If you were to stand in the anti-aging section of a beauty store, you’d think all aging happened in the space between your chin and your forehead. But the skin on your neck is going through the same wear and tear your face is—with a lot less help. And no matter how youthful your face looks, if you’ve got a saggy neck, the jig is effectively up. Before you resign yourself to a life of turtlenecks and scarves, however, consider this: With the following dermatologist-backed tips, you’ll have the know-how to prevent future sagging and wrinkles, and undo some damage you may already have. (Lose up to 25 pounds in 2 months—and look more radiant than ever—with the new Younger In 8 Weeks plan!) Pop a collagen supplement. Sarah Tonks, a UK-based doctor who specializes in anti-aging, recommends taking collagen supplements containing hyaluronic acid, a compound that helps the skin absorb more water and appear plumper in the process. Women who took a 2.5 g collagen supplement once a day for 8 weeks saw a 20% reduction in wrinkle depth around their eyes, according to a study conducted by researchers at the Collagen Research Institute in Kiel, Germany. And it’s likely good news for the skin on your neck (and everywhere else, for that matter) too: After the 8-week trial period, the participants’ levels of pro-collagen, a precursor to collagen, were elevated by 65%. Translation: the more collagen you have to support your skin cells, the more taut your skin will appear over time—the defining feature of a youthful neck. Try Reserveage Organics Collagen Booster with Hyaluronic Acid & Resveratrol ($40, puritanspride.com). Sweat it out. Exercise can actually help reverse aging, says new research from McMaster University in Canada. Scientists studied samples of skin from formerly sedentary people before and after three months of twice-weekly, moderate-intensity exercise. The new fitness regime knocked years off the subjects’ appearance, with the post-exercise samples showing the dermis—the layer of skin immediately beneath the surface—to be thicker and more elastic, both characteristics of much younger skin samples. And, unlike pricey facial treatments, the rejuvenating effect works to reverse aging on skin below the chin, too. MORE: This Haircut Will Make You Look 10 Years Younger Wear your vitamin C. Photo by Paul Bradbury/Getty Images Don’t just swallow it—slather it on, too. When paired with an SPF moisturizer, studies show the antioxidant vitamin effectively doubles the sunblock’s protective rating (read: less skin-loosening sun damage) and promotes skin cell renewal. Researchers believe this is because vitamin C boosts the body’s natural defense against UVA-induced free radicals. Beatriz Molina, a dermatologist and founder of the Medikas skin clinic in the UK, recommends starting your daily neck regime with a serum containing L-ascorbic acid, a form of vitamin C that’s easily absorbed by the skin and stimulates collagen production for a firmer, more elastic neck. Try Zenmed L-Ascorbic booster Serum ($40, zenmed.com). Eat omegas at night. Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids are an essential tool in the body’s natural production of collagen. And the best time to load up on them is in the evening. “While you catch up on sleep, your body is hard at work reconstructing cell membranes so your skin, including the always-exposed skin at your neck, can recover from any chemical or physical damage,” says Molina. “If you eat your omegas after 6 pm, they’re unlikely to be broken down into fuel for other bodily functions by the time you go to bed, so your body can use them to repair your skin.” Try dressing salads or sandwiches in flaxseed oil for a dose of fatty acids, and make omega-3 rich foods like cold-water fish or avocados a daily staple. Ward off sun damage. “Your skin is exposed to a variety of environmental attackers on a daily basis, but UVA/UVB radiation from the sun is the biggest contributor to free radical damage,” says Anita Sturnham, founder of the Nuriss clinic in the UK. “This is irreversible damage that accelerates aging, and it’s particularly prevalent on the neck, since it’s almost always exposed to the sun.” Before you head out the door, smooth on a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher that lists zinc and titanium among the ingredients—they physically shield your skin from both UVA and UVB rays, Sturnham explains. Safe Harbor’s Face & Neck Cream ($5, walmart.com) ticks all the boxes. MORE: 3 Natural Recipes For Glowing Skin Embrace a coarser cleanse. Allowing tired skin cells to linger on the surface for too long will naturally lead to duller, older looking skin. And since we tend to wash less vigorously below the chin, older skin on the neck is often neglected. Tonks tells her clients to accelerate skin cell turnover in the area with gentle dermabrasion techniques. For a manual solution, she recommends the Clarisonic brush ($149, clarisonic.com), which sloughs off dead skin cells. For a less pricey alternative, she suggests using Jan Marini’s Bioglycolic Face Cleanser ($30, janmarini.com), which contains glycolic acid that gently exfoliates the skin’s surface. Supercharge your skin while you sleep. Now that you’ve exfoliated, your skin can easily absorb the ultimate anti-aging neck ingredient: retinol. “It helps unclog pores, boost collagen, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, speed up cell turnover, and reduce uneven pigmentation,” Sturnham says. However, retinol reacts to sunlight and can weaken your defenses against collagen-damaging UVA/UVB rays if worn during the day. Instead, apply a retinol-rich treatment like Strivectin’s Advanced Retinol Night Treatment ($109, strivectin.com) and follow up with a skin-plumping cream like L’Oreal’s Age Perfect Hydra-Nutrition Golden Balm Face, Neck, and Chest ($20, ulta.com) on your neck every night before bed. MORE: The Simple Way To Make Your Wrinkle Cream More Effective
