"Our faces are lies and our necks are the truth. You have to cut open a redwood tree to see how old it is, but you wouldn't if it had a neck." So said the late Nora Ephron in her best-selling memoir, "I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman".
Turns out Ephron's theory about the neck being the first place to show signs of aging isn't off base. Dr. Julian Dixon, MD, board-certified head and neck cosmetic surgeon, agrees that the most damning evidence of aging doesn't always happen between the forehead and chin. "The neck has a thinner layer of skin, causing it to be less elastic and more vulnerable to sun damage," says Dixon.
When it comes to neck aging, an ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of cure, according to Dixon, who says that skin looseness is the most challenging part of reversing neck aging. "Once you have an excess of skin, the neck will appear saggy and aged regardless of how tight the muscle is. The only way to remove the excess skin is surgery," which Dixon says can result in a large scar that takes many months to heal.
So how can you prevent a saggy neck without going under the knife? "Neck cream can lift and tighten to reduce the appearance of rough skin, says Chicago-based skin-care expert Leah Chavie. Like the eye area, the skin on the neck is thin and benefits from a specially formulated product, she says.
If you want to prevent future sagging and wrinkles, and maybe undo some of the existing damage, turn to these eight stand-out neck creams and treatments.
It may be a drugstore buy, but this luxurious cream feels anything but cheap. The non-comedogenic formula targets age spots, fine lines, dryness, dullness, lack of firmness and uneven tone and texture with vitamins like B3 and B5, which boost moisture and reduce redness. Vitamin E acts as a natural skin protector by neutralizing wrinkle-causing free radicals. The formula is supermoisturizing, but sinks in quickly.
Calling all anti-aging procrastinators: This is the best neck cream for you. Ingredients like yeast, oat, algae and bamboo-pea extract work to immediately tighten and firm skin. Don't take our word for it -- just check out the before and after pictures on the brand's website.
When you want visible results, any skin-care guru will tell you that retinol will never disappoint. This drugstore neck cream by L'Oréal delivers with retinyl palmitate, the gentlest retinol on the market. If you've got sensitive skin, but still want outcomes you can see, drop this gem in your basket the next time you're at the pharmacy. Loaded with beeswax and shorea robusta seed oil butter, this product provides much-needed moisture while increasing cell turnover to reveal a years-younger-looking neck.
Juice Beauty is known for organic, fruit-based ingredients that deliver results and smell amazing. Their new neck cream is no different. Packed with fruit stem cells, resveratrol-rich grapeseed oil, and apple, grape and aloe leaf juice, this product aims to treat existing fine lines while providing a layer of antioxidants to prevent future damage.
