Do I need to be exfoliating my neck?
Have you ever noticed the phenomenon where someone’s face looks great for their age but cast your eyes down a fraction and you’re faced with crepey and wrinkled skin? Kind of ruins all of that time invested in cleansing, toning, and moisturising, not to mention the investment on skincare products.
It’s such a shame that so many of us pay all that attention to our facial skin, whilst neglecting the other areas of skin on view. It’s almost as if an invisible barrier has been drawn between face and neck. But of course, the ageing process doesn’t discriminate between the different areas of the body. Not to forget that the neck and décolleté frequently come up against external aggressors like wind, cold, perfume, UV rays and pollution, just in the same way as the face does.
How does the skin on the Neck differ?
Skin on the neck has a thin and delicate dermal layer, much like the area around the eyes. So, a humongous problem with this type of skin is that it loses elasticity more easily.
It also has less lipids which lubricate the skin so dryness and irritation can be another issue and the neck skin’s barrier can weaken as early as age 30. That aside, gravity is a factor because of the neck’s position in the body too.
Then there’s the obsession with looking at technological devices resulting in the head facing downwards which in turn puts pressure on the neck. And when we’re not staring at a screen, we’re looking around, moving the neck constantly. All of which can contribute to more pronounced ageing and sagging in this area of the body. In fact, wrinkles that are formed here can be as much as five times deeper than on the face.
Another self-inflicted issue is that all too often, sunscreen isn’t applied to the neck which is why sun-damage occurs and is another reason why age-spots and wrinkles often show up earlier.
Should you exfoliate your neck with facial exfoliator?
It’s imperative to include the neck and décolleté in your normal cleansing and exfoliating routine so that dead skin and debris can be removed, to reveal healthier, glowing skin. Likewise, it will leave your skin more receptive to follow-on moisturisers or serums which are also incredibly important.
Of course, you could use a facial exfoliator, and this will work to a certain extent, although we wouldn’t recommend using anything too harsh for the delicate, sensitive skin in this area. Traditional body scrubs are definitely not recommended for skin in this area. A gentle exfoliator that is specifically formulated for the neck and décolleté, on the other hand, will work optimally.
A great example is iS Clinical Neck Perfect Complex, a unique product that works to exfoliate, hydrate, and protect skin in this area. It combines a potent blend of targeted botanicals and high-strength antioxidants that pack a powerful punch against fine lines and wrinkles, discolouration, rough texture, and loss of hydration.
The overall result is a noticeably smoother, firmer, lifted, and contoured complexion across the neck and décolleté. Not to mention that antioxidant properties of this complex help to prevent against future damage, and it also provides an intensive boost of moisture, helping to keep the skin here youthful for as long as possible.
Best way to exfoliate your neck
As you’ve probably realised by now, the days of physically scrubbing abrasive granules into the skin to exfoliate it are long gone. Today’s advanced skincare products use chemical exfoliation, meaning that once the product’s applied, it can be left to absorb into the skin. Application is normally carried out by gently massaging the neck exfoliating product into the skin from the chest upwards to the chin.
The exfoliator then gently dissolves dead skin cells, oil, dirt, pollution, make-up, impurities, and blockages right through to the deeper layers too. This enables the other active ingredients within the product to hydrate and nourish the skin cells, transforming them from the inside out.
Neck Perfect
Whilst it’s also known as an incredible anti-ageing agent, one of the most efficient exfoliating ingredients is Retinol no less. A new product to Skinstation is SkinCeuticals Tripeptide-R Neck Repair with its 0.2% slow-release retinol which harnesses all the incredible benefits of this wonder ingredient.
Suitable for dry, normal, and oily skin types, this ground-breaking daily complex has also been formulated with 2.5% tripeptide concentrate, to stimulate collagen and elastin and improve skin firmness. The third star ingredient is 5.0 glaucine complex, a potent booster that increases the skin’s resilience and resistance against the factors that contribute to visible ageing.
A clinically proven product, the transformative formulation uses corrective technology to address a multitude of sins by visibly improving neck lines and wrinkles, contouring the area, and reducing crepiness with time-released retinol. In a 16-week study, Tripeptide-R Neck Repair significantly improved visible signs of ageing as follows:
- 27% average improvement in neck skin crepiness
- 16% average improvement in the appearance of horizontal neck lines
- 28% average improvement in neck skin smoothness
The conclusions are stark. If you haven’t already begun exfoliating your neck area, it’s time to halt the ageing process in its tracks and in the words of Cher, turn back time with a Skinstation neck product.
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