Neck skin care

The skin on the neck is thin and mobile, and transverse folds easily form on it, which over time deepen and turn into wrinkles.

Gymnastic exercises for neck muscles

1. Starting position: standing. Chin up, neck stretched forward. Move the lower jaw from bottom to top, reminiscent of trying to bite an apple hanging on a branch. Repeat the exercise 10-12 times. Goal: increase tone and strengthen the platysma.
2. similar position - basic stance. Writing numbers or letters in the air with a pencil or a straw held between the teeth. Each number or letter is repeated 4-6 times. Objective: increasing tone and strengthening the platysma of the masticatory and lower facial muscles.
3. Starting position: sitting or standing. Chin raised high. Support the chin from below with the thumbs of both hands or the base of the palm of one hand and provide slight resistance to opening the mouth or circular movements of the lower jaw. Repeat the exercise 5-10 times. Objective: to increase tone and strengthen the platysma, chewing and lower facial muscles.
4. Starting position - sitting or standing. The chin touches the chest, the hands with fingers interlaced at the back of the head provide slight resistance when trying to straighten the head and lift the chin up. The exercise is repeated 5-10 times. Purpose: to increase tone and strengthen the muscles of the side and back of the neck.
5. Starting position: standing, feet shoulder-width apart. The head is tilted to the right, the palm of the left hand is on the left temporal region and provides slight resistance when trying to straighten the head and tilt it to the left. Similar movements are performed in the other direction. The exercise is repeated 5-10 times. The goal is to increase the tone and strengthen the muscles of the lateral and posterior surface of the neck.
6. Starting position - lying on your back. Place a folded pillow under your head. Straighten your neck, press your head with the crown to the pillow and hold it in this position for 4-12 seconds. Repeat the exercise 5-10 times. Purpose: to tone and strengthen the muscles of the back of the neck.
7. Starting position: lying on your back. The head is lowered below the edge of the massage table or bed. The head is raised up without lifting the shoulders off the bed (the neck is bent). Breathing is free. The exercise is repeated 5-10 times. Purpose: to increase tone and strengthen the muscles of the anterior surface of the neck.
8. Starting position - basic stance. Turn your head to the sides (neck rotations) with an attempt to reach your chin to the right and left shoulder blades without straightening your neck. Repeat the exercise 5-10 times. Purpose: to increase tone and strengthen the sternocleidomastoid muscles.
9. Starting position - basic stance. The left hand is placed on the left cheek, and the head is turned to the right. When turning the head to the left, the hand provides resistance. The exercise is repeated 3 to 6 times, after which the hand is changed. Purpose: to increase tone and strengthen the sternocleidomastoid muscles.
10. Starting position - sitting. Throw your head back (neck extension) 10-15 times.
11. Starting position - sitting. Circular head movements: 4-5 times in one direction, then in the other. This set of gymnastic exercises is not recommended for people suffering from severe pathology of the cervical spine and circulatory disorders in the vertebral artery pool.

Massage of the back of the neck

Stroking the neck: with half-bent palms, grasping the neck in the area of the mammillary processes, the hands are smoothly lowered onto the shoulders and back, connecting them at the angles of the shoulder blades. The movements are repeated 3-4 times.

Finger rubbing of the neck muscles: The II-V fingers of the hands are fixed in the area of the middle of the clavicles. Rubbing is performed with the I fingers of both hands, starting at the level of the spinous process of the VII cervical vertebra. Circular rubbing movements are performed at a distance of 2 cm from the spinal column upwards to the base of the skull. At the base of the skull, rubbing is performed with four fingers (II-V), moving to the mammillary processes. Descending along the lateral surfaces of the neck, the hands are joined in the area of the shoulder blades. Similar movements are repeated in the same directions with the dorsal surfaces of the II-V fingers, bent into a fist.

Rubbing of the muscles of the shoulder girdle is done with the back of the fingers, bent into a fist, along the trapezius muscle, starting from the shoulder joints, moving upward along the lateral surfaces of the neck to the mammillary processes and again descending to the shoulders and joining the hands in the area of the shoulder blades

"Sawing" and "chopping" are done with the side surface of the hands in the same directions as the previous rubbing. Then the neck is stroked again.

