Does this sound like you? You’ve got your skincare routine down to a science. You’re diligent about cleansing your face every night and applying your medical-grade serums, moisturizers, SPF, and maybe even dabble in a few BOTOX treatments each year to keep those expression lines in check. Your face looks refreshed, your skin is glowing, and you’re feeling pretty darn good about the whole aging thing.
And then you catch a glimpse of your neck in the mirror.
Excuse me. When did THAT happen?
Maybe you’ve noticed a little loose skin gathering beneath your chin that you can pinch. Or maybe your neckline has developed a crepey texture, prominent vertical bands that make you look like you’re straining, deep horizontal wrinkles, or red and brown discoloration that seems determined to announce your chronological age to the world.
“Neckline concerns are incredibly common among our clients, particularly women who have been proactive about caring for their faces,” explains Rebecca Suess, MSN, RN, APRN, CNP, AGPCNP-BC, CPSN, CANS, ISPAN-F, Nurse Practitioner and Owner of Refinery Skin Clinic. “They’ll tell me, ‘Rebecca, I feel great, I love how my face looks, but my neck is giving away my age!’ The wonderful thing is that we have so many ways to address these concerns today. It’s about understanding what’s happening with each client’s skin and creating a thoughtful plan that delivers natural-looking improvements while balancing your lifestyle and goals.”
At Refinery Skin Clinic in Burnsville, Minnesota, we believe your neckline deserves just as much attention and TLC as your face. Whether that means adding one hardworking neck cream to your routine or combining advanced technologies and injectables for more comprehensive rejuvenation, we have options.
But first, let’s get a better handle on why our necks seem so determined to tell everyone how many birthdays we’ve celebrated.
Why Does Our Neckline Age So Differently Than Our Face?
Your neck is an anatomical overachiever. It not only supports the weight of your head, but also allows for an impressive range of motion, and contains a complex network of muscles, connective tissue, and delicate skin.
Unfortunately, that hardworking anatomy also makes it particularly vulnerable to visible aging.
Thin Skin = Big Consequences: The skin on your neck is thinner and more delicate than skin on many other areas of your body, including your face. It also has fewer oil-producing glands, making it more susceptible to dryness and fine lines. As collagen and elastin production naturally decline with age, the skin loses firmness and resilience. Think of collagen as the scaffolding and elastin as the bounce. When those support systems weaken, crepey texture, wrinkles, and sagging become more noticeable.
Gravity Is Persistent (And Frankly, a Little Rude!): As we age, changes in facial fat distribution, bone structure, and skin elasticity affect how the skin drapes around our jawline and neck. The result? Less definition beneath the chin, a softer jawline, and loose skin that seems to gather where it wasn’t invited.
Your Neck Muscles Have Something to Say: Meet the platysma, a broad, thin muscle extending from your upper chest and neck into your lower face. Over time, this muscle can become more prominent, creating those vertical cords known as platysmal bands. But here’s what’s interesting: The platysma also pulls downward on the lower face and jawline, contributing to a less defined, sagging appearance. Think of it as a game of tug-of-war between the muscles pulling your face down and those lifting it up. By strategically relaxing the platysma with BOTOX Cosmetic®, we can reduce that downward pull, allowing the muscles responsible for lifting the lower face to work with less opposition. The result? A softer-looking neckline and potentially a more lifted, defined jawline!
Hello, Tech Neck! Repeatedly looking down at our phones and devices can accentuate horizontal neck creases. Although these lines also develop naturally through aging, anatomy, and everyday movement, our scrolling habits certainly aren’t helping!
Sun Damage Doesn’t Stop at Your Chin: Years of unprotected sun exposure can accelerate collagen breakdown and contribute to brown spots, redness, uneven pigmentation, and premature aging on the neckline. That reddish, mottled appearance along the neck and upper chest may be associated with cumulative sun damage.
The takeaway? Your face, neck, and chest should be treated like one continuous piece of valuable real estate. Protect all of it with daily broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher!
Now that we know what’s happening, let’s talk Refinery Skin Clinic solutions!
Start Smart: Skincare and Aesthetic Treatments for a Smoother, Healthier Neckline
Not every neckline concern requires an injectable or surgical procedure. Some of the most meaningful improvements begin with consistent skincare and treatments that encourage your skin to renew itself.
1. SkinMedica® Neck Correct Neck & Décolleté Cream: Because Your Neck Deserves Its Own Skincare Routine, Too!
Best for: Early signs of aging, crepey texture, fine lines, dryness, and mild loss of firmness.
