Leave the Turkey at the Table!!

Skin Concern: Turkey Neck

The Holiday season is well and truly upon us, Thanksgiving has been and gone, and whilst Turkey is the height of conversation, we may as well talk about turkey necks, and no, we are not talking about the ones you eat! If this isn’t making any sense, let us explain.

A “turkey neck” is defined as the loose skin hanging down around the neck that tends to become more and more apparent with age or with significant weight loss. As we age, most of us pay very careful attention to the skin on our lovely faces, but tend to disregard the décolleté area and hands. A woman’s face may not give away her true age, but a quick glance of the neck, chest or hands will be sure to give a good insight.

Unfortunately, as we age the skin loses its elasticity. With the neck and chest area exposed directly to the sun it is often forgotten about when it comes to some TLC. On top of that, the skin on these areas (including the hands) is dryer and thinner than the skin on the rest of the body. Neglecting these areas will surely speed up the aging process leading to sagging and dry skin, effectively piling the years on and leaving you with the dreaded “turkey neck”.

So how do we leave the Turkey Neck at the Table?

The key of course lies in prevention! Early action is needed, but if you are already starting to see the signs of skin sagging around the neck area, do not fear, there is still hope! Here we enlighten you on how to make sure that your décolleté area never reveals your true age…

Sunscreen

Make sure to expand your facial sunscreen routine to include your neck, chest and hand areas. This is one of the best prevention techniques out there. Sun exposure can not only cause sunspots (age spots) and broken blood vessels, but also break up the collagen in our skin. Make sure you are applying your sunscreen to ALL these areas every morning to prevent premature aging of the skin!

Try some Nexercise!

We use exercise to tone up our bodies so why not the neck? You can use specific neck exercise movements to increase the muscular support and tone up the chin and neck area. Try these simple nexercises once a day:

1. Place one hand on the forehead and push your head against the force without letting the head go forwards. Hold for 10 seconds. Then press your hand behind your head and do the same but with pushing backwards and again hold for 10 seconds.

2. Sit upright with your back straight. Tilt your head towards the ceiling. Now make a chewing motion with your mouth. (maybe best not to do this one in the office). Repeat 20 times. You can do the same again but this time pout your lips in a kissing motion; this will activate different muscles in the neck.

Get a Helping Hand

There are various professional techniques out there that can help reduce the turkey neck you may already be sporting (and prevent it) including microdermabrasion and radiofrequency treatments to name a few. Microdermabrasion will effectively remove a small layer of the skin and stimulate the production of a new layer in turn firming the neck area. It may take several treatments to see and feel results but the skin will be absoultely forced to renew itself and feel soft to the touch as an added bonus. Combining microdermabrasion with a radiofrequency treatment to boost collagen production and to build firmness will ultimately tighten any loose skin. The Silk’n Facetite is a home use radiofrequency treatment device that can also be used on the hands (and face) for a tightening of the skin on a molecular scale to renew the once youthful skin in the desired areas. It is best to use the Silk’n Facetite after a Microdermabrasion treatment, the two very much go hand in hand working their magic together.

So this Thanksgiving, let us be thankful that the “turkey neck” can be left at the table.