Will Losing Weight Help Turkey Neck? 4 Ways to Tighten Skin
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Sagging skin around your neck can be frustrating to deal with. This type of loose skin usually comes from sudden weight loss, as the collagen fibers responsible for your skin’s elasticity are damaged.
You may feel like all hope is lost when it comes to reducing turkey neck, but there are ways to help your skin recover. It’s important to take good care of your skin to maintain a youthful appearance.
Discover 4 common methods for tightening the skin around your neck, including potential causes for saggy neck skin.
Will Losing Weight Help Turkey Neck?
Losing weight can help reduce excess fat around a turkey neck, but it won’t get rid of it completely. You can only reduce the appearance of loose skin by getting surgery or using skin-tightening products at home to make the skin appear less wrinkled.
People who lose excess weight might notice less loose skin around the neck. The same goes for other parts of the body, such as the face, back, arms, legs, and stomach.
If you have experienced significant weight gain over a few months, you may lose some skin elasticity since it’s been stretched out. Because of this, your neck skin can’t return to its original position when you lose weight. You’ll find that any excess neck fat hangs lower and might become wrinkled or droopy.
Therefore, it’s important to lose weight slowly and follow a sustainable skincare routine. You need to protect your skin cells to ensure weight loss positively impacts your face, neck, and everywhere else that is prone to saggy skin.
What Is a Turkey Neck?
A turkey neck represents the loose skin around your neck and chin area. This excess skin may derive from sudden weight loss or aging. Quickly dropping a huge amount of weight can damage skin elasticity and cause some parts of your body to droop and sag.
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The name itself doesn’t sound nice, but it gives you a good idea of how this loose skin hangs on your neck. There are a few things that may cause turkey neck, which include weak neck muscles, aging, genetics, sudden weight loss, and sun damage.
Most of the time, significant weight loss contributes to excess neck fat. Once your skin stretches out, it struggles to maintain collagen production, leading to a sagging neck that takes away a youthful appearance.
What Causes a Turkey Neck?
You should learn more about what causes loose neck skin to find the right skincare routine. For those who are losing weight fast, it’s important to avoid rapid weight loss methods and focus on burning fat in a sustainable way.
Below are some potential causes of turkey neck:
#1 Aging
Aging is a natural process that everyone has to go through. You will notice signs of aging that you can’t prevent, one of them being saggy skin. Loose skin may fall around your neck, arms, thighs, and stomach as your body struggles to regulate collagen production and maintain skin firmness.
#2 Genetics
Genetics and specific medical conditions can cause sagging neck skin. For example, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a connective tissue disorder that disrupts collagen in the body, which makes the skin sag around the face, chin, and neck.
Some people could also have weaker skin that ages quicker than average. You don’t have any control over your genetics, but you can follow some healthy habits to delay the onset of skin aging. Drinking plenty of water and taking collagen supplements could minimize sagging neck skin.
#3 Weight loss or weight gain
Sudden weight loss can affect your skin’s elasticity. Once it stretches too much, it cannot return to its original state before the fat gain. Research suggests that people who lose a significant amount of weight may lose the elastin and collagen in their skin, which leads to skin sagging.
This can be frustrating when you’ve worked so hard to reduce fat and excess skin. However, there are ways to tighten neck skin as you’re losing weight, such as resistance training and collagen supplementation.
You can also speak to a personal trainer or registered dietitian to ensure you’re losing weight properly and not battling against stubborn weight loss.
How to Get Rid of Turkey Neck After Weight Loss?
There are ways you can tighten neck skin after weight loss. The method you choose depends on your budget and how comfortable you are with certain treatments. Before considering surgery, consult with a medical professional to ensure this option is suitable for your health.
Here are some ways you can reduce the appearance of a turkey neck:
#1 Do specific exercises
You should perform neck exercises to strengthen your neck muscles over time. This method can reduce the appearance of saggy skin around the chin.
The following exercises can help strengthen your neck:
Forehead push
The first exercise requires you to place one hand on your forehead and push your head against it without moving forward. Do this for 10 seconds, and then put both of your hands on the back of your head. Push your head back against your hands for another 10 seconds before relaxing your muscles.
Chew or kiss
Next, sit up straight and point your face toward the ceiling. Keep your lips together and make a chewing motion as if you were chewing on gum. You should do this exercise for at least 30 seconds. Another similar exercise involves pouting your lips instead of chewing since it works the same muscles.
Neck lift
Finally, lie down on your bed and hang your head over the edge slightly or until you feel comfortable. Lift your head up slowly and as high as you can. Repeat this motion 5 times, but stop it immediately if you experience neck pain.
#2 Use skin-tightening products
In today’s market, there are skin-tightening creams and lotions. These products usually contain peptides, caffeine, hyaluronic acid, retinol, alpha lipoic acid, or collagen. You should always look out for these ingredients when buying a product that keeps your skin hydrated and firm.
A study found that peptides specifically reduce wrinkles and loose skin, while retinol influences skin structure by strengthening the connection between epidermal cells, which make up the two layers of your skin.
#3 Try Botox
Botox can fill the wrinkles around your neck and chin to tighten the skin. It also safely freezes your muscle to prevent further sagging from weight loss. This is a cheaper alternative to loose skin removal surgery if you want something quick and easy.
#4 Consider surgery
You can get surgery to remove the excess skin around your neck. Surgery isn’t for everyone due to the cost and overall procedure, but it will effectively reduce this skin without the need for constant neck exercises or skin-tightening products that don’t work in a short amount of time.
Always speak to a medical professional before seeking Botox or surgery. They can determine whether surgical procedures are necessary for the amount of sagging skin you have.
FAQs
You can tighten neck skin naturally, but it may take a long time. Strengthening your neck muscles, losing weight slowly each week, and using skin-firming creams can help reduce loose skin on your neck. However, it is impossible to fully get rid of turkey neck without surgery.
Yes, many people might get a turkey neck because their skin starts to sag with age. The loss of collagen means your skin cannot stay flexible and tight. Following a balanced diet and staying at a healthy weight can make turkey neck less noticeable.
Chewing gum can help reduce turkey neck by growing the muscles under your chin. Just remember that chewing gum won’t get rid of a turkey neck completely.
A Word from MD
Reaching your body goals after losing weight is a refreshing feeling, but that moment of bliss can get crushed by the loose skin that hangs on your neck. Weight loss doesn’t always cause excess skin, as other factors like age, genetics, weak muscles, and sun exposure come into play.
You need to follow specific habits to live a healthy lifestyle and reduce loose skin. For example, drinking mint water daily can rehydrate your skin and regulate collagen. Other habits, such as eating nutrient-dense food and exercising regularly, will also increase blood circulation to your neck and minimize excess skin.
Aim to consume plenty of protein, vitamin C, and omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. Protein especially stimulates collagen in your body and lowers the development of cellulite during weight loss.
Conclusion
Losing weight can reduce excess skin around your neck, but only if you burn fat slowly to maintain youthful elasticity. There are ways to tighten your neck area as you lose weight, which include training the muscles in your jaw and neck and taking collagen supplements to improve your skin.
Anahit Harutyunyan is an MD in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care. She also has a second specialty as a Medical specialist in Physiatry. Anahit has work experience in different clinics as ICU Doctor and Medical Doctor in Yerevan and Gyumri Ambulance Stations. She also worked in the therapeutic department during covid and has morning consultations in Nor Med private clinic.
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