Ever look in the bathroom mirror and immediately wish you'd worn a turtleneck? You're not imagining things. Neck lines and wrinkles can make you look older — sometimes even more so than wrinkles on your face.
It's easy to feel like you're the only one worrying about neck wrinkles. They're often overlooked in conversations about skincare and premature aging, even though most people develop them.
If you're interested in learning how to get rid of neck wrinkles, the first thing you need to understand is how neck lines happen. Once you know that, you can work on a treatment option for preventing new ones and start treating the ones you have.
What Causes Neck Wrinkles?
Your neck lines happen for the same reasons as the creases at the corners of your eyes or across your forehead do. The more you know about why wrinkles develop — on your neck or your face — the more you can do about it.
Aging
Wrinkles are a normal part of aging. Some people start to see fine lines as early as their mid-20s, but they are usually more noticeable after 30. Then wrinkles and neck lines become deeper and more noticeable in your 40s and 50s, which is when more people start to seek wrinkle treatment.
Your skin wrinkles because cell division slows down as you get older. Some cells stop dividing altogether, inhibiting the production of collagen and elastin, the structural proteins that make your skin stretchy. With less of it available, your skin can't "snap back" into place as your skin moves.
To make things worse, older skin doesn't retain as much moisture or produce as much oil. That means your skin has an even harder time staying flexible, which means more wrinkles and neck lines.
Sun Exposure
One dermatologist told Sun and Skin News, a publication of the Skin Cancer Foundation, that 90% of wrinkles are caused by sun exposure. Ultraviolet (UV) light causes your skin to produce more highly reactive oxygen molecules, which break down collagen and elastin fibers. That's why you need to wear sunscreen.
Repeated Movements
Most people know that using your facial muscles — smiling, frowning, raising your eyebrows — contributes to wrinkles. Well, the same thing happens to your neck muscles. You look down at your phone, up at street signs, side to side in search of your glasses. The next thing you know, those wrinkles are getting deeper from that constant motion.
Some doctors think more young people are developing neck wrinkles, vertical bands, and horizontal neck lines, because smartphones have us looking down more often. With all that folding and unfolding of the skin causing the neck to crease, it doesn't take much for slight collagen loss to start showing up as wrinkles.
Differences Between Face and Neck Wrinkles
Feel like your neck has more wrinkles than your face? You're not alone. Dermatologists receive countless questions about why a patient's neck shows their age more quickly, and there are several reasons.
Structural Differences
First, neck skin is anatomically different from facial skin. The outer layer is thinner and shows signs of stress sooner, leading to premature wrinkles and early signs of skin aging. Then, the middle layer has less collagen and elastin than the face, so there's less of a structural buffer. When those fibers start to break down, there's not much structure there to hide the permanent wrinkles, skin folds, and deep-set horizontal creases.
The neck also produces less oil, which holds in moisture. Less oil means skin dries faster and collagen dries up sooner. With little collagen to spare, neck skin starts to show its age earlier.
How Damage Happens
Neck and face wrinkles have the same root causes, particularly sun exposure and movement. Though the aging process is also a major factor, it's better to focus on the aspects you can control.
Tech and Your Neck
In the neck, wrinkles are all about positioning. How many hours a day do you spend looking down at your phone or laptop screen? If it's a lot, you have plenty of company. More than half of Americans spend at least five hours a day on screens, and 78% say they can't go more than an hour without looking at their phone.
Even when it's necessary, all that screen time wreaks havoc on your skin. It causes horizontal creases around your neck that deepen as you get older, and your collagen production decreases while your screen time doesn't.
Lack of Sun Protection
If you're a man who protects your face from the sun, you're ahead of the game. The Skin Cancer Foundation reports that only 18% of men use sunscreen on their faces, compared with 43% of women. Nearly 40% of men and 28% of women never use sunscreen. Even those who use facial SPF might not think about applying a little below to protect the sensitive neck skin.
Meanwhile, the ratio of skin cancer diagnoses among men versus women is around two to one. And men's skin isn't thanking them, either.
How to Prevent Neck Wrinkles
The fewer wrinkles you develop on your neck, the less time you'll have to spend getting rid of them. Minimize sun damage and skin folding, and you're already ahead of the game.
Protect Against the Sun
The most important step you can take to prevent neck wrinkles is to use high-quality products with SPF. Our sun protection face care products are ideal for safeguarding against UV damage and include only the best natural ingredients.
Our Daily Defense Face Moisturizer delivers broad-spectrum protection with SPF 20 while restoring essential hydration. It contains vitamin E and green tea extract to attack the free radicals that damage your skin and contribute to wrinkles.
Be sure to drink plenty of water to maximize your moisturizer's benefits. Hydrating products prevent loss of moisture from the outer layers of your skin, but drinking water keeps your skin looking young from the inside out. You need both for optimal results.
Limit Down-Up Neck Movements
Did you know that Americans pick up their phones and other mobile devices an average of 186 times per day, or about once every five minutes? That's a lot of skin folding around your neck, and it impacts your mind and body in many other ways. Checking your phone less often, possibly with the help of a screen time reduction app or timer, may slow down wrinkle development and boost your mental well-being.
When you do pick up your phone, try to hold it higher. The less you have to dip your chin, the better.
The same is true for your computer screen, especially if you use a laptop for multiple hours a day. A secondary screen at eye level goes a long way.
If you need to travel with your computer, consider using a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse so you can rest the laptop on a higher surface. Even a stack of books can help to lift your screen so you can keep your head straight.
