actually quite common. This is because no one hardly exercises their neck muscles aside from stretching it a bit as a warm-up before a full-blown workout.

So when those muscles get weaker, the skin around them becomes less flexible and elastic. That’s why it has trouble staying taut. But that’s not the only reason why turkey neck could happen to you.

There are also tons of other factors that can contribute to your skin loosening up by your neck as you age. These include your skin getting drier and drier by the day, or even unhealthy habits like smoking and not getting enough sleep at night.

But some doctors suggest that the main culprit of getting loose, crepey skin in the neck area is ultraviolet ray damage from exposure to light and the sun.

Too much exposure and damage from the sun can deplete the elastin in your skin. Elastin is a critical protein in your cells that allow your skin to be more elastic. When your skin has enough elastin, it will stretch as you bend and move around but can go back to its normal state afterwards.

When you’re younger and are getting enough skin-loving nutrients and vitamins, your skin fibers can heal independently and reverse the damage. But as you mature, your skin won’t be as self-preserving, and repairing your skin’s elasticity could be a challenge, thus the appearance of loose, crepey skin.

Should I Be Worried About Any Medical Implications?

When you first spot saggy skin in your neck, you might not make the connection with aging. Instead, you might freak out and think you have an underlying skin condition.

While it’s a hard pill to swallow, having a loose and crepey neck is usually just a superficial effect of aging on your skin.

In some cases, especially when you’re quite young, having crepey, excess skin on your neck could be due to extreme weight loss after going through a tough mental or physical sickness. But most of the time, it’s really just a matter of your skin maturing.

Is Surgery the Only Way to Reduce the Appearance of Crepey Neck Skin?

No, it isn’t. But while surgery isn’t the option you have on the table, it is the quickest way to reduce the visibility turkey neck. It also arguably shows the best and most effective results.

Before you get ahead of yourself and book an appointment with your dermatologist, you should know that these surgeries don’t come without risks. 

Because surgery requires cutting off parts of your skin, you may end up with dark scars on your neck. And like all operations, you run the risk of falling prey to infections.

Luckily, there are other options your doctor can assist you with if you prefer something less invasive. Here are some of the most effective procedures you can look into to get rid of turkey neck instantly or over time:

• Botox: This is something you’ve likely seen in movies and have heard from older ladies. Botox is a protein injected into your skin to make it look and feel firmer. It provides instant results that last months but has a bad rap for negative side effects, like muscle weakness or an unnatural look.

• Skin tightening with heat: Doctors can use the latest medical technologies to tighten your skin with heat. These include laser treatments and radiofrequency wave sessions that you can space out every couple of months to maintain firmness in the skin.

• 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.

If you’d like to know more about your options, schedule a consultation with your doctor so they can talk you through them. Remember: any surgery and non-invasive approach you choose to take is still a medical procedure, so it’s pertinent that you discuss them with a trusted medical professional.

Of course, the hefty price tag is another thing to consider. Surgeries and other procedures can be quite expensive and are only practical if you can afford to burn a good amount of cash, all in the name of gorgeous, youthful beauty and confidence.

Tips for Building an Effective Skincare Regimen to Reduce the Visible Signs of Aging 

There are lots of skincare holy grails when you’re stepping into your forties and fifties. Some ladies slather their skin with peptides and ceramides, while many swear by the reparative properties of retinol. Others love something more exotic, like snail mucin.

These active ingredients are fantastic for maintaining your skin’s glow and radiance. But the biggest secret to caring for aging skin is quite simple: hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

The older you get, the less oil is naturally produced by your skin. Oils get a bad rap for clogging pores and causing breakouts, but they’re a natural moisturizer and serve as a combatant to aging. 

But now that your neck doesn’t have as many oil glands as it did in your younger days, it gets dry and dehydrated a lot faster. This causes wrinkles, and over time, less tight and taught skin.

It’s absolutely crucial that your skincare regimen includes highly hydrating and deeply moisturizing ingredients. And you should be more mindful of spreading it along to your neck, not just your face. When your skin has more moisture, it won’t look overly loose and wrinkly.

Keep your eyes peeled for hydrating humectant ingredients like hyaluronic acid and aloe, which absorb moisture from the air and into your skin. Make sure your moisturizers also have occlusive oils to seal all that hydration in to keep your skin looking plump and bouncy for longer.

Your New Holy Grail Products for Skin That Looks Firm and Youthful

There are department store shelves filled with skincare products, and the paradox of choice can be overwhelming, especially if all you want is one fuss-free and effective serum. 

An even bigger issue is that not too many brands carry moisturizers specifically for your neck. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

If you’re serious about revitalizing and firming up the appearance of your neck, Celestolite offers a fantastic moisturizer called the Cosmic Neck Firming Cream. It’s designed for women who are starting to notice the appearance of sagging and crepey-ness on their necks.

It’s a rich, creamy blend of skin-friendly vitamins and oils to strengthen and rehydrate the feel of your skin. It’s infused with sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, shea butter, and other gorgeous oils for deep moisture—something your dry, crepey skin is probably begging for.

The cream is on the pricier end of the spectrum, but the results are excellent and noticeable if you commit to using it regularly.

If you find that you enjoy the Cosmic Neck Firming Cream, you might want to elevate your regimen and build up to an entire skincare routine with the Cosmic Firming Collection + Celestial Renewal System.

It comes complete with the lavish neck cream, a rich facial moisturizer, a potent serum, and a decadent face mask, and some sheet masks for the eyes and skin.

Aside from these luxurious, efficacious products from Celestolite, you can finish strong with sunscreen in the daytime and a facial roller during the night. 

Before going out during the day, make sure to use sunscreen on your face and neck. It curbs skin damage from the sun’s harmful UV rays and protects your skin from sunburn and dark age spots. Get a sunscreen that’s at least SPF 30.

Meanwhile, jade rollers have gained popularity on the internet in the last couple of years because of their ability to reduce the look of puffiness and wrinkles. Use a roller on your neck at the end of your nighttime regimen for a relaxing end to your pamper sesh.

Lifestyle Changes to Prevent and Eliminate the Appearance of Crepey Skin on the Neck

There are a couple of lifestyle changes you can incorporate in your day-to-day to reduce how crepey the skin on your neck has started to look. 

Most of them really just point to following a healthier lifestyle, like eating a healthy diet to maintain your weight and quitting vices like smoking or drinking too much alcohol, which can exacerbate skin issues when you’re growing old.

It would also do you good to flex that neck once in a while. If you do a couple of simple neck stretches every day, you can actually train your skin to firm up. Make sure your posture is straight when you’re watching TV or working on your laptop to keep your neck long and stretched out.

However, it’s important to note that neck exercises aren’t as effective as proper skincare or surgeries. This is because no matter how much you exercise, you can’t really get rid of excess skin. Keep this in mind to manage expectations as you start doing your daily exercises. 

Conclusion

While crepey-looking skin on the neck can be frustrating to deal with, there’s plenty that you can do to diminish the appearance of loose skin and give your skin a smoother and tighter glow once again.