You can do something about a sagging neck after you have put on some pounds and then lost them, but don’t expect any magic. There is no cream in existence that will work like a sewing kit. The way to give yourself the best chance is to lose the weight in a measured way and put in the work with nutrition, resistance training and sun protection. And be realistic from the outset as to what can be done with a change of lifestyle and what calls for a surgical or in-clinic remedy.
Olivia Redfern here. One has to know the neck is a bit of a snitch if you have spent any time in the skincare rooms of Melbourne as I have over the years. It will put on display any change before the face does, particularly when body weight has taken a nose dive, say with Ozempic or other medicines, or where age and the sun have eroded the skin’s elasticity.
The Neck Will Tell On You
Most are not aware the neck has less by way of structural support, fewer oil glands and is thinner skinned. So a quick drop in body fat can see the area become loose and crepey in short order.
Folks make the mistake of being preoccupied with the scales and not thinking of the skin having to catch up. Deplete the collagen and elastin with smoking, bad diet, UV, or going back and forth with your weight and the neck is not going to put itself back together.
The Effect of Weight Loss
Lose enough weight and the fat under the chin and jawline will be the first to go, well before the skin has contracted. To help address this, you might consider targeted neck workouts after shedding kilos. Hence the loose skin and horizontal lines, and the “turkey neck” moniker some would rather not utter.
How fast one loses weight is of consequence. The clinical evidence and research point to age, genetics and the state of one’s collagen and elastin as the determinants of skin recoil. You will find the same consensus on the matter from Cleveland Clinic, WebMD or Healthline, if outcomes are anything but uniform from one individual to the next.
Those Most Vulnerable
Clinically speaking, you will find those most hard put to deal with it are the ones who have put on 40 or more years and have made quick work of shedding a lot of weight. A past of yo-yo dieting, too much sun or smoking means the skin is not so forgiving.
Should you have put down some weight on Ozempic and see a certain hollowness or laxity, it is not the drug per se that has damaged the neck. More likely the extent and speed of the fat loss has left the skin exposed and less resilient than it was.
What Is Preventable
Let me be plain on this: severe laxity is another matter altogether, but mild to moderate sagging can be staved off. When the support tissues have been thinned out over years of stretching, there is only so much a lifestyle can do to put right the appearance and feel of the area.
I am not being negative, merely offering sounder advice than to suggest a serum and some chin tilts by the kettle will cure major laxity.
Acting in Time
Do not wait six months for things to settle; prevention is most effective while you are still in the process of losing the weight. Take your time with it to let the skin adjust. Some muscle mass will keep the face and neck from looking unduly deflated.
And do not underestimate a good skincare routine once the weight is off. It may not put back what has been lost in terms of structure but it will see an improvement in the fine creasing, texture and hydration.
Making Room for a Professional
Home remedies will only take you so far if the skin is hanging or there is pronounced vertical banding. Then it might be worth the outlay for a non-surgical tightening procedure or to get a surgeon’s view.
Safety is paramount. For anyone in Australia eyeing up topical products with therapeutic claims or energy devices, a word to the wise is to consult the TGA on their oversight of medical devices and consumer health regulation. It is not the most exciting reading but better than parting with your money for some rough-as-guts counsel.
Daily Habits That Are Worth Your While
It is the unglamorous side of things, but it matters. Daily habits are not going to give you the effect of a neck lift once you have put on some weight, none the less they have a say in skin elasticity, inflammation and recovery, and in how effective your treatment plan will be.
Inconsistency is where most people go astray. Put down the neck cream for sagging after nine days of use and do not be surprised when biology does not oblige the marketing copy.
Training And The Pace Of Weight Loss
Crash dieting is hard on the skin; a more measured pace is preferable. You cannot count on gradual weight loss to preclude all sagging, but the odds are in your favour since the skin is given time to remodel as the tissues beneath recede.
Then there is resistance training. To improve the appearance of the lower face and neck one must preserve muscle in the shoulders, upper back and the posture chain that supports the jaw. It is not a direct way to put a cinch on loose skin but it can take away the deflated, flat look that has a way of exaggerating laxity.
Food, Fluids, Skin Support
There is no sense in pretending water will “plump” up loose skin as the Instagram reels would have you believe, though sensible hydration is of some help. Deprive the skin of fluid and it will appear more crepey; give it enough and normal function is supported.
