Fight Turkey Neck: Exercises, Skincare & Treatments That Work

Originally published September 9, 2016, updated May 6, 2024.

You’d think a turtleneck would be the perfect camouflage for turkey neck. After all, Diane Keaton has made them her signature look for years. However, the high neck pushes that extra skin up and over the neckline, making it more pronounced. If this sounds all too familiar, your sagging skin is likely impacting your confidence and have you searching for ways to camouflage this sure sign of aging.

Also known as “wattle”, turkey neck occurs as we lose elasticity in our skin, creating sagging and an excess of skin under our chins. But if you can’t camouflage a turkey neck with fashion, what’s the solution?

Here, we look at how to get rid of turkey neck to help maintain elasticity and restore your confidence.

What Causes Turkey Neck?

As muscles weaken and aging changes our skin, we experience collagen and elastin loss that creates noticeable sagging skin. Rapid weight loss can also cause sagging. Along with daily challenges such as sun exposure, unhealthy lifestyle choices, weight fluctuations and good old genetics, at some point, you might notice sagging jowls and skin under the chin. This is known as turkey neck.

Will Turkey Neck Go Away With Weight Loss?

We thought we would start here as weight can definitely impact the appearance of turkey neck.  First, being overweight creates a double chin, which can draw more attention to a turkey neck. Second, if you’re already at a healthy weight, losing even a little weight will actually worsen a turkey neck as the healthy plumping of the skin will be lost. 

Third, turkey neck after weight loss can occur if you constantly lose and gain weight, especially if you experience massive weight fluctuations or lose weight very quickly. Fat stretches your skin like air in a balloon, and then when you lose weight, your skin deflates. This creates saggy skin not only on your neck and chin but also in other areas of your body.

Knowing this, it’s important to manage weight gain and loss with a healthy lifestyle to help maintain a consistent weight. This will avoid constant stretching and reduce the appearance of sagging.

You can maintain a healthy weight with the following tips:

Avoid “fad” diets: Rapid weight loss is more likely to cause sagging skin than a progressive, slow approach. Focus on developing a sustainable, healthy lifestyle that you can enjoy. Skip “trends” and instead focus on building a sustainable, balanced diet that incorporates a variety of whole foods. This will help you feel your best and avoid quick fluctuations in energy levels.

• Eat a well-balanced diet: Eating a well-balanced diet that includes all healthy food groups and plenty of fruits and vegetables will help you maintain a healthy weight.
• Choose naturally anti-aging foods: A healthy diet with foods that help slow the aging process also helps you appear younger, such as:
• Extra virgin olive oil instead of butter
• Green tea to help fight free radicals that can lead to premature aging
• Fatty fish to reduce skin damage and help repair skin damage
• Dark chocolate to enjoy a healthy snack rich in flavanols that slow skin aging
• Lots of veggies with beta carotene, such as carrots and sweet potatoes to improve collagen production
• Exercise: Exercise helps maintain a healthy weight while also nourishing skin cells by increasing blood flow.
• Avocados: This natural, healthy food supports your protective skin membrane to help slow down skin aging.

Effective Turkey Neck Exercises for a Tighter Neckline

Did you know you can exercise any part of your body, including your neck to help maintain muscle strength and tone? There are some effective turkey neck exercises that can help tighten your neckline and maintain a more youthful appearance sans the turkey neck, including:

Forehead pushes

• Push your head against one hand without moving your head forward.
• Hold for 10 seconds.
• Put your hands behind your head and push backwards with your neck.
• Hold for 10 seconds.

Chewing

• Sit with your back straight and lean your head back so your chin points upwards.
• With your mouth closed, pretend you’re chewing.
• Do 20 repeats.

Kiss the sky

• Follow the first step above.
• Pout as if kissing.
• Do 20 repeats.

Neck lifting

• Lie on your bed looking at the ceiling with your head hanging over the edge.
• Use your neck muscles to slowly and gently lift your head as high as you can without feeling pain.
• Do 5 repeats.
• If this exercise is painful, don’t continue.

Raise & Turn

• Lie on the floor on your back.
• Gently raise your head and neck away from the floor.
• When your head is slightly away from the floor, turn it to the right, back to center, to the left, back to center, and then lower to the floor.
• Do 10 repeats.