Massage of the front surface of the neck

Stroking of the neck, chin and rubbing of the muscles of the chest and neck are performed using spiral movements of the II-V fingers of both hands.

• Transverse pinches of the neck. The movements begin at the base of the neck, from the middle line to the back and are performed with straightened 1st fingers and nail phalanges of the 2nd fingers. The remaining fingers are bent into a fist. The movements are performed along three horizontal lines (at the base, in the middle part of the neck and at the top) - 4 pinches on each line. The same movements are performed along three vertical lines: middle, lateral and posterolateral.
• Circular rubbing of the neck muscles. The movements are made with the back of the bent fingers. Start from the jugular notch of the sternum. The fingers are directed to the middle of the collarbone and rise along the lateral surface of the neck.

Rubbing the chin is done with the lateral surfaces of the straightened fingers of both hands in the form of sawing under the chin in both directions. The movements begin from the middle of the chin, continue to the right, then to the middle of the chin, to the left and finish in the middle of the chin.

• Tapping the chin. Performed with jerky movements of relaxed fingers from the middle of the chin to the left and right sides. Repeat 3-4 times.
• Tapping the chin area ("staccato"). Using the pads of straightened fingers, perform abrupt tapping of the chin area from right to left (3 times).

Pressing movements in the chin area are performed with half-bent palms (one on top of the other). The palms tightly grasp the chin and press on it. In the center of the chin, the hands move apart and rise with pressure to the corners of the mouth. The movements are repeated from the middle of the chin to the middle of the lower jaw, and from the middle of the chin, the hands move apart to the earlobes. The movement ends with stroking the chin with both palms.

A light whipping motion under the chin is made with the II, III and IV fingers of both hands alternately with each hand, starting from the left corner to the right corner of the lower jaw. Repeat 2 times and finish at the left corner of the lower jaw.

• Stroking movements of the chin and neck. Using the palms of both hands, alternately from the base of the neck, make a stroking movement towards the lower jaw (from right to left). Having reached the middle of the chin, the palms move apart towards the earlobes and down the lateral surfaces of the neck to the collarbones. The movements are repeated 3 times.

Basic Physiotherapy Procedures Used for Neck Skin Care

Physiotherapy procedures are not performed on patients with thyroid disease and arterial hypertension.

The following procedures are recommended:

• Vaporization is used to improve the absorption of cosmetic creams and masks. The duration of the procedure depends on the patient's skin type (for dry skin from 3 to 5 minutes, for combination and oily skin up to 10 minutes)
• It can cause overdrying of the skin, so its use on dry skin is permissible only if the device is located at a significant distance from the patient's face and neck, and also when the hot steam flow is supplied along a tangential vector. Cotton sponges soaked in a tonic liquid for the eyelids should be placed on the area around the eyes. The method is contraindicated in the presence of a network of dilated blood vessels.
• Darsonvalization with talc, dry antiseptic mask or finishing cream is used only on the lateral surfaces of the neck. When working in this area, a T-shaped electrode is used, which is moved from top to bottom. In case of loose skin of the neck, darsonvalization is performed using a contact, labile technique, with finishing cream, which has a slight lifting effect. The duration of the procedure is on average 10 minutes, the course is 15-20 sessions, every other day.
• Myostimulation is included in a complex of cosmetic procedures for neck skin care, both for the prevention of age-related changes and for the correction of existing signs of skin aging. It is advisable to use myostimulation in combination with hygienic or plastic massage. Myostimulation is not recommended for patients under 35-40 years of age.
• Microcurrent therapy is used to care for the skin of the neck (the procedure is performed every other day, for a course of 10-15 sessions).
• Therapeutic laser, photorejuvenation and aromatherapy with essential oils (depending on skin type) are also used. Ultrasound, iontophoresis, vacuum massage, cryomassage (liquid nitrogen and carbonic acid snow), and ultraviolet radiation are not used for neck skin care.

Neck Skin Care at Home

Facial skin care should not end with the chin area. Cosmetics used for facial skin care should also be applied to the neck and décolleté area. Individual skin care consists of a mandatory set of morning and evening procedures.

At home, thorough but gentle cleansing, adequate moisturizing and photoprotection are necessary.

