As our neck starts to sag and the texture looks crepe, our heart begins to sink. The reality is that the skin is much thinner on the neck than our faces, and thus more easily damaged. (And we do tend to overlook it.) So, no more neglect, just lavish it with loving care.
One of the key issues with the neck is crepiness, as the skin on the neck has relatively few oil glands and without moisture and lipids, it can start looking papery super-fast. Get into habit of applying everything you put on your face right down to the bra-line. At the same time, sweep any body lotion up to your chin, so it gets twice nourishment. Your neck and chest should be part of your 'cleansing zone', but avoid using a scrub on the neck, although a muslin cloth (used with cleanser) is fine.
Protect your neck with an SPF-15 plus. The neck is easily damaged by sun exposure, as skin is much thinner than it is on other part of the face, and its support structure is not as effective. So the ceaseless battering of UV light breaks down collagen and elastin, leading to sagging. Any SPF you apply to your face - your first line of defence against agening - should be applied to the neck, the chest and the decolletage, religiously. End.....Of...Story. If you tend to 'miss' the sides of the neck because your hair is in the way, scoop it off your face pre-application.
Avoid wearing perfume in the sun. Many a women's list of neck woes includes pigmented areas either sides of the neck. Certain fragrance ingredients - generally citrus-derived - contains psoralens, components which over-simulate the pigment producing cells. This produces localised brown patches (medically called Berloque Dermatitis), that look like a streak of a brown pigment rather like a raindrop running down a window pane. (Plus the alcohol in the scent dries out the skin) The solution? If you want to enjoy a summer fragrance in the sun, try spritzing on your cloths rather than your skin. (Check first, ofcourse, that it doesn't discolor the fabric: you can try it on a tissue) Or wear a ribbon around a wrist or your neck, drenched in scent. Spritz a hanly with scent and tuck it in your bra - or your swimsuit, as long as you are not planning to get wet. And, ofcourse, enjoy liberally after dark. Just be certain to cleanse away the fragrance the next morning with a wet flannel, before you go anywhere near the sun.
Take up yoga. One of the key reasons women develop 'turkey neck', double chins and those 'necklace rings' on the neck is because underlying muscles are weak. So neck firming is yet another reason to add to the list of why embracing yoga is a good idea. Its fantastic, fantastic, fantastic for strengthening the neck and the jaw.
Raise the height of your computer screen. Whether you use a laptop or a full-size screen on your desk, you should make sure that it's high enough for you to look straight at it, rather than looking down.
Embrace polo-necks, pashminas, scarves and pearl chokers. Not everyone suits a polo-neck, but if you generally look better with a scoop- or a v-neckline, you can create a flattering optical illusion that draws attention downwards by hanging a necklace or rope of pearls over the top. Wear earrings, too, which distract the eye form your neck.
As a last resort, there's surgery. And fillers, And Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatments. But any procedure to do with the neck is A Big Deal; botched neck treatments happen.