The Debate Over the Necessity for Neck Creams

If you are interested in skincare, I’m sure you’ve heard the skin experts and dermatologists confidently claim that you do, and that you do not need a specific product for your neck. So who is right?

If you understand WHY both side make their claims, you will know what is right for you.

It’s actually quite simple. Everyone agrees that the skin on the neck has tiny pores that do not produce much oil and overall, the epidermis is much thinner. Keeping this in mind, it’s easy to conclude that no harsh or drying active ingredients should be applied to this area and that more moisture than usual is necessary on the neck. Heavier, more oily products can also work well on the neck. I would say retinoids are the only exception to the rule. While they can be irritating, they do offer so many anti-aging benefits that incorporating them to your neck care regimen in smaller doses and/or more gentle formulations does offer significant benefits.

So….if you have dry skin and your facial products are quite nourishing, you can absolutely apply them to your neck and decollate . If you are oily or have acne prone skin, your products probably contain several acid actives, (like AHAs-glycolic acid and BHAs-salicylic acid) and minimal concentrations of hydrators. In this case you would benefit from a richer more hydrating product for the neck and decollate area, but it does not have to be labelled a “neck cream” per say.

Since everyone has a similar skin composition on the neck, (as compared to the various facial skin types), it’s easy to throw everyone in the same boat and say, “you need a neck cream”. If you understand the rationale behind this, you can make that decision for yourself. Make sense?

One more thing to keep in mind is that marketing often plays its role in the beauty industry and many neck creams are nothing more than watered down face creams with a higher concentration on inexpensive hydrating ingredients. So if you decide to purchase a specific neck cream, make sure it contains quality ingredients or a delivery system that makes it worth your hard earned cash.

If you are a fan of neck creams, I would direct you to look at the Alastin Restorative Neck Complex. I like the hydration in this and I love TriHex Technology which works to remove dysfunctional collagen and rebuild healthy new collagen. The Techno Neck Perfecting cream is a new product just launched last week. It contains proprietary technology that encourages the production of Nitric Oxide which helps increase blood supply to the skin. This formulation is called the NOw Complex. For more info, see video below.

xo