How to Remove Neck Wrinkles at Home
Proactive wrinkle prevention can even help to reverse some signs of aging, including changing skin texture with nonsurgical solutions. Add in some routines to reduce wrinkles, and you'll likely see even better results. Fortunately, you can get these results at home without the need for dermal fillers, surgical treatments, or invasive solutions.
Neck Exercises
Strengthening exercises may help to reduce the appearance of neck wrinkles, especially if you're also noticing some sagging. Helpful exercises include:
- The head-hang: Lie on your back on an elevated surface, letting your head hang backward. Slowly do a neck lift and bring your chin to your chest, hold, and return to the hanging position. Repeat at least 10 times.
- The air-chew: Tilt your head back and pretend to chew something tough 20 times. Relax, then repeat.
- The pout: Sit up straight and pull your lower lip over your upper one. Tilt your head back and do a neck lift to look at the ceiling and hold for a few seconds. Do three sets of 10 repetitions.
Best Skincare Routine to Prevent and Treat Neck Wrinkles
Cleveland Clinic dermatologist Shilpi Khetarpal, MD, recommends treating neck wrinkles with the same skincare routine you use on your face. You can also extend the product application to your upper chest, another under-protected area prone to signs of aging. Using moisturizing products in this way helps address environmental factors that could lead to future creases since ingredients in skincare with antioxidant attributes help slow the aging process.
In the Morning
Morning skincare is all about preparing your skin for the day and prevent extreme dryness. You need products that will protect from sun damage and guard against moisture loss.
Hydrating Cleanser
Wash your face in the morning to remove sweat, oil, and dead skin cells that can build up overnight. A morning face wash can also remove residue from nighttime products, but not all experts recommend it.
If you have dry skin, you might skip the morning scrub or use a hydrating face wash, such as our Redefining Anti-Aging Face Wash for Men. Designed to restore hydration and key nutrients, it leaves your skin firmer and more supple.
Antioxidant Serum
Wrinkles develop partially because of reactive oxygen molecules. Antioxidants work within the skin to identify and neutralize those particles, restoring the cell barrier.
There are health benefits to including antioxidants like vitamins C and E in your diet, but they may not do much for your skin. Most ingested vitamin C gets absorbed elsewhere in the body, so you'll need a topical product to see any effect on wrinkles.
Our vitamin C serum uses the latest ingredients in anti-aging science to maximize results. Formulated with plant skin cells to repair aging skin, it also contains hyaluronic acid and natural vitamin C to boost collagen and reduce inflammation.
Moisturizer and Sunscreen
Because neck skin is thinner than facial skin, it needs a good moisturizer to plump it up. Moisturizers work by delivering hydration and forming a barrier against water loss, creating the appearance of volume and minimizing wrinkles.
Our natural moisturizers do extra heavy lifting with additional anti-aging ingredients. The 6-in-1 gel face moisturizer includes vitamin E, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C as powerful antioxidants that restore and protect. You can use this in the morning with a stand-alone SPF or use a combination product. Our Daily Defense Moisturizer with SPF 20 hydrates without oil and absorbs fast, so you're ready to go about your day.
At Night
Nighttime skincare repairs the day's damage and revitalizes your neck skin. Like your morning routine, it features three key steps.
Clarifying Cleanser
Pollutants, toxins, and sweat build up on your skin during the day, and you want to remove them before going to bed at night. Our scientifically formulated facial cleansers remove residue without fillers or synthetics that can cause irritation.
Retinol
Retinol is a powerful vitamin A-based compound that boosts collagen production and helps skin cells regenerate faster. It's a popular and effective skincare ingredient that works best at night, when it boosts your skin's repair cycle while you sleep.
Our Retinol Facial Serum penetrates deeply into the skin and contains green tea to soothe and calm the skin after a long day. It's like a neck lift in a bottle - without the recovery time.
Night Moisturizer
A night cream or night moisturizer locks in hydration with a more intensive formulation than a daytime moisturizer. They're typically richer and contain additional restorative ingredients to fight against wrinkles.
Our revitalizing night cream is formulated specifically for men, featuring hyaluronic acid, antioxidants, and other advanced anti-aging ingredients. It hydrates without clogging pores, making your skin smoother as you sleep.
Or, for a product that does double duty, check out our Retinol Face Moisturizer Cream for Men.
Neck Wrinkle FAQs
How can I get rid of neck wrinkles?
Commit to a skincare routine that cleanses, moisturizes, and treats. Include vitamin C and SPF in the morning and retinol at night. You can also try neck muscle exercises to tighten and tone, which can reduce skin folding with normal movements. You don't need a hyaluronic acid filler or other soft tissue fillers to see results.
Lifestyle changes can also help tighten and smooth loose bands around your neck. This includes weight loss that reduces fat deposits and facial movement that fights aging-related deterioration of dynamic muscles.
What are the best products to treat neck wrinkles in men?
Our anti-aging products feature the most advanced, cleanest ingredients available. We recommend the Day and Night bundle for face and neck.
Our Tightening Neck Cream and Tightening Neck Routine are specially designed to address neck lines and wrinkles in men. Their natural ingredients are gentle yet powerful and work with any skin type.
Is it possible to get rid of neck wrinkles?
Neck wrinkles are stubborn, especially given the skin's thinness and vulnerability to damage, but quality skincare products can help to reduce unwanted lines and creases. Build your own product bundle, and subscribe to recurring shipments so you never miss a day.