But what you put in your body is of greater import. Protein gives the body the amino acids for tissue repair and vitamin C is essential to make collagen. Months on a diet that is processed, wanting in protein or otherwise sparse will be evident in the neck.
- Make your weight loss steady rather than frantic.
- Have enough protein for your size and health.
- Put vitamin C-rich foods on the menu with some regularity.
- Do your resistance training to hold onto muscle.
- And don’t forget to put sunscreen and UV protection on the neck each day.
The Sneaky Sabotage Of Sun Damage
The first order of business if the goal is to tighten the neck is to put an end to the daily damage. UV rays are among the chief culprits in making the skin of the neck thin and blotchy and unable to rebound by breaking down elastin and collagen.
Apply a broad-spectrum SPF to the upper chest and under the chin as well as the neck. Too many people draw the line at the jawline as though anything below is not their concern.
Some Movement In The Area
By and large exercise for the neck is support work. It will not get rid of any excess skin but can put the neck in better position and with better tone so that a little laxity is not so apparent. I have seen good results from those who, after losing a few kilos, pair targeted workouts with patient expectations and sensible skincare. You are improving the frame, not the curtains.
What An Exercise Regime Will Do
Poor posture has a way of making the jawline seem to collapse and the neck heavier and saggier than it is, whether from desk work or clenched shoulders. Neck exercises after weight loss can put some strength in the adjacent muscles to counteract that.
A controlled head lift on your back, some upper back drills or a gentle chin tuck will do. If done right there may be a bit more definition. Go about it too aggressively and you will strain the muscles and put tension lines in the neck, which is not the idea.
For a Simple Weekly Routine
10 or 15 minutes three times over is a sound place to begin, in conjunction with your other strength work. Be slow with it, no jerking the head about, and if you get dizziness or pain in the jaw or neck, call it quits.
| Strategy | What It May Help | Realistic Expectation | Typical Timeframe |
| Gradual weight loss | Sudden laxity | A form of prevention, nothing more | While losing weight |
| Resistance training | Muscle mass, a less gaunt aspect | Better shape, not so much tightness | 8–12 weeks and on |
| Neck exercises | Tone and posture | Only a mild visual change | 6–12 weeks+ |
| Retinoids/peptides | Fine lines, texture | Modest, if you are consistent | 3–6 months |
| RF microneedling/ultrasound | Firming | Some tightening in the right case | 2–6 months |
| Surgery | Hanging or loose skin | By far the most dramatic | Once healed |
Topicals With Merit
Skincare has its part to play in making the neck feel stronger and present a smoother surface, provided the laxity is not severe. One should opt for ingredients with a track record over the ones in the showiest jar.
Be clear on the reality: a firming cream will see to hydration and texture but it is not going to make extra skin vanish. Were it to, surgeons would not have such full waiting rooms.
Ingredients To Think About
You will find retinoids and peptides to be the workhorses of any regimen. The former will, over time, put in the work for collagen and cell turnover; the latter are a staple in firming products to give the skin a smoother appearance. Then there are moisturisers with humectants and ingredients to bolster the barrier that can do away with the crepey, papery look on the neck.
There are those who go for SkinCeuticals or the like, but one should not put more stock in the brand than in the quality of the ingredients and how well they are tolerated. A neck cream for sagging is no miracle from a pump bottle, it is simply a treatment moisturiser with actives to back it up, properly put together.
How to go about it without doing your skin any harm
Start by putting on active products a couple of nights a week and work up from there. Being more reactive than the face, the neck can become red, dry and older looking with irritation. It is as common as it is irksome.
And if you are using retinoids, make sure to have your sunscreen in the morning. To go without UV protection is like trying to put water in a bucket when another has put a hole in the bottom of it.
In-clinic options
For mild to moderate laxity, an in-clinic procedure can be an improvement on what home care offers. They are something of a halfway house between serums and surgery and can be quite telling for the right person.
Prices are a function of where you are and the provider, but in Australia non-surgical tightening will set you back anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand AUD per plan or session. Insist on a consultation and a written quote, not some sales pitch put forward as medicine.
Radiofrequency and microneedling
With RF microneedling the intent is to put heat into the deeper layers and induce a controlled injury to the skin so as to remodel the collagen. Morpheus8 is a case in point for lower face and neck laxity. It is good for fine lines and some tightening of texture. Not everyone is a candidate though, particularly where there are pigmentation concerns that have not been looked at, poor wound healing or an active infection.