Let’s start with one of our Advanced Practice Estheticians’ (APE) favorite ways to show your neckline a little love.
SkinMedica Neck Correct Cream is a specialized skincare treatment formulated to improve the appearance of neck aging, including fine lines, wrinkles, crepey texture, uneven skin tone, and loss of firmness. And no, it’s not simply your regular moisturizer wearing a fancier outfit.
This formula combines targeted peptides, antioxidants, and hydrating ingredients to help support firmer-looking, smoother, more resilient skin.
Its key benefits include:
- Improved firmness and elasticity: Peptides help support the appearance of firmer, more youthful-looking skin.
- Smoother texture: Skin-conditioning ingredients help minimize the appearance of crepiness and fine lines.
- More even skin tone: Antioxidants help address visible environmental aging and uneven tone.
- Better hydration: Moisturizing ingredients help delicate neck skin feel softer and more supple.
Think of Neck Correct as your neckline’s daily maintenance program. It won’t replace a tightening procedure when significant laxity is present, but it can make a meaningful difference in skin quality with consistent use.
“Neck Correct is one of those products I love recommending because clients are often surprised by how much their neck skin benefits from targeted care,” says Denise Bona, Advanced Practice Esthetician at Refinery Skin Clinic. “When clients use it consistently, we can often see improvements in smooth, firm and healthy their skin looks. It’s also a wonderful complement to our professional treatments.”
And remember, don’t forget that SPF. Investing in neck rejuvenation without protecting your skin from the sun is like washing your car and immediately driving through a mud puddle.
CLICK HERE to shop Neck Correct Cream online
2. SkinPen® Microneedling + Ariessence Pure PDGF+: A Power Couple for Crepey Skin
Best for: Crepey texture, fine lines, uneven skin surface, and early loss of elasticity.
If your biggest complaint is that your neck looks thin, crinkly, or textured, this combination deserves your attention.
SkinPen Microneedling creates controlled microscopic channels in the skin, stimulating its natural repair response and encouraging collagen remodeling. Think of it like aerating your lawn. By creating tiny, carefully controlled openings, we’re encouraging the skin to activate its own renewal processes. Over time, that collagen remodeling can help improve skin’s firmness and the appearance of fine lines and uneven texture.
Now, let’s introduce its powerhouse partner: Ariessence Pure PDGF+.
PDGF stands for platelet-derived growth factor, a signaling protein involved in cellular communication and tissue repair. Ariessence provides a purified, recombinant form of PDGF used in professional aesthetic protocols. When paired with microneedling, Ariessence is intended to provide additional growth-factor support as the skin undergoes its natural recovery process.
Think of it like planting a garden. Microneedling prepares the soil and plants the seeds, activating your skin’s natural renewal process. Ariessence is like the fertilizer and water, providing additional growth-factor support to help nurture that process. Together, they’re designed to create the ideal environment for healthier-looking skin. And just like a well-tended garden can produce more flowers, bigger blooms, and more vibrant colors, the goal is smoother, firmer, more radiant-looking skin!
“SkinPen and Ariessence are such an exciting combination for clients frustrated by crepey, aging skin,” explains Kylie Hewett, Advanced Practice Esthetician at Refinery Skin Clinic. “What I love is that we’re working to improve the quality of the skin itself. When skin heals smoother, healthier, and more resilient, those improvements can make a dramatic difference in the neckline.”
3. Sofwave® Non-Surgical Skin Tightening: Giving Your Collagen a Wake-Up Call
Best for: Mild to moderate skin laxity, loss of firmness, and softening along the jawline and neck.
Now we’re moving into some seriously exciting territory!
If your neckline is beginning to sag or your jawline isn’t quite as defined as it used to be, Sofwave may be just what your skin needs.
And here’s a fun fact: Sofwave isn’t a laser! It’s an advanced ultrasound technology that delivers precisely controlled energy beneath the skin’s surface to stimulate collagen remodeling. Its SUPERB™ technology creates targeted areas of heat within the dermis while protecting the skin’s surface with integrated cooling. That controlled thermal energy triggers a natural healing response and encourages new collagen production.
Imagine your skin’s collagen network as the support cables holding up a suspension bridge. Over time, those cables lose tension. Sofwave sends a signal to the maintenance crew: Time to reinforce the structure!
As collagen remodels over the following weeks and months, treated skin can gradually appear firmer and more lifted.
Sofwave is FDA cleared for indications that include lifting lax skin beneath the chin and on the neck, making it particularly appealing for neckline rejuvenation. And one of the best parts? It’s noninvasive, and requires ZERO downtime.
