Neck's Best Thing: Next Generation Tightening Ingredients + Services

I’d bet that many of your clients – even the ones most dedicated to serious, ongoing professional skin care – are forgetting something in their ongoing quest for healthy, younger-looking skin. And surprisingly, this forgetfulness can happen even as the market for effective skin care solutions has grown tremendously in the last year.  

So what are many of our clients forgetting? The neck. Or, more specifically, these clients are not being proactive about their necks, but rather reactive. Many clients only worry about loss of firmness, sagging and lines on the neck only after these signs of aging appear.

In 2020, Google searches for the term “how to firm neck skin” increased by a stunning 120%. Here’s a typical scenario of how this Google search begins: a woman who works hard to take care of her facial skin suddenly notices lines, dark spots or sagging on her neck. She doesn’t like that there’s a visible mis-match between her healthy, youthful face and her sagging neck. So it’s off to Google for answers!

The bad news? Google’s search results will likely promote in‐office procedures that are often out of budget, or more invasive procedures like surgical lifts, which come with a real risk of complications, downtime, scars and fear.

The great news? You can offer these clients new, targeted solutions that tighten and firm skin on the neck and chest with absolutely no downtime.

The physiology of neck aging
The skin on the neck and chest area is much thinner and lacks the muscle mass that the face contains, therefore it can be much more challenging to treat as a whole, since it ages differently than the face. There are several reasons for this, both intrinsic and extrinsic

Intrinsic aging, or chronological aging, is the natural process of skin aging due to internal influences. While we can’t entirely stop intrinsic aging, we can target the physical age signs that appear on the neck and chest. This process is largely hereditary and varies from person to person, but boils down to four main factors:

1. Dermal collagen decreases: This leads to moisture loss and dermal thinning, so neck skin starts to sag and crease.
2. Melanin production decreases: A loss of overall healthy color develops, and formation of uneven pigmented spots begins.
3. Decrease of hair follicles and sebaceous glands: The dermis of the neck is naturally thinner skin than the face, and it has fewer sebaceous glands. This can hinder proper skin barrier function, leaving it more vulnerable to UV damage.
4. Cell turnover rate slows: This means it takes longer for the skin to shed its dead and dulling cells.

Extrinsic aging of the neck and chest is caused by external factors that are often within our control. The signs include brown pigmented spots, uneven skin tone, dry skin, deep wrinkles and creases often seen on the neck and chest. Extrinsic aging is often caused by these external factors:

Climate

For those who live in a climate that has extremes in heat, cold, humidity, wind, etc., the skin aging process may be quicker than those who live in more moderate climates. The biggest factor here is UV rays, which is why no matter where you live, the application of an effective broad spectrum sunscreen is crucial. Teach your clients that when they apply their daily SPF, they should apply it from the forehead all the way down to the chest.

Pollution

The science that ties skin aging to pollution is clear. Urban dust (the atmospheric particulate matter found in air pollution) settles on the skin and accelerates the appearance of lines, discoloration, dehydration and sensitization. To protect the skin from pollution, look for antioxidant skin care that’s proven to inhibit damage induced by urban dust, and scavenge skin aging free radicals to prevent and target age signs on the neck and chest.

Poor Nutrition/Diet

Processed foods, as well as foods high in added sugar, sodium, and trans fats all wreak havoc on the health and appearance of the skin on the neck and chest. Eating poorly degrades elastin and collagen, which are the proteins that keep skin soft and youthful. To prevent premature aging and keep your skin clear and healthy, eating well is a must.

Medication

Certain medications can cause dehydration, increase sensitivity, and weaken the skin’s immune system, which all contribute to an aging appearance. A thorough SkinReading at the beginning of every appointment will help you determine of a client takes a medication that causes one of these symptoms.

Lifestyle

Of course, there are some obvious bad habits that speed up aging signs on the neck, like tanning and smoking.

The Neck Firming Ingredient Glossary

New professional-use innovations on the market, like the Firmamint power mask, take advantage of the next-generation ingredients below to successfully target and improve clients’ signs of aging on the neck and chest.

For tightening: Nannochloropsis osculata extract/pullulan  

This is a highly purified, biotechnologically produced extract from the microalga nannochloropsis oculata combined with polysaccharides. It provides a noticeable instant tightening effect, smoothes fine wrinkles, firms and lifts. Unlike an “incidental” tightening that you would see from ingredients like egg white or clay, in‐vitro tests show this micro‐algae tightens skin appearance, as it also protects cells from aging, oxidative stress.

For luminosity + brightness: Dunaliella salina extract  

This is a biotechnologically produced algae extract from the unique microalga dunaliella salina. It survives in salt lakes that have a salinity 9x higher than sea water. This high osmotic pressure, high UV and oxygen level-environment makes this extract a potent stress manager that has to be very energy rich to survive. This ingredient works from the inside out, by protecting the mitrochondria (the “power house of the cell”) that allows maximum respiration within the cell, so every other part of the skin can work better, including damage prevention. Plus, the membrane strengthening and stress-resisting ability this algae extract boosts luminosity, radiance, and overall skin brightness.

For wrinkle smoothing: Plant Plankton Extract 
Produced from phytoplankton (marine plant plankton) this extract instantly smoothes out furrows and fine lines. It’s a marine exopolysaccharide that is made up of galactose, mannose, glucose, galacturonic acid and glucuronic acid.

The Spa Solutions

Your spa menu should include specific, targeted solutions for aging skin on the neck and v-area. 

The Firm + Lift

Add both a full 60-minute Firm + Lift treatment, and an express 30-minute Fast Results Firm +Lift to your spa menu for clients who want to target sagging and loss of firmness on both the face and the neck/chest. Make sure your service features a superior professional formula that includes the powerhouse ingredients I listed above, and is created with functionality, ease and affordability in mind. When you choose professional skin care that is active and concentrated, it means a lower cost-per-treatment. Even better? A professional skin-firming formula that can be Custom Blended to target individual skin needs will give your business the personalization clients expect. Make your Firm + Lift treatments a staple for clients who want active, visible results without the downtime, fear or expense of in-office procedures.

Don’t forget: microtreatments have major impact

A Firming Neck + V-area microtreatment can be included on your spa menu as an add-on for any facial to target aging on the neck and chest. This is also a great introduction or sneak peek to the visible results your client will see from a full 60-minute Firm + Lift treatment, so they can book it for the future.

Using the guidance above, you can encourage your clients to be proactive to the visible signs of aging on the neck and chest, through your professional treatment and esthetics expertise. Doing so will set your services apart from the competition, give you increased client loyalty, and establish yourself as a skin care authority for years to come.

Learn more at Bioelements.com/pros