Ultrasound and the like
Focused ultrasound is the way Ultherapy goes about targeting support structures at depth. Some will note an improvement in lifting and tightening after a few months once the collagen has had time to do its work. Renuvion is another energy device for soft-tissue contraction but it is more of a procedural affair than a lunchtime facial and is best left to a qualified doctor. One must consider the risk and recovery involved.
What to expect at a consultation
A practitioner worth his salt will want to see the fat volume, muscle banding, the quality of the skin and age-related changes and determine if it is truly laxity or a matter of posture and jawline. I would be making for the exit if he was touting the same device to all comers like a mozzie cloud at dusk.
Put him to the test on matters of downtime, pain relief and complication risks, and whether the before and afters are comparable. You will want to know what happens should the outcome be wanting. These are the questions to ask, not the clinic decor.
Surgery
If the skin is hanging or very loose then surgery is usually the most effective remedy. When lifestyle and other means have run their course it is the only option for anything of substance. A neck lift following weight loss could mean contouring and the removal of skin and tightening of what is underneath, as the surgeon sees fit. It is a decision with attendant costs and risks and downtime, not something to be booked in a panic over a bad overhead photo.
It is the route for someone with stable weight and sensible expectations and moderate to severe laxity. Should the weight still be coming off in quick time, most surgeons will have you wait for a more predictable result. In Australia the cost is typically in the thousands of AUD and often more, depending on the facility and surgeon and if other procedures are in play. An individual quote will be required.
Risks And Recovery
There are risks to consider: from scarring, bleeding or infection to asymmetry and nerve injury; contour irregularity is possible as well as simply not being happy with the outcome. As for recovery, that is a matter of the procedure itself but one should put down some time for follow-ups and expect swelling and bruising, not to mention curtailed activity.
Do not think of this as something to fit in during a lunch hour. Make provision for transport, some help at home where necessary and a break from any exercise or work that is too much of a demand.
What Progress Is Like
One would be hard pressed to see the kind of neck improvement social media makes out and it is not as quick as you might wish. The skin has to remodel. A good result may be “better” but don’t count on being 22 again in a sea breeze.
Yet there is an accumulation of small things. With the right in-clinic treatment, muscle preservation, sensible skincare and less sun damage the neck can be made firmer and more settled in place of the crepey look.
Timeline to Expect
Topicals will give you little in 8 to 12 weeks; for anything of substance in terms of texture it is nearer 3 to 6 months. Exercise yields subtle results over a similar period. With energy-based options like Ultherapy or Morpheus8 you may see a gradual change in 2 to 6 months or so, contingent on the device and the individual. Surgery is more apparent though you have to wait for the swelling to go before the final picture emerges.
Where to begin if nowhere else? Put your efforts into a steady weight loss, protein, sunscreen and a neck routine you can stick to. For a mildly crepey neck try topical care and work on your posture and exercise for half a year or so. If the skin is hanging or bunching up, do not put money into miracle cures, make an appointment with someone qualified.
Some Questions Answered
These tend to be asked, generally after hours when one has held the phone camera at an unflattering angle. Here is the answer.
Tightening the neck post weight loss?
Go about it with resistance training, vitamin C and protein, retinoid and peptide skincare and daily sunscreen alongside a slow reduction in weight. Should the laxity be of note, non-surgical means such as RF microneedling or ultrasound can be of assistance; surgery for the more extreme cases.
Is it possible to stave off sagging?
The risk can be minimised but not put to rest entirely. You are better off being consistent with your skin and controlling sun exposure while you lose the weight, and doing so gradually so as to hold on to muscle.
Will loose skin really tighten?
To an extent. Mild cases can be firmed with the right regimen and some in-clinic work. Anything moderate or severe will not fully respond without an operation.
Reversing a sagging neck?
Only in part, unless you have it done by way of a procedure. Home remedies will not put back skin that is badly stretched or banded.
Ozempic neck?
There is no such thing officially. It is what people call the hollow or loose look left behind by a fast weight loss on Ozempic or the like. What is done depends on whether it is a case of residual fat, volume loss or banding.
Olivia Redfern’s view
Let us be plain: if you want to avoid a sagging neck after weight loss, do not look to a product to put right the effects of the sun and a sudden drop in fat. Eat well, keep your muscle, be slow about it and shield your skin. The neck can be fussy but not beyond hope.
Layer some common sense with your treatment and you will get the best of it. Give it the time it needs and if the laxity is not something home care can alter, have a professional have a look at it, rather than part with your cash for every new promise that comes along.