Cleansing of the skin of the neck consists of using cosmetic lotions (gel, cream, mousse, foam) and tonic liquids corresponding to the skin type. Cleansing agents must meet the following requirements: not to cause changes in the pH of the skin, swelling of the stratum corneum of the epidermis, blockage of the sebaceous glands and vascular reaction.

Tonic solutions (tonics) should not contain alcohol. It is recommended to use thermal waters. At home, tonics can be infusions of chamomile, coltsfoot, linden, lemon balm, bergamot, ginseng, parsley, yarrow, calamus root, St. John's wort, celandine, lingonberry, mint, lavender, mallow, garden violet and marigold, geranium, etc. The choice of medicinal herbs depends on the skin type. The prepared solution is wiped onto the skin of the face and neck 2 times a day, after using cleansing milk. Infusions are prepared in small quantities (200 ml) and stored in the refrigerator.

Cleanse the skin of the neck using light circular movements, from top to bottom - along the side surfaces, and from bottom to top - along the front surface of the neck.

Today, various cosmetic companies offer a wide range of creams specially designed for the care of the skin of the neck and décolleté area, adequately moisturizing and having a lifting effect (for example, "Coerance" - neck cream, "Lierac").

You can prepare masks for the skin of the neck yourself or use professional masks suggested by a cosmetologist, the use of which is allowed at home (the so-called "homework"). To prepare a mask at home, use only high-quality and fresh products. The mask is prepared immediately before use. Storing the remains of the mask in the refrigerator is not allowed. The freshly prepared mask is applied to cleansed skin of the face and neck for 15-20 minutes. Then the mask is washed off with cool water. The face is treated with a toner corresponding to the skin type, or herbal infusions, and a moisturizing cream is applied. It is recommended to do masks no more than 1-2 times a week. It should be remembered that plant extracts and some food products (honey, egg yolk and white, citrus juices, etc.), often used to prepare masks and tonic liquids at home, are potential allergens.

As for peeling creams, the question of their use at home should be decided individually. Mechanical peeling creams containing coarse abrasive particles should not be recommended for skin care of the face and décolleté area. Preference should be given to scrubs for sensitive skin, as well as peeling creams based on various keratolytic agents (lactic, salicylic, lyanoic acid, alpha-hydroxy acids, urea, etc.) in a small (4-5 to 8%) concentration, which have a light exfoliating and moisturizing effect.

Preventive care of the skin of the neck is a set of measures that includes not only the use of cosmetics, but also regular gymnastic exercises for the muscles of this area.

Neck skin care in a cosmetology facility

A thorough analysis of the anamnesis and identification of pathology of the organs located in the neck area allow avoiding complications in the process of checking cosmetic procedures. It should be remembered that all manipulations of this area are carried out only after preliminary cleansing of the skin, carried out strictly along the lines of least tension of the skin. The choice of dietary products depends on the patient's skin type.

When performing a peeling procedure in a cosmetology office, preference should be given to glycopilings with a small percentage of glycolic acid (25%), as well as peelings with fruit acids and scrubs for dry or sensitive skin. It is not recommended to use brushes on peeling cream, especially on the front surface of the neck.

Moisturizing masks on a cream and gel basis are shown, as well as "hardening" masks, which include alginates, vinyl or rubber. Thermoactive and some types of plasticizing masks should not be applied to the neck area, with the exception of those whose annotation indicates the possibility of use on the neck area.

Hygienic massage of the face and neck with the use of cosmetic massage cream or oil is indicated. The massage starts from the back of the neck and ends with the front of the neck. The course is 10-15 sessions, every other day or 2 times a week. Repeated courses - once every six months. In case of pronounced signs of aging, plastic massage is indicated.

Anatomical and physiological features of the skin of the neck area

Subcutaneous fat tissue is usually insignificant. There are many muscles in the neck area that perform various functions. The thyroid and parathyroid glands are located on the anterior surface. At the anterior surface of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, at the level of the upper edge of the thyroid cartilage, there is a projection site of the bifurcation of the common carotid artery and the carotid sinus. Mechanical action (massage, palpation, pressure) on this area can lead to heart rhythm and blood pressure disorders, and bilateral simultaneous manipulation can provoke a syncopal state. Severe diseases of the thyroid and parathyroid glands, heart rhythm and blood pressure disorders limit the intensity and volume of cosmetic manipulations and physiotherapy procedures on the anterior surface of the neck.

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