“Our faces are lies and our necks are the truth,” as the famous writer Nora Ephron once said. “You have to cut open a redwood tree to see how old it is, but you wouldn’t if it had a neck.“

While everyone is laser focused on treating the wrinkles of the face, most have forgotten that the skin below the jawline needs equal love and attention. Sun protection and daily skincare (Nectifirm is one of our favorites) are an excellent start, but once the damage is done, creams and lotions are just not enough.

As with the chest, several facets of aging skin affect this area, and most individuals will need to treat more than one of them for the best overall results:

    Wrinkles and loose skin:

    Sculptra injections can stimulate collagen in this area to help produce smoother, plumper skin (See below). These injections work as a collagen stimulator. Most patientsneed a series of 2 monthly treatments, and results are seen months after your final treatment. Silhouette InstaLift sutures placed in the neck and lower face can help with the sagging upper neck and anchor the skin back up where it belongs. Botox/Dysport/Daxxify can be strategically placed in the thick bands of the neck that pull the skin down. These strong vertical muscles in the neck can be softened and relaxed for a smoother look.

    Texture changes and crepiness:

     Radiofrequency Skin Rejuvenation can also help to resurface the skin in this area without the long downtime. Stronger chemical peels can be repeated monthly as a series of treatments to slowly help resurface the upper layers of the skin.However, the thin, sensitive skin of the neck limits the aggressive approach that is often required for amazing results. One of our favorite treatments for crepiness is Invisipeel. These series of sessions have minimal to no down time and stimulate collagen production over time.

    Sunspots and discoloration:

     Lasers such as IPL and Alexandrite can treat the superficial brown pigment and discoloration in the skin.

    Unwanted bumps:

    Seborrheic keratosis, angiomas and other benign growths can arise in this area and can also be cosmetically removed.

    Necklace Lines – Tech neck:

    An additional issue with the neck is the naturally thin skin overlying active, frequently used muscles. Nowadays, constant smartphone use with a flexed neck has led to an epidemic proportion of horizontal “necklace” lines. These lines can be treated with a combination of RHA Redensity superficial filler in the lines and Botox/Dysport/Daxxify injections to slightly relax the muscular pull.