Is the skin on your neck giving away your age . . . or making you look older than you are?
Neck skin is often the most exposed part of our skin and can be subjected often to damaging UV rays. Many people who will put sunscreen on their face daily will neglect to put the sunscreen on their necks. Damaging rays from the sun will hasten or increase the natural signs of aging in the neck and chest area. The signs of aging include prominent neck bands (platysma muscle bands); loss of volume leading to lines and wrinkles; crepey skin; red and brown spots (age spots); and the “turkey neck.”
Botox / Dysport for the Platysmal Bands
As part of the natural aging process, these vertical bands become more noticeable due to the fact that they are almost always in use. Dynamic muscles such as these commonly increase in size after years of robust activity. Additionally, our skin loses volume and becomes more lax as we age, making the platysma muscle bands even more prominent
When injected into the vertical bands of the neck, Botox/Dysport injections will relax the dynamic platysma muscles, making them less prominent and resulting in a smoother, younger-looking neck. Botox /Dysport injections generally last up to 3-4 months and can be repeated when the results begin to wear off.
Laser Treatments for Crepey, Hyperpigmented Skin
Many light-based or laser treatments such as Clear+Brilliant and Fraxel can banish multiple conditions such as lines, wrinkles, crepey skin and hyperpigmentation with one treatment. Lines and wrinkles disappear when the light energy stimulates the production of new collagen adding volume to the skin. The laser’s energy is absorbed by pigmented cells where it works to break up and eliminate unwanted pigment.
Three non-surgical approaches to treating “turkey necks” ? the moderate-to-severe fat below the chin
1. Kybella- injections that destroy fat cells. After successful clinical trials, Kybella was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration to use as a non-surgical option to unwanted chin fat. Kybella is deoxycholic acid, a fat-absorbing substance found in our bodies naturally. When injected, it destroys fat cells under the chin, leaving the skin substantially tighter and the jaw more contoured. Patients typically need two to six treatments, spaced a month apart, with anywhere from 12 to 20 little injections per treatment. Results are noticeable at four to six weeks and last for years.
2. Coolsculpting’s CoolMini™ — applicator designed to treat smaller pockets of fat, including the submental, or chin fat area. The unique CoolSculpting procedure was developed by Harvard scientists and is based on the proprietary science of Cryolipolysis®, demonstrating that when fat cells are exposed to extreme cold, they die and are eliminated naturally from the body. Fat cells treated and eliminated by the procedure are gone for good, and patients can expect long-lasting results.
3. Laser Necklift — a type of laser liposuction that not only destroys fat cells, but provides the added benefit of tightening the skin. A laser neck lift is non-surgical — no incisions, no general anesthesia and minimal discomfort after treatment. A laser neck lift is typically performed using local anesthesia and takes less than one hour to complete. Because the procedure stimulates collagen production, loose skin will tighten gradually appearing smoother and younger.