“Sofwave is one of my favorite treatments for clients noticing that their skin doesn’t have the firmness it once did,” says Niki McCarthy, Advanced Practice Esthetician at Refinery Skin Clinic. “We’re encouraging the skin’s own collagen response, so improvements develop gradually. Clients can look refreshed and firmer without feeling like they’ve dramatically changed their appearance.”
But what if your concern isn’t sagging skin? What if it’s years of accumulated sun damage?
We’ve got something for that, too!
4. IPL Photorejuvenation: For the Neckline That’s Seen a Little Too Much Sunshine
Best for: Brown sunspots, uneven pigmentation, diffuse redness, and sun-related discoloration.
Years of sunshine have a way of leaving their signature behind. Sometimes, it’s not particularly flattering.
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is a light-based treatment designed to target certain types of unwanted pigmentation and visible redness in the skin. Unlike traditional lasers that use a single wavelength, IPL delivers a range of wavelengths that can be adjusted to address specific skin concerns, like brown spots and ruddiness. Targeted pigment or superficial blood vessels absorb the light energy, helping break down discoloration and reduce visible redness.
fading, while appropriate treatment settings can reduce the appearance of visible vessels and ruddy discoloration. The result? A clearer, more even-looking neckline.
And here’s where treatment planning gets interesting: IPL can address discoloration while Sofwave addresses firmness. Together, these technologies may provide complementary benefits for clients dealing with both sun damage and skin laxity.
Now, let’s move into the world of injectables. And yes, things get even more exciting, especially with a new FDA indication for one of our favorite products!
Let’s Talk Injectables: Because Sometimes Your Neck Needs More Than a Pep Talk
Skincare, microneedling, and energy-based professional treatments can work wonders for your neckline. However, when your concerns involve prominent neck muscles, deeper horizontal lines, or declining skin hydration, injectable treatments offer additional possibilities for improvement.
Refinery Skin Clinic’s experienced nurses have some exciting tools at their fingertips they’d love you to consider.
5. BOTOX Cosmetic® for Platysmal Bands: Relax, Already!
Best for: Prominent vertical neck bands and muscle-related changes along the jawline.
You already know BOTOX® Cosmetic is fantastic for smoothing forehead lines and crow’s feet, right? But did you know it can also soften those prominent vertical bands on your neck?
BOTOX Cosmetic is FDA approved to temporarily improve the appearance of moderate to severe platysmal bands connecting the neck and jaw in adults.
Remember the platysma muscle we discussed earlier? Think of it as a game of tug-of-war between the muscles pulling your lower face downward and those working to lift it up. When the platysma contracts, it creates downward tension that can contribute to prominent neck bands and a less defined jawline. BOTOX Cosmetic® helps relax that downward pull, allowing the muscles responsible for lifting the lower face to work with less opposition. The result? Softer-looking neck bands and potentially a more lifted, beautifully contoured jawline!
BOTOX Cosmetic works by temporarily reducing muscle activity in carefully targeted areas. When strategically injected, it helps relax the contractions responsible for prominent vertical bands, creating a softer, smoother, less strained appearance. (A more youthful-looking neck!)
Because the platysma also interacts with the lower face, treatment may also help improve the appearance of the jawline in appropriate candidates.
“One of the things I love about treating platysmal bands with BOTOX Cosmetic is that we’re addressing the muscle activity contributing to the concern, not masking a symptom” explains Michele Lukkason, RN, BSN, CANS, Registered Nurse and Nursing Manager at Refinery Skin Clinic. “When we carefully relax the right muscles, we can create a softer, more relaxed appearance while preserving natural movement.”
BOTOX doesn’t eliminate significant loose skin or every horizontal wrinkle. It addresses a specific contributor to neck aging: muscle activity. Your Nurse will be transparent with you if she believes you would most benefit from surgical intervention to reach your neckline goals.
Which brings us to another exciting injectable innovation!
6. SKINVIVE by JUVÉDERM®: Your Neckline Just Got Invited to the Hydration Party!
Best for: Horizontal neck lines and concerns related to declining skin hydration and smoothness.
We have some VERY exciting news!
SKINVIVE by JUVÉDERM is now FDA approved to reduce neck lines and improve neck appearance.
Previously approved for improving skin smoothness in the cheeks, SKINVIVE received expanded FDA approval for the neck in June 2026, and for clients frustrated by horizontal neck wrinkles, this is a welcome addition to our current treatment toolbox.
As we age, our skin’s ability to retain moisture changes. Combined with declining collagen and repeated movement, this can make horizontal wrinkles and crepey texture more noticeable. While moisturizers hydrate the skin’s surface, SKINVIVE approaches skin quality differently.