When exercising your neck, it’s important to stop doing anything that causes pain. Start doing your exercises with fewer repetitions and work your way up to the recommended amount to see better results. It’s important to use the right technique, keeping the movements small, gentle, and controlled so you aren’t hurting your neck.

Top Daily Habits to Prevent and Minimize Turkey Neck

While we tend to pay a lot of attention to our faces to help prevent sagging, fine lines, and wrinkles, most of us don’t give much thought to our necks. However, you can help prevent and minimize turkey neck by adopting our top daily youth-giving daily habits:

Apply sunscreen to your neck

When slathering your face with sun protection, extend that TLC down your neck and onto your chest to help protect against the harmful rays of the sun.

Moisturize

The neck on your skin deserves moisturizer, too! The two most important moisturizing ingredients for your neck are retinol and peptides. Dermatologists recommend hydrating creams that also include sun protection, antioxidants, vitamins C, A and E. These ingredients are all effective in tightening up that turkey-like skin. Peptides help firm and plump the skin by signaling the production of collagen and elastin, while retinol can help minimize wrinkles by stimulating collagen production. 

Ultra-hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and shea butter provide moisture, while ingredients such as alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) can reduce inflammation and increase blood flow to the skin. Vitamins C, A, and E help protect against sun damage while brightening and strengthening the skin. Another ingredient that might surprise you is caffeine, which can help shield your skin from free radical damage.

If you’re seeking specific products to help beat turkey neck, the product line at SiO Beauty has several fitting options, including:

• SiO Neck & Decollete Cream is formulated with next-generation lifting peptides to visibly reduce wrinkles and fine lines, while hyaluronic acid delivers instant hydration to plump up crepey skin. 
• SiO Cryo Fill treatment can reduce the appearance of fine lines on the neck. This advanced skincare product also provides deep hydration to volume-deficient areas that are associated with turkey neck.
• The SiO NeckLift patch is specifically designed to hydrate, plump, and tighten the skin on your neck. Made of medical-grade silicone, this skin-tightening treatment fights signs of turkey neck while you sleep
• The SiO Cryo Body Cream can be used anywhere on the body, including the neck and chest, to tone and firm your skin. It contains anti-aging ingredients like Camellia Japonica Flower, hydrolyzed collagen, and a powerful antioxidant blend.
• The SiO Cryodrop is an anti-aging massage tool that can be used in conjunction with the SiO Cryo Fill and Sio Cryo Body Cream to tighten, tone, and sculpt the face and neck with cold therapy.

Maintain good posture

If you’re wondering how to get rid of neck fat, posture can make a big difference. Most of us were told to sit up straight and stop slouching while growing up. Maintaining good posture continues to be important as we age. We experience weakening neck muscles, which means we might not even realize we are slouching. As a result, we need to remind ourselves to sit up straight. 

Poor posture makes your skin look saggier, as leaning forward allows the skin to sag even more. Walking and sitting with a tall back and raised neck gives you more confidence while helping to stretch your skin and keep it in a tauter position. It will also help you avoid “tech neck” from slouching over your phone or working on the computer. Tech neck defines the muscles in your neck which also contributes to older-looking skin.

Exploring Treatment Options for Turkey Neck

There are also treatments available through a dermatologist for turkey neck, including:

• Kybella injections: Kybella specifically targets chin fat and requires several dermatologist visits. It can cause swelling, which means you’ll also need some downtime after your appointments.
• Fillers: Fillers are a temporary treatment that can help improve minor sagging and necklines but won’t be effective for severe sagging and jowls.
• Botox: These injections can help when applied along with fillers to reduce the overall appearance of sagging and neck lines for a more youthful appearance.

There are also surgical options such as neck lifts and liposuction available. However, these procedures are quite invasive and require consultation with a dermatologist. It’s best to discuss your needs with a dermatologist for personalized advice on what treatments are best for you.

Can You Reverse A Saggy Neck?

You can help reverse and prevent a saggy neck by maintaining a healthy weight, applying sun protection to your neck, paying attention to your posture, and making better lifestyle choices. Using the right products to maintain skin hydration and elasticity can also help you improve your neck’s appearance. 

If you find a turkey neck is impacting your confidence and making you feel less attractive, you can also consult with a dermatologist for personalized solutions. Confidence in your appearance helps you live the best possible life no matter what your age.