How To Get Rid Of Turkey Neck For Good

The skin on your neck, like the skin on your face, is very susceptible to the signs of aging. Two of the most common signs of aging are crepey skin and turkey neck. In this article, we are going to show you how to get rid of turkey neck and regain the smooth, tight skin you enjoyed in your younger years.

Crepey skin affects the surface of your neck and can make the skin look crinkly and rough like your elbows. Turkey neck, on the other hand, affects the underlying musculature and elasticity of the skin on your neck and results in the loose, dangling, often wrinkly folds that look very much like a turkey’s wattle.

While both conditions become more common as you age, there are steps you can take to prevent their appearance. This article will focus on the causes of turkey neck and what you can do to get rid of it.

What Causes Turkey Neck?

According to David Rodwell, MD of Charleston Facial Plastic Surgery, there are four factors that influence turkey neck:

• Skin elasticity
• Muscle tightness
• Fat distribution
• Bone position

Let’s look at each of these factors in a bit more detail before we examine the best ways to get rid of turkey neck.

1. Skin Elasticity

As we age, our bodies lose their natural ability to repair and rejuvenate. This applies to our skin as well. And one of the first components that begin to suffer the ravages of time is collagen. Collagen is a protein found in skin's middle skin layer (the dermis) that provides structure and support for the tissue on top of it.

Over time, collagen production begins to slow and the existing collagen is more susceptible to breakdown brought on by lack of vitamins and minerals in your diet, the sun’s damaging UV rays, and free radicals that build up in your skin. This breakdown of collagen causes your skin to lose the youthful elasticity it once had.

2. Muscle Tightness

The muscles that support your neck, and the skin over top of it, can weaken with lack of use or just the passage of time. As these muscles weaken, they are less and less able to support the skin to which they are attached. This means that your skin won’t be pulled back into place as readily as it was before. Your muscles may not feel any different, but the visible results are saggy skin.

3. Fat Distribution

Some people are just naturally more disposed to carry extra fat under their chin and along their neck. This excess fat can cause your skin to stretch and result in the folds that resemble the turkey’s wattle. A healthy diet, exercise, and slowly losing weight can help decrease these fat deposits and tighten the skin on your neck.

4. Bone Position

Source: Charlestonfacialplastic.com

The position of various bones in the neck, such as the hyoid (the strip of white just below the jaw in the picture above), can have an effect on the skin underneath the chin.

In the image on the left, the hyoid bone is set back away from the front of the neck. As a result, the skin is pulled back into more of a square (ninety-degree) angle. In the image on the right, the hyoid bone is set forward. This, in turn, pushes the skin into a more rounded shape. That forward-set hyoid and the flatter, more rounded neck can make your neck skin more susceptible to gravity and the looseness that comes with age and a decrease in muscle tightness.

How To Get Rid Of Turkey Neck

Even with all those factors stacked against you, there are ways to prevent and treat the loose skin that results in turkey neck. In this section, we’ll discuss four of the most common:

• Exercise
• Cleansers & serums
• Healthy lifestyle habits
• Surgery

Exercise works to strengthen the underlying muscles of your neck, while cleansers and serums hydrate and rejuvenate the surface skin of your neck. Healthy lifestyle habits can go a long way toward ensuring youthful, radiant skin. And surgery is a more invasive option that tones and smooths both the surface skin and the muscles underneath.

1. Exercise

There’s an exercise for everything these days, and your neck is no exception. Here are four simple exercises you can perform anywhere, anytime to give your skin a firmer, more youthful appearance.

A. Chew

According to Livestrong.com, you can work the muscles in your neck just by chewing more. Simply sit up straight, close your lips, and tilt your chin towards the ceiling. Then slowly move your teeth together and apart as if you were chewing a piece of gum. Keeping your lips together, complete 20 chews once a week to strengthen the muscles of the neck.

B. Raise & Turn

Lie comfortably on your back. Gently raise your head and neck away from the floor. When your head is slightly away from the floor, turn it to the right, back to center, to the left, back to center, and then lower to the floor. That’s one repetition. Work up to 10 or more repetitions once a week for best results. Be sure to keep the movements small and controlled, and don’t jerk your neck in any direction.

