If you’re like most women, then by the time you’re in you’re forties, fifties and sixties you’ve discovered what works for your hair. You have a makeup routine you’re comfortable with, and know your clothing style pretty well. Overall, you take good care of yourself.
But ladies, if you don’t take care of your neck, you’re giving yourself away. Believe it or not, the neck is one of the most obvious features that reveals your age, so it’s important to get a good routine going now.
What’s the Deal with Necks?
Unlike other muscles, which are anchored by ligaments and bones, neck muscles aren’t attached to anything. They are in a sense “free-floating” which means that with time they loosen and droop. The result? Multiple chins and saggy skin, both traits you’d rather associate with old crones than with yourself, right?
Luckily there are several things you can do to address loose muscles and skin, both at home and at the spa. There are also a few steps you can take that reduce the aged appearance of skin, such as dark spots and wrinkles, which will help give your neck a more youthful look as well.
Neck Care at the Spa
First of all, even complexions are a hallmark of youth, so you want to deal with dark spots. Exfoliating treatments and retinol or alpha hydroxy acid-based creams can both help even skin tone. If you want to just disguise things a bit, consider a spray tan.
At the spa you can also look into wrinkle-smoothing treatments, such as those that boost collagen. Products that contain retinol and peptides help your skin plump up, filling in fine lines and wrinkles and lending you a more youthful look. Beware that even older skin is subject to breakouts, and professional skin treatments can help you minimize acne and attendant scarring, which leads to dark spots.
Neck Care at Home
Neck care at home is mostly preventative. Start wearing sunblock on all exposed areas of your body, neck included, every day – yes, even when it’s cloudy. If you dislike the greasy feeling of many sunblock products, choose a hydrating lotion that contains an SPF factor of at least 30, more if you live in tropical or arid climes.
You can also do neck exercises daily to keep the muscles of the area toned. FitDay advises doing chin lift, neck roll, jaw release and platysma exercises to keep the area fit and firm for decades longer.
As a final note of caution, it’s important to understand that you can’t get around aging entirely. Eventually no matter how much you do, time will begin to take a toll on your neck. While following the above steps faithfully is a great way to combat the power of time, there’s a lot to be said for aging gracefully as well. Once you’ve done everything you can, step back and just be proud of you. It’s all you can do.