Get a Neck Lift without Surgery: 9 Methods for Tightening Neck Skin Naturally
Sagging, loose skin in the neck and jawline might be one of the first signs of skin aging you notice. It can be unnerving and a blow to your confidence when you see changes in your skin health and appearance. Luckily, there are many ways to tighten neck skin with simple lifestyle changes. The key is to act early and consistently.
Keep reading to learn more about:
- What causes neck sagging
- How to tighten neck skin naturally
- Must-have NassifMD® solutions for sagging neck skin
Are you ready to prevent loose skin? Let’s dive in!
What Causes Neck Sagging
Sagging neck skin, crepey skin, and other changes in your skin’s appearance may have similar root causes. The first underlying cause to consider is aging. As we get older, collagen and elastin levels in the skin decline. Collagen is a protein that provides structure to the skin, and elastin allows the skin to stretch and bounce back. A loss of elasticity means looser skin.
Sun exposure and sun damage over time will accelerate skin aging and contribute to a loss of skin elasticity. Exposure to environmental toxins, stress, poor nutrition, dehydration, and other factors contributing to overall skin aging, equally apply to the neck area.
In addition, weight loss is another possible cause of loose skin, which we’ll discuss more below.
Why Prevention Is Key
It’s much easier to delay the onset and severity of skin sagging than to tighten skin already experiencing looseness. Reversing neck sagging may require more invasive interventions.
Prevention has to do with lifestyle habits and how you care for your skin (and neck) day in and day out. So, no matter where you are on the spectrum, from a tight to a loose neck, implementing lifestyle changes will produce long-term support for your skin and overall health.
How to Tighten Neck Skin Naturally
Several non-surgical options are available from your dermatologist for tightening the skin on your face and neck. These include:
- Microneedling – involves inserting small needles into the skin to stimulate collagen and elastin production. The use of radiofrequency with microneedling is another option.
- Microdermabrasion – peels away the skin’s outer layers, which can improve elasticity.
- Botox – the injection of botulinum toxin to block the nerves responsible for muscle contraction.
- Laser resurfacing – a laser treatment that removes the outer layer of skin to stimulate collagen production.
While these treatments have efficacy, many people may have access to them or prefer a simpler approach. Let’s look at some low-cost, easily accessible lifestyle strategies to improve and prevent loose skin on the neck.
Exfoliation
Dr. Nassif always talks about the importance of exfoliation for skin health. However, it’s common to only focus on the face when we exfoliate and neglect the neck and rest of the body.
Exfoliation removes dead skin cells and impurities while improving cell turnover to improve skin health, allow for the penetration of skincare products, and brighten, smooth, and firm the skin.
Physical exfoliation relies on an abrasive material rubbed against the skin. Examples include salt or sugar body scrubs. Chemical exfoliation involves the application of exfoliating chemicals, such as natural alpha hydroxy acids and beta hydroxy acids (AHAs and BHAs), to the skin.
Glycolic acid is an example of an alpha hydroxy acid that stimulates collagen production and rejuvenates the skin without inflammatory side effects. You’ll find hydroxy acids in chemical peels and gentle at-home products like NassifMD® Detox Facial Pads.
Neck Stretches
The neck can be stiff or tight, which limits blood flow to the muscles and skin of the neck. Simple neck stretches, including looking up at the ceiling to stretch the front of your neck and bringing each ear to your shoulder to stretch the side of the neck, help to loosen the neck and restore circulation and hydration. Add a couple of minutes of neck stretching to your workout routine, or use them as a computer break.
Facial Exercises
Facial exercises are another way to stimulate blood flow to the face and neck. In addition, you’ll exercise the small muscles to improve muscle tone, which can lead to a tighter appearance.
One example of face and neck exercise is facial yoga. Research suggests facial exercises can reduce the appearance of aging. Practices include specific eye movements, mouth movements, and using your hands to manipulate different muscles physically. You’ll find many guided routines online to walk you through them.
Use Good Posture
Poor posture may be one reason for stiff neck muscles and reduced blood flow to the neck. You may notice soreness and pain from poor posture related to computer work, looking down at a smartphone, or other poor posture habits.
In addition, slouching causes the skin to stretch and fold in unwanted ways and contributes to skin loosening. Take a moment to sit up straight, pull back your shoulders, and balance your head atop a tall neck.
