It's Never Too Early To Treat Your Neck In Your Skincare Routine
Finding a skincare routine that works for you can take a lot of trial and error. While you may start with a simple, affordable cleanser when you're young, the more you learn about your skin, the easier it is to understand what it needs. Before you know it, you will find yourself scouring the skincare aisles looking for various toners, serums, and moisturizers.
While acne or oil-prone skin may require a deeper cleanser with a lighter moisturizer, dry skin would need the opposite. According to Healthline, there are three ways you can approach determining your skin type. You can analyze your skin at the start and end of the day, see how it feels half an hour after washing it, or opt for a dermatologist's expertise.
It can be surprisingly easy to buy products that are not necessary or end up wasting money on formulas that aren't ideal for your skin type. Therefore, understanding whether you have normal, dry, oily, or combination skin is essential, but it's also important to include your face and neck in the process. Being intentional with your skincare routine from a young age can not only help you prevent skin damage, fine lines, and wrinkles, but it allows you to understand your body better. This could also be why intuitive skincare is the key to your best complexion ever. Oftentimes, the focus is on the face and the neck gets neglected, but your neck should also be an essential part of your skincare routine.
Don't overlook your neck's needs
Just like caring for your face can give it a firm and healthy glow, remembering to bring products down to your neck can actually tighten the skin there. At this point, most people in the skincare world emphasize the importance of wearing sunscreen on your face every day. However, if you aren't limiting your neck's sun exposure, that skin also needs protection or it will inevitably get damaged by the sun.
Plastic surgeon Jaimie DeRosa explains to InStyle that the skin on your neck is actually extremely thin. This is why the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles can show up more quickly in this area. DeRosa points out the lack of "sebaceous glands" in the neck compared to the face, which also explains the lack of natural moisture in that skin. On top of that, your skin naturally loses collagen as you age, making it appear even thinner and more wrinkly.
Luckily, caring for your skin and neck early can help to prevent or delay many of these effects. When applying your products, your neck should be treated just like the skin on your face. When you cleanse your face, apply various serums, or use a good moisturizer, your neck should be receiving that same amount of care and attention. Thick, plumping moisturizers are especially beneficial for your neck since they add hydration back to your skin.
How to care for the skin on your neck
It's never too early or too late to start prioritizing your skin health. However, it is ideal to start curating a skincare routine as a teenager, and your neck should be included in that. The earlier you start using anti-aging skincare products, the more preventative you can be when it comes to wrinkles and sun damage. Not only is a good sunscreen important, but simply avoiding too much direct sunlight on your face and neck will keep your skin looking youthful. Plus, using a retinol sunscreen could change your summer skincare game.
Caring for your neck can be as simple as applying a lotion or cream twice a day to keep it moisturized. Of course, if you become inspired by the vast world of skincare, there will likely be many other products you are eager to try. While some facial products can be taken down and applied to your neck as well, it's recommended to find "neck-specific skin care." This is because they are made for thinner skin and are designed to help with wrinkles and elasticity.
If you begin your skincare journey in your 30s or later, beyond being preventative, you will likely see improvements in your skin over time, especially if you include retinol, which increases cell production in your skin. These changes may take a couple of months to be noticeable but it's important to trust the process. Your future self and skin will definitely thank you for it.