How can I reduce or get rid of neck wrinkles?

Neck wrinkles are folds or creases that appear on or around your neck and décolleté area. Wrinkles are common and part of the natural ageing process, but what does it mean when you develop lines on your neck or chest area before your face or other parts of the skin? 

This article explains the causes of neck wrinkles and how to treat a wrinkled neck, while exploring ways to help prevent neck wrinkles from forming. Read our Wrinkles & Fine Lines article for more general information on wrinkles.

Many people aren’t aware that the skin on your neck is an extension of the skin on your face, though it is actually thinner. This results in people excluding their neck and décolletage when carrying out their daily facial skincare routines or applying anti-ageing products. 

The main cause of neck wrinkles is skin ageing which is determined by your hormones and genetic predisposition, and cannot be avoided. In addition to this, sun damage can result in photoageing (premature skin ageing), which may be a major contributor to the forming of neck lines.

Other external factors including pollution, smoking, an unbalanced diet and inappropriate skincare may result in oxidative stress, which can also cause the skin to age prematurely, subsequently causing neck and chest wrinkles.

What is the décolletage area? You might see or hear this word often used interchangeably when speaking about the chest or neck. In French, décolleté is a beauty term that is used to describe the area below your chin from the neck to chest area, which is visible when wearing a low-cut top or dress. 

The skin here is particularly thin and also has less sebaceous (oil) glands and melanocytes - skin cells that provide pigment and protect skin from the sun - than other areas. As well as forgetting to pay attention to the neck when applying skincare, people typically tend to neglect this delicate area, which means it’s more likely to become dehydrated, flushed or develop fine lines and wrinkles over time.

If you’re wondering when you might get wrinkles, you should know that this differs from one individual to another, and while ageing is the main determining factor, it can be brought on by a variety of reasons. Some people report the appearance of lines around the neck, face and décolletage area in their 20s through to their 30s. Others develop neck lines later on in their 40s and 50s as the skin naturally ages.

During your mid-20s, typically from the age of about 25 the collagen levels found in the body reduce by 1% each year. You may also develop wrinkles on your neck and décolleté area as a result of sagging skin or loss of elasticity as your body begins to age.

As our skin begins to age, its structural make-up and appearance changes as well – skin starts to sag and wrinkle. Skin starts to sag and wrinkle, then we begin to lose facial contour in highly visible areas including the neck, décolleté and cheekbones. 

Eucerin’s anti-ageing solution, the Hyaluron-Filler range is specially formulated to tackle the first signs of fine lines and wrinkles, while rejuvenating the skin and restoring firmness and radiance to the skin.

As outlined above, the skin on your neck and décolletage is frequently exposed to the sun but is often a neglected area when applying skincare. Here are some tips on avoiding wrinkles around the décolleté and neck area:

• Apply sun cream regularly to avoid sun-damage, as this can lead to neck lines.
• Try to avoid side-sleeping as repeated “sleep lines” that form in this position may wrinkle your neck and décolleté over time.
• You should exfoliate your neck and chest regularly to get rid of dead skin cells and help your skin absorb anti-ageing products better. Avoid scrubbing aggressively as the area is delicate.
• Tighten and tone with neck exercises to avoid “tech neck” - these are lines that can appear due to repeated neck motion & straining while typing or gaming.
• Avoid smoking as it reduces the production of collagen, leading to a wrinkled décolleté or neck and premature ageing.
• Incorporate targeted skincare products in your routine such as hyaluronic acid (our skin’s production of this reduces as we age) and Vitamin C boosters (an antioxidant that can help reverse skin damaged by free-radicals).

While moisturising your neck and décolleté should be an essential step of your skincare routine, it can’t get rid of neck wrinkles completely. You should especially incorporate hydrating moisturisers into your daily skincare routine, as age-induced dryness may speed up the emergence of neck wrinkles. 

While we recommend treating neck lines with the skincare products above, there are other common treatment options that should only be carried out by licensed medical professionals:

• Botox injections on a wrinkled neck use botulinum toxin to smooth out the area and reduce the appearance of sagging skin
• Surgery to get rid of neck lines usually involves surgically removing excess skin and stretching it out to make to neck more firm
• Dermal fillers may be injected to plump the neck/chin area in order to restore a youthful glow, although this is a temporary fix

In addition to extending facial skincare to your neck and décolleté area, you should also be applying sun cream to your neck. Exposing the neck to the sun repeatedly and for long periods of time can impact the collagen found in your skin and result in stretched-out, weak or sagging skin that is more prone to wrinkling.

Explore Eucerin’s Sun Protection range and work on incorporating SPF into your daily routine to protect your neck from sun damage and help prevent a wrinkled neck.

When applying sunscreen to your neck, décolleté and face, we recommend using a thick line of sun fluid that stretches from the tip of your middle finger down to your wrist. Learn more in How much sunscreen to use.