Most of us religiously take care of our facial skin by providing it with the right and required nourishment but ignore the neck in the process. And this is where we go wrong in our skincare regime.

In this article, let's learn from a known dermatologist, Dr Nivedita Dadu, the reasons for neck ageing, the skin care routines that we can follow for our neck, and know about the treatments that are available at a Dermatology clinic.

Reasons for Neck Ageing

From unhealthy lifestyle to improper skincare routine, there are several reasons why our neck starts looking older than our face. 

1. Fewer Oil Glands - As compared to the face, our neck skin has very few oil glands due to which it easily gets dehydrated. As a result, our neck needs extra care when it comes to moisturization.

2. Lifestyle Issues - Certain habits can also prove disastrous for our neck skin. Smoking is one of them. Dr Nivedita Dadu says that the skin of smokers starts turning dry and dehydrated due to which fine lines and wrinkles on the neck appear early. Moreover, if you smoke, you start losing collagen at a much higher rate and that gets reflected on your neck. More sugar intake is another lifestyle activity that increases the collagen breakdown in your entire body but the neck is the most affected. 

3. Age-Related Changes - When women hit menopause, the collagen breakdown increases and ageing signs start reflecting on their neck.

4. No Skincare Routine for the Neck - Along with your face, it’s important to pay equal attention to your neck as well. If you don’t have a skincare routine for your neck, it will start ageing early.

5. Bad Posture - When we look down while using a laptop or computer, our neck muscles get affected and fine lines start becoming visible.

6. Water Intake - When there is less water intake in our body, it causes dehydration, and also fastens the ageing process, which is reflected more in our necks.

Skincare Routine for Neck 

To keep your neck skin younger and healthy just like your face, here are a few tips recommended by Dr Nivedita Dadu.

1. Sunscreen is a Must - Most of us apply sunscreen on our face but completely forget the neck part due to which our neck skin gets damaged easily and fine lines and wrinkles start appearing on it. So, it's important to apply sunscreen on all sun-exposed areas to protect them from UV radiation.

2. Apply Heavy Moisturiser - Even if you don’t want to apply heavy moisturiser on your face, use it for your neck as the latter needs more moisture due to the presence of fewer oil glands. If not in the day, moisturise your neck properly during the night time before sleeping.

Along with the above two, you can add a few more products to your neck skincare routine. This includes collagen peptides and hyaluronic acid if your skin is very dry and retinol if you have normal skin. You can apply any Vitamin C products that you are already using on your face.

Treatments available at a Dermatology Clinic

If your neck has already started showing ageing signs, you can also get your neck skin treated by a dermatologist. Here is a list of a few treatments:

1. Botulinum Toxin - It is an injection that is injected in the neck to make the skin of this body part look younger.

2. Profhilo - It is the latest treatment in which neck skin is hydrated at a deep level using an injection. This helps reduce the superficial fine line and wrinkles on the neck and make the skin look hydrated, supple, and rejuvenated.

3. Laser Treatments - One can also go for fractional lasers that will prompt collagen remodelling further leading to collagen production.

4. Radiofrequency-based treatments - These treatments also encourage collagen building and make your neck skin look younger.

5. High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) - This can be performed in a few areas like your jawline which can be refined making your skin look rejuvenated.

Though one cannot stop the ageing process, following a proper neck skincare routine can go a long way. You can also try out the above anti-aging treatments but do remember that they are not meant for a lifetime, and you must keep on making extra efforts to have younger and rejuvenated skin for a long time.