Collagen Supplements
Oral collagen and elastin supplements are another way to target skin structure and elasticity. In a meta-analysis of clinical trials, collagen supplements produce favorable results. They improve skin hydration and elasticity while reducing wrinkles and other signs of skin aging.
Vitamin C is an essential skin nutrient to use topically or take as a supplement. Vitamin C provides antioxidant protection to the skin and is essential for collagen production.
You’ll find collagen in NassifMD® Collagen Gummies and vitamin C in NassifMD® Immunity Booster.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Since the skin stretches with weight gain, it might have difficulty bouncing back after weight loss, especially rapid weight loss. Fast weight loss may lead to sagging skin in many areas of the body, including the neck.
Avoiding large fluctuations in weight or losing weight in a healthy, slower fashion may help preserve neck tightness.
Use Sun Protection
Sun exposure causes free radical damage. It accelerates aging and skin structure and elasticity loss. Use sun protection to lessen or delay these changes.
When you use daily facial sunscreen, put it on your neck too. You can also limit sun exposure or wear protective clothing and a hat outdoors. Your future skin will thank you!
Increase Hydration
You lose skin hydration with age, making staying hydrated even more important for skin health. Increasing hydration can soften wrinkles and improve the appearance of the skin on your face, neck, and body.
Keep skin hydrated by drinking water, avoiding too much caffeine or alcohol, replacing mineral electrolytes, and choosing hydrating foods like fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, topical skincare products can help pull hydration into the skin, which we’ll cover next.
Neck Firming Creams & Serums
Don’t neglect your neck in your daily skincare routine! Daily care with nourishing, hydrating, and firming products will make a difference in the appearance of your neck. You may notice fast results that you can maintain over time.
Here are some of the most beneficial neck-firming creams and serums to try:
- NassifMD® Age Defying Neck & Décolleté Serum – designed to improve firmness, texture, and smoothness of the neck, this serum contains a synergy of targeted ingredients, including peptides, niacinamide, betaine, and gold powder. Use twice per day after cleansing for the best results.
- NassifMD® Deco-Lift Neck Firming & Lifting Complex – this serum is an intensive hydrating and firming serum containing peptides, vitamin C, and glycolic acid, among other ingredients. Layer this serum on top of NassifMD® Age Defying Neck & Décolleté Serum for extra neck-firming action.
- NassifMD® Crepe Inhibitor Triple Action Body Butter – For crepey skin on the neck, arms, and other areas of the body, you can’t beat this shea butter body butter for hydrating, rejuvenating, and firming effects. Apply generous amounts as needed.
- NassifMD® Quickfix Face and Neck Lift – This exfoliating face mask is truly a quick fix with anti-aging ingredients, including hydroxy acids, glycolic acid, retinol, and more to tone and tighten. Apply a thin, even layer to clean skin and let sit for 30 minutes before peeling off and continuing with your skincare routine.
Pro tip: Use upward strokes when applying these products to discourage neck sagging.
Final Thoughts
Skincare isn’t just for your face; you need to address the whole body, including your lips (Add link to lip article), scalp, and neck. You may not be able to stop neck sagging as you get older completely, but you can slow it down and prevent some of the more dramatic changes. All it takes is a commitment to a healthy lifestyle and a consistent, quality skincare routine that doesn’t neglect the neck.
References
- Rittié, L., & Fisher, G. J. (2015). Natural and sun-induced aging of human skin.Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in medicine, 5(1), a015370.
- Sturm, A., Shokri, T., & Ducic, Y. (2023). Nonsurgical Rejuvenation of the Neck.Clinics in plastic surgery, 50(3), 497–507.
- Narda, M., Trullas, C., Brown, A., Piquero-Casals, J., Granger, C., & Fabbrocini, G. (2021). Glycolic acid adjusted to pH 4 stimulates collagen production and epidermal renewal without affecting levels of proinflammatory TNF-alpha in human skin explants.Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 20(2), 513–521.
- Alam, M., Walter, A. J., Geisler, A., Roongpisuthipong, W., Sikorski, G., Tung, R., & Poon, E. (2018). Association of Facial Exercise With the Appearance of Aging.JAMA dermatology, 154(3), 365–367.
- de Miranda, R. B., Weimer, P., & Rossi, R. C. (2021). Effects of hydrolyzed collagen supplementation on skin aging: a systematic review and meta-analysis.International journal of dermatology, 60(12), 1449–1461.
