But it’s not all misery. There are non-invasive skin-tightening treatments you can have in a doctor’s chair, targeted products for the neck and décolletage to help with microcirculation, and daily exercises you can do at home. All will help to improve the texture, tone and laxity of the skin, for a longer and more toned neckline.
Texture and tone
Who can forget Judy Murray having her “turkey neck” zapped away last year? It was down to a course of Morpheus8, a deep microneedling and radio-frequency device. The treatment can reduce the fat under the chin as well as gently lift and tighten the skin. Effects last about 18 months. Dr Judy Todd, who administered Murray’s treatment, practises at several clinics nationwide, including the Taktouk Clinic in London. And leading British aesthetician Nilam Holmes (who Amanda Holden booked in with for what she called her “five years younger” Morpheus8 treatment) is based in Milton Keynes. Although prices vary (it’s available at lots of good clinics across the country), one treatment can cost from £1,000. Murray had three treatments, each costing £1,500.
Meanwhile, for Shotter, a highly popular treatment in her clinic is SoftWave, an ultrasound treatment with no downtime that doesn’t affect the fat layer, but simply lifts and tightens the skin. “It gives the skin good contraction and you can treat right over the central strip of the neck that often has the most laxity,” she says.
Another major concern for the neck is crepey skin, which is typically caused by sun damage. Over time, this breaks down the elastin in the skin. For Shotter, the most effective remedy for crepey skin and dehydration is a course of Profhilo, an injectable hyaluronic acid treatment that mimics the effects of a heavy-duty moisturiser. One course usually means two treatments, four weeks apart, and the results last about six months, setting you back around £400.
As many of the non-surgical treatments are based on stimulating the skin’s own collagen, for Shotter there are some of us who may be too far gone for non-surgical fixes. In that case – and if you’re really concerned about the area – she’d advise a surgical procedure, such as a lower face and neck lift.
