Learn whether wrinkle cream can also be used on wrinkled necks
If you’ve ever read the directions on your favorite wrinkle cream, you’ll notice that it directs you to spread the cream onto your face and neck. Considering the price of the best wrinkle cream products on the market, should you really be including your neck when you slather on your wrinkle cream, or is this just a way to make us have to buy more of it?
If you are like many of us, you may have begun using a wrinkle cream around the time you were facing the big 3-0. At that time of life, most of us were concerned about the fine lines appearing around our eyes. Rarely did we glance downward at our smooth, firm necks, and consider that the skin there would one day give away our age in a way that our pampered facial complexions would not.
Why Does Neck Skin Wrinkle?
Every year that we age, our skin’s production of collagen slows, causing a lack of elasticity in our skin. This results in weaker, drier skin that wrinkles and sags. Environmental factors also play a part in causing neck wrinkles to worsen or occur at an earlier age. The skin of our necks are consistently exposed to the sun, since it’s a part of our body that isn’t normally covered from the sun unless we are wearing a turtleneck or scarf, resulting in sun damage which hastens the onset of wrinkled skin.
Also, we commonly neglect our neck during our early years of skincare, focusing our cleansing, exfoliating and moisturizing on our faces.
Side-sleepers are at further risk of developing wrinkles in the neck and between the breasts from the area being compressed while sleeping in a side position.
Something else to consider about neck skin, is that many of us spray alcohol onto our necks every day in the form of perfumes. Perfumes and colognes contain high amounts of alcohol as a diffusing agent, and alcohol, of course, is very drying.
Can You Use Your Best Wrinkle Cream on Your Neck, or Do You Need a Separate Neck Cream?
According to dermatologists, any cream on your neck is better than no cream. You can certainly include your neck when you are applying your favorite wrinkle cream. The best wrinkle creams contain ingredients like retinol, to encourage regeneration of new skin cells and enhanced collagen production. Another common ingredient in wrinkle creams is hyaluronic acid, which is deeply hydrating—it can actually pull moisture from the air and direct it into thirsty skin cells. And of course, the best wrinkle creams contain rich emollients to promote a strong skin barrier to lock in moisture. So—yes—you can use your favorite wrinkle cream, not only on your face, but also on your neck and decolletage. But instead, you might want to consider treating your neck to a cream made specifically to target wrinkles and sagging on the neck itself.
Benefits of Using a Separate Neck Cream, Rather Than Your Best Wrinkle Cream
While using your best wrinkle cream on your neck is certainly beneficial, according to skin care experts, there are subtle differences in the formulation of the best neck creams compared to wrinkle creams intended for the face.
Because there are actually fewer oil glands in the skin of our necks than in our facial skin, neck creams tend to contain heavier emollients, such as mineral or plant oils, compared to wrinkle creams.
According to dermatologists, the skin on our necks need more hydration and moisturizers, and less ingredients like retinol, alpha hydroxy acids, and vitamin C, than our faces—all of which is found in higher concentrations in the best wrinkle creams. The skin of our necks becomes more easily irritated than facial skin. In fact, according to some skin care experts, if you do plan to use your face wrinkle cream on your neck, it’s best to dilute it by mixing it half and half with a regular, unscented moisturizing cream or lotion.
In effect, you can either purchase a separate cream specifically formulated for your neck, use your best wrinkle cream mixed with moisturizer, or even simply use your regular face cream on your neck and watch for any irritation. Whichever moisturizing method you choose, the important thing in your skin care regimen is to remember to not neglect your neck!
Resources— TheCut, 100%Pure, Allure, Canyon Ranch
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