A friend of mine who recently lost almost 150 pounds after gastric bypass was sharing her excitement with an acquaintance. She was excited because all of her type II diabetes symptoms had disappeared and she is no longer taking any medication; she feels healthier than ever in her life.
Then the acquaintance, a skinny of a lifetime, burst her bubble: “But doesn’t that turkey neck bother you? You know, all that wrinkled skin hanging there?”
What a cruel world! My friend was crushed. It’s true, he has a turkey neck. Most people who lose a lot of weight will have a sagging, wrinkled neck, so kindly known in the cosmetic surgery profession as “turkey buckling.” A drooping neck is a small price to pay for better health and well-being. Still, we want to look our best after weight-loss surgery, and it’s disheartening for anyone to call attention to this residue of our obesity.
There are a few surgical options for tightening the skin on your neck: A neck lift is actually a set of procedures used to improve the appearance of your neck:
Cervicoplasty is the procedure used to remove excess skin
Platysmaplasty removes or alters the neck muscles
A plastic surgeon can also perform neck liposuction, which removes excess fat. In some cases, Botox injections may be the answer to your problems if you have fullness or “bands.”
A neck lift was out of the question for my friend, so we did some research and found a more holistic approach that produced some improvements. From Bharti Vyas’s book, “Beauty Wisdom” we find the following tips:
Give your neck a weekly massage
· Keep your head in proper alignment: imagine that your head is being pulled up by a piece of string attached to the crown of your head
· Cleanse your neck at night and in the morning in the same way you do your face, starting at the collarbones and working up to the jawline.
Apply a rich moisturizer at night and hydrate with sunscreen during the day. Covers the front and sides of the neck and the area around the collarbones.
Exfoliate your neck weekly.
· For a wrinkled neck, apply almond oil as a nourishing moisturizer.
Ms. Vyas also recommends some simple exercises to tone your neck muscles (and *Bonus* these are wonderfully relaxing):
· Keep your head in a central position, then tilt it as far as it will go toward one shoulder and hold for a count of 10. Your neck may feel quite stiff at first. Repeat on the other side, making sure that your shoulders remain still and relaxed throughout. Do five repetitions.
· Keeping your chin level, turn your head to the side so that your chin is on your shoulder. Tilt your head back in a “come here” motion. Repeat on the other side. Repeat the sequence five times.
My friend faithfully follows these practices. His neck is not perfect, but to me it is beautiful. She has collarbones and chin and a beaming smile on her healthy face.
Copyright © 2005 Kaye Bailey – All Rights Reserved.