C. Stretch

Place your hands on your collar bones and apply gentle pressure throughout this exercise to add an extra stretch. Tilt your head back slightly to stretch your neck. Keeping your head in this position, reach your bottom lip up towards the ceiling. Hold here for a count of five, and then return your lip to its natural position. That’s one repetition. Work up to 10 repetitions, and perform this exercise once a week.

D. Kiss The Sky

Sit comfortably in a chair and tilt your head back until you’re looking at the place where the wall meets the ceiling (think about pointing your nose at this crease). Another way to get into the proper position is to think about positioning your head about forty-five degrees between looking straight ahead and looking straight up.

When you’ve got your head in the position described above, pucker your lips as if you’re about to do as Jimmie Hendrix sang (kiss the sky). You should feel the muscles of your neck tense and tighten. Hold this puckered position for a count of five, and then tilt your head back down and relax. Repeat this pucker-and-hold four more times for a total of five sets. For best results, do this exercise two times a week.

Exercises like the ones listed above are great for strengthening and toning the underlying musculature of your neck. But while they can help to improve circulation and give your skin a firmer appearance, they do little to change the outward appearance. That’s where the next solution comes in.

2. Skin Cleansers And Serums

The factors that affect the skin on your neck often play a big part in causing wrinkles on your chest. As such, the same technology that is used to treat wrinkles on the chest can be used to treat the wrinkly, loose skin on your neck.

Products like the SiO Décolleté Cleansing Discs, SiO Skin Pad, and SiO Décolleté Serum can go a long way toward preventing and treating the wrinkles associated with turkey neck. While the SiO SkinPad is specifically designed to heal and prevent wrinkles on the décolleté, the cleansing discs and décolleté serum can be used on the skin of your neck and even on your face. Best of all, the SiO NeckLift patch is specifically designed to hydrate, plump, and tighten the skin on your neck. It is truly a godsend in the fight against turkey neck!

The SiO cleansing discs use a gentle yet effective combination of glycolic and lactic acids to lightly exfoliate, remove old skin cells, and clear pores. This combination of beneficial actions helps your skin maintain its youthful appearance.

The SiO décolleté serum continues the healing and prevention by smoothing existing wrinkles and further tightening and hydrating the skin of your neck. It does this through a powerful blend of ingredients, including:

• Wrinkle relaxers like stevioside
• Hydrators like glycerin and hyaluronic acid
• Brighteners like vitamin C matrix
• Anti-inflammatories like shea butter, licorice root, and aloe
• Anti-aging compounds like coconut oil, vitamin E, and green tea

Used in conjunction with exercise, cleansers and décolleté serums can have a drastic effect on the appearance of the skin of your neck. But that’s not all you can do to get rid of turkey neck! There are a few other steps you can take to tighten up your skin.

3. Healthy Lifestyle Habits

As we’re certain you already know, making healthy choices in your day-to-day life has a huge impact on your well-being. This is true for your physical health in general, but it’s also true for your skin. The following healthy lifestyle habits can help you to get rid of turkey neck and keep your skin youthful.

A. Be Active

Earlier in the article, we described four great exercises you can do to help tighten up your neck’s skin. But don’t stop there! Try to be active for 30 minutes or more at least three times per week.

Getting regular exercise works wonders for your skin. It increases blood circulation, which ensures that skin cells receive all the nutrients they need to stay healthy. In addition, studies have shown that exercise reduces stress, which also results in more youthful-looking skin.

B. Get Your Beauty Rest

This is perhaps the most enjoyable healthy lifestyle habit. Everyone loves getting a good night’s sleep! Try to get at least six hours of sleep every night, but aim for seven to eight hours per night if possible.

Sleeping refreshes your body and allows your skin to rejuvenate itself. Follow the fantastic tips in our post on getting the ultimate beauty sleep, and you’ll start to see your skin tightening up in no time.

C. Keep A Healthy diet

If you’re serious about getting rid of turkey neck, then you must eat well. Eating a healthy anti-aging diet has multiple benefits for your skin. Many vitamins and minerals act as antioxidants, which means they remove toxins and free radicals from your body. This protects your skin cells and keeps them youthful. Healthy fats and oils can help keep your skin hydrated and moisturized.

