There’s been a lot of talk about tightening the neck and jawline lately, thanks to the new face sculpting wrap from Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand, Skims. This stretchy £52 head garment has prompted much eyebrow raising among beauty experts, not to mention the funniest take-down we’ve seen in a long time, courtesy of Anthony Hopkins wearing it as Hannibal Lecter.
The Skims site says that the Seamless Sculpt Face Wrap provides ‘strong, targeted compression for shaping & sculpting’ and is made of ‘our signature sculpting fabric and features collagen yarns for ultra-soft jaw support’.
A quick route to a ‘snatched’ Kardashian jawline? Don’t count on it, says Harley Street Skin Clinic expert, Dr Nikita Desai.
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‘Face wraps of this kind offer temporary changes at best and may help with de-puffing your face, similar to how a common surgical garment can help reduce swelling,’ she says.
‘While wraps of this kind can be fun to engage with, it’s worth me stressing that wraps can’t offer any permanent changes such as facial contouring, remodel fat or even boost collagen production,’ she says.
‘Any changes you see will reverse in a matter of hours as the compression loses its effect. This is a beauty product to be used to de-puff your face before an event at best.’
She adds: ‘While they can be fun to try out for a quick beauty routine, wearing a facial wrap for an extended period of time is not something I would advise.’
With all this in mind, you might well be wondering whether there are other, better ways to achieve a more youthful neck and jaw. The good news is that, according to both experts and GHI testing, the answer is, yes.
What works at home?
We trialled a number of neck creams in the GHI labs and on our panellists, and Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Lifting Face + Neck Cream was found to be the top performer. It scored an impressive 90/100, with every single tester saying their neck looked younger, healthier, firmer and smoother after using this cream for just four weeks. Read the full results here.
We also found at-home devices which produced visible results on the neck. The pick of the bunch was Myki Beauty LED Light Therapy Neck Mask, £279, which also won unanimous approval from testers. By the end of the trial, everyone felt their neck skin was much firmer, smoother and healthier – impressive for a DIY treatment that takes just 10 minutes to do.
What works in the clinic?
The neck has traditionally been tricky to treat with professional treatments, not only because of its delicate skin but also its proximity to the thyroid gland. ‘I would personally not use high-intensity radiofrequency on the neck,’ says skin contouring guru Dr Galyna Selezneva ‘We’re seeing a move away from aggressive treatments with lots of pain, needle marks and downtime.’
It’s a sentiment echoed by medical aesthetics expert Dr Joanna Ward. She voices caution over “certain chemical peels and non-anchored threads” as well as fat-dissolving injections: ‘In my view, they can lead to uneven results.’
While neck and jaw treatments aren’t exactly akin to a relaxing facial, the latest options are far more tolerable, say the experts. There’s a lot of buzz around Sylfirm, a new treatment that is far more comfortable than traditional radiofrequency microneedling.
‘The heat is dispersed evenly through very tiny needles, so I can achieve fantastic results on crepey skin with very little pain or downtime,’ says Dr Galayna. “I call it ‘micro-dosing’ to stimulate collagen and elastin. It’s excellent for laxity on the neck.” A course of three is recommended; expect to pay from £2,000 for a course of three.
Another new lower-discomfort option to note is NeoGen Plasma, which Dr Ward has used with impressive results on Shirley Ballas. The Strictly Come Dancing judge has even credited it for dissuading her from cosmetic surgery.
It also hit the headlines last month after Leslie Ash achieved such dramatic neck and jawline tightening that her friends thought she’d had a facelift. ‘It’s ideal for both necks and jowls,’ says Dr Ward. ‘It stimulates collagen and elastin, tightens skin and improves texture with minimal downtime.’
The ouch factor and downtime does depend on the level of intensity a patient is happy to tolerate. A more powerful setting does achieve results faster, but a lower setting will still get you there, says Dr Martin Kinsella, who performed Leslie’s treatment.
NeoGen Plasma sessions start at £750 each, and Leslie needed a course of six at lower energy levels to get her results.
Remember that further top-up sessions are advised for professional treatments to maintain the results.
You’ll also need to protect your investment with a good daily SPF50, plus ingredients to nourish this area. For all people interested in keeping their neck in good nick, Dr Ward recommends peptides to firm skin, antioxidants such as vitamin C to ward off free radical damage and hyaluronic acid to plump.
