Along with your hands, your neck often is the part on your body that betrays your age the fastest. This is because while we have no problem following all ten steps in our skincare routine, we don’t extend the same care to our neck area. The result is a saggy, wrinkly neck with dry, crepey texture that looks years older than your face.
To help you avoid that scenario, here is everything you need to know about neck wrinkle treatment, from why the neck is more prone to age related damage, to tips on how to better care for it, along with recommendations for neck creams. Your neck can thank us later!
Why does your neck “age” faster than the rest of your body?
The skin on your neck is thinner and has less collagen to support the skin structure and prevent it from sagging and forming neck wrinkles. The constant movements in the neck area as we move our head up and down, side to side every day also contributes to an increase in premature neck wrinkles.
The neck area is also almost always exposed to sunlight, unlike our body, which means ultraviolet rays from the sun can directly penetrate the already thinner skin here and damage the cells, accelerating the ageing process.
Another factor is the lack of sebum production on the skin on your neck. We often hear that people with oily skin tend to have more youthful skin, as the excess sebum prevents water and moisture loss to the environment. Since your neck doesn’t produce sebum, the skin here is more prone to dryness, which could give it a crepey texture.
How to prevent neck wrinkles from appearing
Apply SPF on your neck
We tend to be very diligent about applying SPF to our face and body but often forget about the area in between. The good thing is, you don’t need a separate sunscreen for the neck area, as long as your facial sunscreen is broad spectrum and provides both UVA and UVB protection. Just remember to reapply SPF on your neck as regularly as you do your face throughout the day.
Wear a hat
Unlike your body which is covered by your clothes, your neck is often exposed directly to sunlight. Besides applying (and reapplying!) SPF, you can wear a wide-brimmed hat to block off some of the UV rays, especially when you are outside for an extended period of time or at peak UV hours.
Improve your posture
Repeatedly looking down stretches out the skin on your neck. Over time, as the skin ages, it loses elasticity and cannot spring back after being stretched out for a prolonged period of time, which leads to neck lines and wrinkles. That’s why it’s important to have a good posture and avoid looking down while you are reading or using computer and hand phone. You can get a laptop or book stand that allows you to read and use your device without straining your neck.
Remove makeup from your neck
We all know the importance of blending foundation down to our neck to make sure our neck and face are the same colour. But when it’s time to remove the makeup, we tend to only focus from the chin up and neglect the neck area. Residual makeup built up on your neck area over time can prevent your skin from breathing and dead skin cells from shedding, which leads to premature ageing signs such as dull, saggy skin.
When you cleanse your face, remember to take care of your neck as well, as regular body wash isn’t strong enough to remove all the makeup.
Extend your skincare to your neck
Most of your skincare products will benefit your neck in the same way they do your face in terms of providing moisture and hydration. So as you carry out your daily skincare routine, extend it down your neck (and even chest area) to keep your neck soft and well-moisturised.
Apply products in an upward motion
When applying skincare products on your neck, use an upward motion to avoid pulling your neck down. Also take care to not apply too aggressively so you don’t stretch out your neck unnecessarily.
15 best neck wrinkle cream to try
Generally, regular face moisturisers can do a decent job at providing moisture and hydration to your neck area. However, due to the thinner and more dryness-prone skin here, some moisturisers, especially those with acne-fighting or strong anti-ageing ingredients, can prove to be too harsh and drying.
A dedicated neck cream is formulated to work with the specific characteristics of the skin on your neck. They tend to be both intensely moisturising to counteract the dryness, and gentle so as to not irritate the thinner skin. If you think a dedicated neck cream is a worthwhile addition to your skincare routine, here are some popular ones that have received positive reviews from people with neck ageing concerns:
1. StriVectin TL Tightening Neck Cream
The StriVectin TL Tightening Neck Cream is one of the most highly rated and trusted neck creams out there. It contains the breakthrough Gravitite-CF Lifting Complex™ technology to lift the skin and improves its elasticity. At the same time, the patented NIA-114™ technology strengthens the skin barrier to prevent wrinkles and reduce the appearance of horizontal necklines.
You can purchase this neck cream from Amazon at SGD95.
2. La Mer The Neck and Décolleté Concentrate
This intensely moisturising balm contains Concentrated cell-renewing Miracle Broth™ to encourage cell generation as well as reduce wrinkles and skin texture. The luxurious balm texture also helps seal in mosture and hydration, keeping the skin on your neck soft and supple.
La Mer The Neck and Décolleté Concentrate retails for SGD480 at all La Mer counters islandwide.
3. Sisley Neck Cream
The Sisley Neck Cream is packed with powerful ingredients to fight against neck wrinkles and sagging skin. The Oat Seed extract gives your skin an immediate “tightening” effect while the Soy Fiber fights against loss of firmness to give the skin a more lasting lift. The Vitamin E helps counteract free radical damage and strengthen skin barrier for firmer and bouncier skin.
While it is certainly on the more luxurious side, you only have to use a pea-sized amount each time for it to start working its magic.
The Sisley Neck Cream is available at all Sisley counters islandwide.
4. SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Interrupter
This anti-wrinkle cream from SkinCeuticals can be used on face, neck and chest areas, but the rich formula makes it particularly perfect for the neck and chest areas as these areas tend to require a heavier dose of moisture.
The A.G.E.Interrupter gets its name from its unique ability to disrupt glycation in our body, which is a process where excess sugar molecules in the cells react with collagen and elastin fibers, essentially weakening our skin structure. By disrupting the glycation process, the A.G.E. Interrupter restores firmless and elasticity to the skin, preventing premature wrinkles and sagging.
