Suddenly the turkey neck is on everyone's mind. But you want that gobbler to be on the bird and not on you.
In fact, there are some fast fixes out there in case you don't want to be mistook for the turkey, and choose to get rid of your double chin.
Ultherapy, which as I've also called the un-facelift facelift*, has recently been FDA-approved for the neck area.
Which means no breaking of skin, or suctioning, or any of that – it is an ultrasound heating device that glides over chin and heats up both deep and surface skin with long bands of heat — the "wounding" forces skin at the deepest levels to heal and thus, tighten.
I sampled Ultherapy last year and I have to say I think it's amazing. I went back to Dr. Matthew White (whom I call the upside-down Mark Harmon) to see what it felt like on the neck/chin area. Sometimes it feels like a quick rubber band snap, or the zing of deep heat right before a burn, but I can't say it actually hurts. I suppose it depends on your pain threshold.
Basically, it felt like I had given the underside of my chin a serious workout – and who does that? And I felt heat and little zings of sensation for the next several days. Because Dr. White uses the deep frequency skin tightening, plus a his own little technique for dislodging adipose tissue (he doesn't like using the f-word (fat — shhh)), and a surface skin tightening to top it off, you see immediate results. But the nice part it, it actually gets better with age" – again, what does that? The tightening continues over the next several months.
Dr. White explained that Kimora Lee Simmons is a perfect example of someone with band lines across her neck, which respond really well to this treatment (see above image). And for women with those ropey vertical lines, a combination of Botox (or like product such as Dysport, Xeomin) to relax them and then Ulthera to smooth out the rest of them considerably eases the lumpy, drooping look of "turkey neck".
Other options:
TriPollar treatments feature advanced radiofrequency (RF) technology. Like Ulthera, there's no breaking of skins, it can be done on a lunch break office, ad there's zero down time. These treatments stimulate the formation of new collagen, which improves skin texture and can resul in a smoother, younger-looking neck.
I asked Jennifer Bengel, treatment director at Wellpath, whom I trust for honest feedback, and she said this:
Many people do see improvements with only 1 Tripollar. It's one of the few treatments we do that has an almost instant improvement. However, it would still take about 6 treatments to reach max improvement and we cannot guarantee you will see something after one. I would say from personal experience that 75% of people see positive effects after 1 session.
Also, ZERO pain. It gets hot, but is very tolerable. Some people have even gone to sleep on me. Treatment time is about 20 minutes. If face is included too - 40 minutes. Treatments taken once a week."
The Neck's Best Thing
I actually don't think these treatments should be called plastic surgery, and technically they're not, more along the lines of cosmetic work.
Nevertheless, if you prefer to steer clear, there are jar remedies available. Freeze 24/7 has just come out with their new ArcticLift Firming Cream which offers a little instant tightening due to a propriety cactus pectin complex. But use over time obviously increases its benefits.
I've been slathering it on because I'm on a "How Much Better Can You Look by the Holidays" kick – and will be adding more info about that in the coming weeks. And also, I'm tired of feeling self-conscious about it. Nothing makes you feel old like being tired.
The neck is one of the first places to show age (the other is the eyes), and perhaps the first place women get get upset about. Just ask Nora Ephron, who wrote "I Feel Bad About My Neck". And there used to be very little you could do about it. But that has changed.
I've said it before, we're lucky to have so many options. Choose what's right for you and let others do that too.
More non-surgical solutions to turkey neck et al.:
- Want to Take 10 Years Off Your Face Without Surgery?
- *Un-Plastic Surgery — The New Nonsurgical Face Lift
- Plastic Surgery: Does It Hurt?
- 10 Best Beauty Items of the Year
- Try Facial Magic for getting rid of Double Chins naturally
