Neck Wrinkles and Sagging: How to Prevent and Treat
Even the name suggests a silly, if not unsightly appearance. You certainly don’t want anything on your body to be associated with a turkey, it is not a look that is generally synonymous with attractiveness. Turkey neck is the slang term that denotes loose skin that hangs down from underneath the chin. It dangles and requires intense effort on your part to cover it up and detract from it, think turtlenecks? That may not be the most suitable or stylish option on a year-round basis.
Turkey necks result during the process of aging when the skin’s elasticity degrades and the connective tissues break down. As a result, our skin looses is the strength and ability to stay taught. The effects are seen in increasingly deepening wrinkles and loose skin. There are options to help the look of this sagging skin underneath the chin including surgeries, exercises, and various neck creams. How exactly does the skin get to this point in the first place, consider the following?
Genetics
Your genes have a substantial role in almost every aspect of your life including your natural beauty. To get a glimpse into what you could look like as you age, your best bet is to take a look at your parents. When we are young we have sufficient levels of collagen and in our skin giving it a healthy and fresh look but after years of aging and exposure to environmental factors, gravity, and biology our skin changes. It thins, weakens, dulls, drys out, and loses a lot of its youthful glow and firmness.
Genetics gives you some insight as to your future. In addition to taking a look at your parents, if you have a family history of turkey neck you may be able to predict what is in store for you. Some individuals will see their turkey neck develop in their twenties, but the majority of folks have a bit more time and won’t have to worry about this until their forties. Of all the areas of skin which are regularly exposed to the elements, the neck is often neglected in skincare routines. Don’t forget to wear SPF regularly on the neck, and anti-aging and skin-firming neck creams are just as important in this area as they are on the face.
Hormones and Aging Skin
Hormones play a large role in changing the dynamics of your skin. Flabby skin underneath the chin can benefit from exercises like yoga but when manual exercise isn't enough there could be a hormonal component that you are battling. The loss of hormones like progesterone, pregnenolone, and DHEA can be the cause behind thinned, flappy skin.
Lifestyle and Habits Can Create Wrinkles
Too much sun exposure and excess UV light can cause a breakdown in skin tissues which leads to sagginess and wrinkles. Being outside often, especially without using a strong SPF, and the use of indoor tanning beds all contribute to increased UV light penetration. To combat this, neck creams are often formulated with ingredients that help fight UV light penetration.
In addition to sunlight, your diet also plays a role in your body’s overall appearance including the strength of your skin. Foods that can promote collagen production, fend off free radicals, provide antioxidant support and are chock full of good nourishment will help the appearance of your skin look its best. Some superfoods to avoid turkey neck include:
- Olive oil has monosaturated fatty acids that help reduce damages from UV radiation and photoaging which is a leading cause for saggy skin, blotchiness, and wrinkles.
- Bright Veggies and fruits like red peppers, brussels sprouts, papaya, and broccoli are all foods high in vitamin C. Vitamin C is essential to produce collagen and it helps to regenerate new skin cells. Additionally, it amps up wound healing.
- Flaxseed Oil has plenty of linoleic acids which is a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid that helps to keep the skin supple and reduce dryness as well as thinning.
- Carrots, another bright veggie, have carotenoids that protect against cell damage and most importantly fight pre-mature aging by defending against the damage free-radicals cause.
- Wild Salmon has Omega-3 which is a powerful preventor of inflammation, including that which is associated with deep wrinkles that are produced from the inflammation UV rays cause.
- Sunflower seeds have the super hydrating and soothing vitamin E. Vitamin E is excellent at smoothing out skin that is rough or has fine lines and can help minimize deep wrinkles.
- Aloe isn’t just a topical, it can also be ingested and it has been shown to increase collagen production. It helps to firm the skin and combat deep wrinkles.
The other lifestyle factor that anyone should change for many healthful reasons is smoking cessation. With regards to turkey neck, smoking decreases your ability to get efficient oxygen circulation which will reduce your skin's intake of the much-needed vitamins for nourishment. In specific, it depletes valuable vitamin A which helps with skin cell regeneration and collagen production. Cutting down on these processes don't work out too well when you are looking to reduce a saggy chin.
Resources— Eat This, Not That!, How Stuff Works, LIVESTRONG
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