The A.G.E. Interrupter retails for SGD335 (48ml) at all SkinCeuticals’ authorised retailers islandwide.
5. Estée Lauder Resilience Multi-Effect Tri-Peptide Face and Neck Creme
Peptides are made of amino acids, which form proteins in our body and act as building blocks of our skin. The Advanced Tri-Peptide Complex in Estée Lauder’s Resilience Multi-Effect Tri-Peptide Face and Neck Creme strengthens our skin structure by amplifying the production of collagen and elastin. The result is firmer and smoother skin with less pronounced wrinkles and fine lines.
The Estée Lauder Resilience Multi-Effect Tri-Peptide Face and Neck Creme retails for SGD164 at all Estee Lauder counters and boutiques.
6. Elizabeth Arden PREVAGE® Anti-Aging Neck and Décolleté Firm and Repair Cream
This luxurious formula contains a protein restoring complex to boost collagen and elastin production, which strengthens our skin structure and smooth out fine lines and wrinkles in the delicate neck and décolleté areas. The antioxidant blend of Idebenone, Thiotaine and Vitamin E Derivative further strengthens the skin barrier and fights against free radical damage to restore firmness and radiance to the skin.
You can purchase the Elizabeth Arden PREVAGE® Anti-Aging Neck and Décolleté Firm and Repair Cream at all Elizabeth Arden counters islandwide at SGD169.
7. Algenist Firming and Lifting Cream
Those looking for an effective neck cream that is also vegan may just find their holy grail with the Algenist Firming and Lifting Cream. The lightweight cream combines the anti-ageing properties of alguronic acid and peptides to deliver firmer and tighter skin with more even skin tone.
You can purchase the Algenist FIrming and Lifting Cream from Amazon at USD61.12.
8. FRESH Black Tea Firming Corset Cream
This lightweight cream is packed with the best anti-ageing ingredients nature can offer: black tea extract, blackberry leaf extract and lychee seed extract to neutralise free radicals and protect the sensitive skin on your neck from external aggressors, and goji berry extract to restore firmness to sagging skin.
The FRESH Black Tea Firming Corset Cream retails for SGD153 on Sephora.
9. BareMinerals Ageless Genius Firming & Wrinkle Smoothing Neck Cream
Effective anti-ageing doesn’t have to cost an arm and an leg, and the BareMinerals Ageless Genius Firming & Wrinkle Smoothing Neck Cream is the proof. It contains peptides to boost the collagen production in your skin and algae and edelweiss extract to restore the skin’s elasticity. At the same time, the algae, jasmine and gardenia extracts help to moisture and smooth out fine lines for that baby soft skin.
The BareMinerals Ageless Genius Firming & Wrinkle Smoothing Neck Cream is available on Amazon at USD17.49.
10. Revision Nectifirm®
This award-winning formula packs a punch with a combination of five peptides, plant extracts, antioxidants and unique biotechnological blends to firm and lift the skin while smoothing out rough, crepey texture. It also helps to blur out dark spots on the neck area to give you a more even skin tone.
You can purchase the Revision Nectifirm® from Revision’s partner clinics in Singapore.
11. Murad Rejuvenating Lift for Neck and Décolleté
The Murad Rejuvenating Lift for Neck and Décolleté contains a patented formula with the main ingredients Retinyl Palmitate and Brazilian Fruit Extracts which protect the skin from external aggressors and refine skin texture for a smoother appearance. Meanwhile, Bearberry and Licorice Root Extracts help reduce the appearance of dark spots and hyperpigmentation for a brighter, more even complexion in your neck and décolleté area.
You can purchase this from Amazon for USD60.
12. Replenix Neckletage
The Replenix Neckletage is chock full of potent anti-ageing ingredients such as Biomimetic Ceramide Complex, Peptides, Niacinamide, Botanical Extracts and other powerful antioxidants. This combination allows the cream to deliver visible results such as firmer and smoother neckline, soft and supple skin with a brighter skin tone.
This product is available for order on Amazon for USD61.60.
13. Clarins Extra-Firming Neck Anti-Wrinkle Rejuvenating Cream
For those who want to specifically target texture issues such as wrinkles and sagging skin, the Clarins Extra-Firming Neck Anti-Wrinkle Rejuvenating Cream is the solution you are looking for. The non-oily formula contains Clarins’s patented Extra-Firming Complex combined with green banana and lemon thyme extracts to lift and firm the neck, while Green seaweed extract delivers moisture to the skin to keep it soft, supple and wrinkle-free.
The Clarins Extra-Firming Neck Anti-Wrinkle Rejuvenating Cream is available at all Clarins counters and boutiques at SGD125.
14. UMA Oil Flawlessly Firming Neck Chest & Décolletage Serum
This UMA Oil Flawlessly Firming Neck Chest & Décolletage Serum isn’t technically a moisturiser, but the oil-based formula is particularly ideal for the neck area as it can effectively seal in moisture and prevent the skin from drying out. The serum contains a blend of powerful, antioxidant-rich botanical essential oils with anti-ageing properties to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and dark spots on the neck.
The UMA Oil Flawlessly Firming Neck Chest & Décolletage Serum is available for purchase from UMA’s website.
15. Tarte Maracuja Neck Treatment
Did you know Tarte’s popular Maracuja line had a neck treatment? Maracuja oil is rich in essential fatty acids and vitamin C to soften and brighten your neck area, while the sodium hyaluronate and algae extracts deliver intense hydration to keep the skin looking youthful, radiant, and less prone to wrinkles.
You can get the Tarte Maracuja Neck Treatment from their website at SGD65.
