my journey to a rejuvenated self

As you head into your forties and fifties, you will discover that your skin is starting to droop a little. Your cheeks are not as toned and smooth as they were in your twenties or thirties, and hints of wrinkles are beginning to appear. Along with that, some people experience a sagging along the jowls and neck, producing an uncomplimentary "turkey neck", even when you did not have a double chin originally. To address your turkey neck problem, there are some skin care products you can use and some cosmetic procedures you can take advantage of which will reduce this neck wobble in time for this year's holiday festivities.

Neck Tightening Serums and Creams

These products add moisture to dry older skin making it look less craggy. Less craggy and smoother skin looks younger, even if it does sag a little bit. Additionally, high-end tightening products deliver on their promises because they are manufactured by skin care researchers in labs that focus on creating healthier skin and eliminating scar tissue. Some of these labs are responsible for producing products that have helped burn victims heal, and those are the products and product lines you want for your own skin troubles.

Also, it should be noted that if you are in your fifties or above, creams are no longer effective because the medicinal concentrates in them are much lower than in serums. Mature skin responds better to a serum. It not only provides more of the medicinal treatment you are looking for, but also sinks deep into the tissues in your neck and softens beyond the surface layers.

Electric Pulse and Laser Stimulation

These two methods send electric or laser pulses to the muscles underneath your jaw and chin. The muscles respond by tightening up and drawing the skin and loose flesh back. It feels like a muscle twitch, which it should, since these methods imitate the body's natural bio-electric stimuli. Repeated treatments have some effect on turkey neck, although it seems that it is most effective on less severe "gobblers".

Liposuction

If there is a little extra fat padding around your neck area, then a little liposuction can take that out. A plastic surgeon can ascertain if what you have is fat or just loose muscle. Some people opt to have liposuction with a face lift. This dual procedure reduces the little chub rolls along the jawline, decreases the sight of wrinkles, and your own fat can be used as a wrinkle filler elsewhere in your face.

Surgical Neck Tightening

If you have a turkey neck that hangs so low you wrap scarves around it in the middle of summer, then surgical neck tightening might be the best choice for you. Essentially, a plastic surgeon makes incisions along your jawline, then pulls the loose muscle in the neck up to where it meets the muscles of your chin, stitches them together, and closes up the incisions. It is a very dramatic procedure, and one that allows you to hide the incisions with a little makeup later on.

To learn more, contact the experts at Waccamaw Dermatology & Plastic Surgery LLC.