Your neck, the most active and mobile area of your spine, often goes without any acknowledgement or care. The skin is generally thinner here and constant movement plus dryness can mean wrinkles form more quickly than they would elsewhere. Here’s five top tips on how to keep your neck looking and feeling its best. Stretch out that ‘tech neck’ A recent problem due to our overuse of computers and smartphones, having a ‘tech neck’ is the result of spending too much time with our head at a certain angle and therefore straining our neck muscles and altering our posture. Ensuring you spend plenty of time off your screens are helpful, but if computer time is unavoidable, try regular breaks and stretching out of the neck from side to side as well as dropping your head backwards. The movement will improve blood and lymph flow and ensure your skin stays its best. Wear sun protection We’re often reminded to put sunscreen on our face, but how many of us remember to cover our neck too? UV damage can cause age spots and discolouration, so to keep your neck and face the same tone, make sure to apply that sunscreen liberally (even on those sunny Winter days!), pack a wide-brimmed hat, or in these cooler months, keep it covered with a scarf. Ultraceuticals Protective daily moisturiser is our pick for staying sun protected, three pumps to cover your face and neck, your skin will thank you for it! Use Active Serums Active vitamins, like Vitamin A, will help to dramatically reduce fine lines and wrinkles, by increasing cell turnover, and also increasing hyaluronic acid production, leaving your skin plump and fresh. For even better results, use moisturisers over the active serums to seal them in, (talk to one of your Total Body Concept consultants to find out more about active ingredients). As your neck matures, moisture and nutrients from the skin are lost more readily, meaning a dry neck is not uncommon. To keep your neck looking radiant and hydrated, make sure to moisturise regularly with a gentle cream both morning and night. Fill up the water bottle Treat yourself to a fun, reusable water bottle that you can keep on hand as a reminder to drink, and drink often. Nothing helps dehydrated skin better than hydrating it from the inside out, so why not make it the first thing you consume in the morning to get your day of skin care off to a great start. Keep perfume off your neck Even the most delicious smelling of perfumes can be too harsh for your sensitive skin around the neck, so make sure to spray perfume onto clothes instead. Spraying directly on the neck can cause Poikiloderma of Civatte, brown pigment marks on the sides of your neck due to sunlight burning some of the ingredients into your skin causing permanent damage.