On top of all that, certain foods and spices have anti-inflammatory properties and can help improve blood circulation. All of that goes a long way toward getting rid of turkey neck!

D. Drink Alcohol In Moderation

Everyone loves having a glass of wine or a cocktail every now and then, but you shouldn’t overdo it. Overconsumption of alcohol isn’t just bad for your liver; it’s bad for your skin. As your body processes alcohol, it becomes dehydrated.

This dehydration means that your skin cells lose the moisture they need to stay healthy. Alcohol also saps your skin cells of vitamin A, which is crucial for removing toxins. Always drink in moderation to prevent unnecessary damage to your skin.

E. Limit Your Time In The Sun

Despite how wonderful it feels to lounge in the sunshine, the sun’s rays are one of the main causes of aging skin. This is because UV rays break down your skin’s collagen and elastin, both of which are essential for healthy, youthful skin. As these crucial proteins get destroyed, your skin loses its plumpness and elasticity. The result is wrinkly, sagging skin.

To prevent sun damage, apply sunscreen every single morning before you leave the house, and try to limit the amount of time you spend in direct sunlight.

F. Stay Hydrated

Water is an essential component of the human body. As such, we need to drink lots of it to stay healthy! This is especially true for your skin. Drinking at least eight cups of water per day helps flush out toxins, provides ample hydration to skin cells, and keeps all other normal body processes on track. Stay hydrated if you’re trying to beat turkey neck.

G. Don't Smoke!

This tip obviously doesn’t apply to everyone, but if you’re a smoker, we implore you to quit immediately! Smoking does so many horrible things to your skin that we can’t even begin to list them all here. We can sum it up by saying this: smoking critically damages your skin and can lead to things like turkey neck. If you’re a smoker, do everything you can to quit ASAP.

Used in conjunction with neck exercises, cleansers, and décolleté serums, healthy lifestyle habits can have a drastic effect on the appearance of your neck. All of these methods are less expensive and less invasive than the next method for getting rid of turkey neck. That’s why we always recommend trying every other remedy first before turning to the last resort: surgery.

3. Surgery

No discussion about the skin would be complete without mention of surgical solutions. The surgical solution specific to turkey neck is a combination of cervicoplasty (removing excess skin) and platysmaplasty (tightening loose neck muscles).

According to the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, a small incision is made behind each ear, and possibly underneath the chin. Through these incisions, the surgeon will remove excess skin and tighten the neck muscles to give the neck a more youthful appearance.

While surgery can be an effective way to get rid of turkey neck, it is an invasive procedure and can require up to two weeks recovery time. In addition, bruising and swelling are normal side effects of the surgery and should subside gradually over the course of a few months.

The Best Turkey Neck Solution For You

While surgery may be a quick solution to the problem, it’s often best to try other, less invasive options before electing to go under the knife or needle. For one, surgery is expensive. It can cost thousands of dollars per treatment and may even require several rounds before desirable results are reached.

The invasive nature of the procedures often necessitates considerable recovery time that may not be available to those with busy lives. Depending on what you have done, recovery can last anywhere from a week to a month or more. Be sure you factor in this time when making your decision.

And last but certainly not least, surgery of any kind comes with the risk of side effects that could become permanent. Take wrinkle fillers, for example. This relatively simple procedure can result in tiny bumps, the Tyndall Effect (a bluish skin discoloration), and even blindness and nerve paralysis. These side effects usually occur only in extreme cases, but you should be aware of the possible risks before going under the knife. Always consult a dermatologist or plastic surgeon before turning to surgery or other invasive options.

A less expensive—yet quite effective—option for getting rid of turkey neck is any one of the other solutions suggested in this article. All of the methods we’ve mentioned are safe and convenient. Plus, they produce real results!

And there’s nothing stopping you from using multiple turkey neck treatments at the same time. In fact, that’s exactly what we recommend: a trio of daily neck exercises, healthy lifestyle choices, and SiO Décolleté Cleansing Discs as well as the SiO Décolleté Serum. These combined solutions can help reduce existing wrinkles, prevent new wrinkles from forming, and stave off the natural aging processes that lead to turkey neck.