SKINVIVE is an injectable hyaluronic acid treatment designed to improve skin quality rather than create the volumizing effects traditionally associated with dermal fillers.
Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance that attracts and retains water. Think of it as your skin’s tiny moisture reservoir. SKINVIVE uses a specialized hyaluronic acid gel injected into the skin to help improve the appearance of horizontal neck lines and support a smoother, more hydrated look. The goal isn’t to change your neck’s shape. It’s to help the skin look smoother and healthier.
Clinical studies supporting its neck indication demonstrated improvements in neck lines, with results that may last approximately six months with optimal treatment.
Here’s what makes SKINVIVE particularly exciting when paired with other treatments:
BOTOX Cosmetic addresses prominent vertical muscle bands.
SKINVIVE addresses horizontal neck lines and skin quality.
Different mechanisms. Different concerns. Beautiful potential for customized rejuvenation!
Which brings us to one of our most comprehensive approaches…
7. The Ultimate Neckline Trifecta: BOTOX Cosmetic + SKINVIVE + Ariessence Pure PDGF+
Best for: Clients with multiple neckline concerns who may benefit from a comprehensive injectable rejuvenation plan.
Okay, ladies. This is where things get REALLY interesting! What if we could address several of the most frustrating signs of neck aging with three treatments that work in different ways? Think of it as assembling your own personal neckline dream team!
First, BOTOX Cosmetic addresses the muscle component. By relaxing targeted platysmal muscle activity, it helps soften prominent vertical bands.
Next, SKINVIVE addresses horizontal lines and skin hydration. Its hyaluronic acid formulation helps create a smoother, more hydrated-looking neckline. It is pre-mixed with Ariessence Pure PDGF+ to also introduce growth-factors to the skin.
Together, these injectables offer different solutions to the visible signs of neck aging.
It’s a bit like renovating a beautiful historic home. One treatment addresses the underlying tension, another improves the appearance of the surface, and another provides additional skin-support technology.
The goal isn’t to rebuild the entire house. It’s to restore some of the qualities that made it beautiful in the first place!
“What’s so exciting about neckline rejuvenation today is that we can approach it from several different angles,” explains Rebecca Suess, MSN, RN, APRN, CNP, AGPCNP-BC, CPSN, CANS, ISPAN-F. “We can address muscle activity with BOTOX Cosmetic, improve horizontal neck lines with SKINVIVE, and incorporate advanced skin-quality treatments like Ariessence into a broader rejuvenation plan. I love evaluating what each client actually needs rather than relying on one treatment for every concern. That’s how we create results that look balanced, refreshed, and natural.”
One Neckline. So Many Possibilities. What’s Right for YOU?
If you’ve made it this far, you might be thinking, Well, now I want ALL the treatments! (We love your enthusiasm!)
But here’s something important to understand: Not every neckline needs every treatment.
At Refinery Skin Clinic, we don’t recommending procedures simply because they’re available. We’re interested in identifying what makes the most sense for your anatomy, concerns, goals, and lifestyle.
For one client, that might mean introducing SkinMedica Neck Correct Cream and committing to consistent sun protection.
For another, it could mean SkinPen microneedling to improve crepey texture, followed by Sofwave to address skin laxity.
And for clients with multiple concerns, a comprehensive plan may involve injectable treatments performed in stages throughout the year. It’s not about doing everything. It’s about doing the right things, in the right order, for the right reasons.
Our experienced nurses and Advanced Practice Estheticians work collaboratively to assess your skin, understand your goals, and create a personalized neckline treatment plan. Some clients prefer to start conservatively. Others are ready for a more comprehensive approach. And some simply want to understand their options. All are welcome.
No pressure. No cookie-cutter recommendations. Just thoughtful guidance from professionals who genuinely care about helping you look and feel your best.
Ready to Give Your Neckline a Little Love?
Schedule a complimentary consultation at Refinery Skin Clinic in Burnsville, Minnesota, and let’s talk about what you’re seeing, what you’d love to improve, and which treatments might help you reach your goals.
We’ll evaluate your concerns, explain your options, and create a plan designed just for you.
Because aging is a privilege, and every chapter deserves to be celebrated.
At Refinery Skin Clinic, we’re here to help you embrace every chapter of life while looking and feeling like the very best version of yourself.
And if your neckline needs a little extra attention along the way? Well, girlfriend, we’ve got your back. And your neck!
CALL (952) 479-0915 | TEXT (952) 479-0603 | BOOK ONLINE!