It’s normal to get wrinkles and lines around the neck as you age, just like any other kind of wrinkling. Still, a lot of people want them to stay away for as long as possible. In this health blog, we will answer why is my neck aging so fast.
What Do Neck Lines Mean?
Different things we do every day and the normal ageing process can both cause necklines. Horizontal lines on your neck are caused by the same factors that cause wrinkles on other areas of your face. Weakening of the skin foundation, along with constriction of muscles under the skin, lead to skin folding and wrinkles that over time will stick around even at rest.
Why do necklines happen?
Most of the signs of ageing are normal, but all that time you spend on Instagram is making your neck lines worse. The more we engage in activities that lead to the folding of the skin, the earlier lines and wrinkles will start to set in. “Tech neck” is a condition that has come about because more people are using cell phones. Now more than ever, we bend our heads down and fold the skin on our necks. This is likely one reason why the number of wrinkles in the necks of even younger people has grown.
If you have more neck lines than other people, it doesn’t always mean that you use your phone more than they do. Sun damage, smoke, and skin tone are some of the things that can make your neck look older. If the skin is damaged, then collagen and elastin are not functioning optimally and the skin cannot resist wrinkling or bounce back from folding the way that it should. People with lighter skin tend to be more susceptible to environmental aging and develop wrinkles at an earlier age than those with darker skin types. Wounds appear as collagen and elastin levels in the skin drop with age. Neck lines are affected by many things, such as age, hormones, and the way you live your life.
You can’t change some things, like your age or the fact that forehead lines run in your family. But there are many things you can do to get rid of wrinkles, such as:
- Keeping away from too much sun
- Giving up or cutting down on smoking
- Using methods to deal with stress
- Keeping up a healthy diet
- Keeping the atmosphere free of harmful things like air pollution
- Using the right stance
When do neck lines start to show up?
In your 20s and 30s, fine lines start to show up on your face and neck. Some people may feel like lines come out of nowhere. Any kind of wrinkle starts out as a very small line that you might not even notice.
Many people won’t notice more obvious signs of getting older until they are in their 40s, 50s, or older. Aside from age, there are many other things that affect when neck lines start to show up, such as genes, sun damage, smoking, and posture.
How to keep your neck smooth
Here are some ways to make neck lines look less noticeable and help stop new ones from showing up.
1. Put on sunscreen
Sunscreen is the most important thing you can do to avoid getting lines on your neck and ageing faster than you should. Researchers have found a strong link between being in the sun without protection and getting wrinkles (Wong, 2021).
Sun protection from the sun’s strong ultraviolet rays can also help stop cell damage, ageing before its time, and diseases like skin cancer.
Cover up your face, neck, chest, and any other parts that will be revealed by putting sunscreen on them. Try to use sunscreen with at least 30 SPF. A hat and clothes that protect you from the sun are also good ideas.
2. Don’t smoke or give up smoking
Smoking cigarettes is bad for your health in many ways, including the way your skin looks. One study that looked at twins and smoking found that the twin who smoked had more jowls (sagging skin below the chin and jawline) and more eye bags.
There may also be a dose-dependent link between smoking and wrinkles, which means that the more cigarettes you smoke over the course of your life, the worse your wrinkles may get (Goodman, 2019).
3. Use serums with antioxidants
Antioxidants are a common (and natural) ingredient in skin care products that help fight ageing. Vitamin C, vitamin E, flavonoids, and polyphenols are all well-known antioxidants that are used in skin care.
To keep cells from getting hurt, antioxidants fight off free radicals (Ganceviciene, 2012). This can help protect your skin.
4. Pay attention to your stance
Sometimes, when you work at a desk or look down a lot, you might be giving your neck a positional shift. If your skin is younger, these folds will go back into place when you stand up straight.
As time goes on, these folds may change into fine lines and then deep wrinkles. If you want to avoid neck wrinkles, make sure you have good balance, watch how you hold your phone, and sleep in the right position.
5. Creams with retinol
Retinoids and retinol are well-known skin care ingredients if you haven’t heard of them before. In order to lessen the look of lines, retinoids increase the production of collagen, new cells, and elastin (Ganceviciene, 2012).
Accutane, which is the brand name for isotretinoin, is the strongest retinoid and can only be bought with a prescription from a physician. You can buy retinoids of a lower strength over the counter.
6. Keep your skin moist
According to research, people with dry skin may be more likely to get lines and loose skin (Wang, 2009).
A lot of people remember to moisturise their face, but many forget to rub skin care products down their neck and upper chest. By moisturising, you can keep water in your skin for longer, which keeps it hydrated and makes it look fuller. For three months, using anti-wrinkle creams cut down on the depth of wrinkles and made the skin tighter (Poetschke, 2016).
7. Take a shower
Chemical exfoliants, like alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy acids, and tools that rub away dead skin cells are used by a lot of people.
According to research, this may help improve lines, tone, suppleness, and the look of sun damage. Don’t scrub your skin too much, as that can make it feel more sensitive and turn it red (Moghimipour, 2012).
8. Take care of your body.
For all parts of your health, a good food is important. Not getting enough nutrients can lead to diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and many other health problems. It can also cause skin to age faster than it should.
According to research, eating a lot of veggies and fatty acids can help keep your skin healthy and lower your risk of getting wrinkles. Do not eat sweetened or processed foods because they are low in nutrients and often have a lot of sugar added to them. (Wong, 2021).
9. Deal with stress
You wouldn’t believe it, but being stressed out all the time could hurt your face. The body makes more cortisol, the “stress” hormone, when there is a lot of worry (Chen, 2014). This can make the skin layer less strong.
Breakouts, dry skin, and neck lines are more likely to happen if your skin layer is weak. Deep breathing, exercise, meditation, talking to friends, or doing any hobby you enjoy are all good ways to deal with stress.
10. Neck patches made of silicone
More and more people are using silicone sticky pads to treat neck wrinkles and make them look less noticeable. One study found that putting on topical sticky pads for a few hours made crow’s feet look better for a short time (Mazzarello, 2018).
They keep your face from wrinkling, and you can wear them to work or to sleep. Silicone neck patches are still being studied by researchers, so it’s not yet clear how well they work in the long run.
11. Fillers and Botox
Botox and facial fillers can help stop neck lines from showing up or make them less noticeable. Fillers work by putting gel into wrinkles to smooth them out and make the skin look fuller.
A small amount of the poison botulinum toxin is injected into the wrinkle as part of Botox. In this way, the look of lines is less noticeable.
12. Surgery
Some people may decide to get a face lift to fix droopy skin around the neck that is very bad. Most of the time, surgery is the last choice because it is the most painful and expensive. In addition, you need more time to heal, and it’s not always easy to tell how the process will go.
You should talk to a plastic surgeon about getting a face or neck lift to find out if you’re a good fit and if it’s the best choice for you.
There are many things that can help you get rid of wrinkles or stop them from showing up in the first place. You might not be able to stop getting wrinkles, but you might be able to slow it down.