Our poor, neglected necks. Just like our hands, they could never lie about their age. Or could they? Alas, sometimes it feels like we are showing signs of aging quicker than our pre-smartphone era predecessors. Our hands may look older than they should — do you think it's maybe thanks to our manicure obsessions? On the other, ahem, hand, thanks to our smartphone-driven lifestyles, our necks are now finding themselves on our to-do lists. If reaching for a neck and decollete cream once meant you must be in your sixties, now, as we binge-watch, work, avoid humanity, and endlessly scroll through memes, the screen-induced sag and wrinkles seem to have appeared overnight.
Fellow screen slaves, we can no longer afford to treat our neck and chest area with less attention than we give our faces. It may no longer be about the signs of aging, but of signs of neglect, and that is not acceptable to us, is it? Where do we start, though, with so many neck products that promise to lift, firm, and rejuvenate? To start, Natalie M. Curcio, M.D., M.P.H., a dermatologist specializing in skin rejuvenation and dermatologic surgery, gives us insider info on the emerging player in the anti-aging game — defensins.
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What Are Defensins?
Defensins are peptides that, when applied topically, via a cream, for example, target certain stem cells in the basal epidermal layer. "Every time a scratch or wound on the skin is healed, the skin in the healed wound area is always younger than the skin around it. This is because our body activates preserved, or dormant, cells to heal wounds — in other words, the body creates new young skin to heal wounds. Defensins activate the same mechanism in our body, meaning that every time defensins are applied on the skin they activate the body to produce new and young skin without the wound." —Dr. Curcio shares. National Library of Medicine hosts this study, which, though conducted only on the skin covering the limbs, has shown defensins to reduce signs of skin aging, actively help heal wounds, and significantly increase dermal thickness.
Aside from defensins-powered neck creams, we've got more neck and decollete treatments for different needs: divine oils, hydrating masks, blurring patches, hyperpigmentation-fading balms, even post-surgery neck care treatments, and LED neck+chest tech. In short, whatever your current neck woe may be — we got you.
Need a quick fix? In just 20 minutes, this hydrogel mask is perfect for addressing crepey skin, as it tones and defines the dermis, reducing fine lines and plumping the skin. With a biomimetic peptide, it works to provide an immediate feeling of firmness and smoothness.
Remember those defensins we mentioned? This clean, silky, neck-firming cream works just as well for both the early and late stages of aging, and thanks to these anti-aging peptides, the results become a gift that keeps on giving.
This medical-grade silicone patch is a comfortable way to refine neck wrinkles — and that's good news, because it does its best work over a few hours, preferably overnight during skin's repair mode. It forms an occlusive layer, promoting tautness, increased blood flow, and enhanced hydration and collagen production — and it's reusable.
