Aging of the Neck Decoded: New Insights for Minimally Invasive Treatments.

Abstract

Many signs of aging manifest in the neck region, including platysmal bands, excess skin, horizontal neck lines and decreasing contour of the neck. While the clinical signs of an aged neck are well-known, data determining the underlying aging process are limited. To decode aging of the neck. This prospective study investigated elasticity and firmness of skin, muscle activity and skin displacement upon muscular contraction in the neck in 77 young-, middle- and old-age individuals. Objective outcome measures, including 3-dimensional imaging, cutometry and surface electromyography, were utilized for all assessments. Mean firmness of skin decreased significantly from young to old individuals (0.37 ± 0.13mm, 0.30 ± 0.12mm and 0.26 ± 0.12mm in young, middle and old subjects, respectively; p < 0.001). Gross elasticity decreased significantly from 75.1 ± 13.0% in young subjects, to 64.53 ± 15.7% in middle-aged subjects and 55.79 ± 13.0% in old subjects (p < 0.001). The mean y-axis skin displacement increased from 2.48 ± 4.33mm in young subjects, to 3.11 ± 4.49mm in middle-aged subjects and 3.61 ± 5.38mm in old subjects (p = 0.006). The mean signal-to-noise ratio decreased significantly from 16.74 ± 5.77µV in young subjects, to 14.41 ± 4.86µV in middle-aged subjects and to 12.23 ± 5.99µV in old subjects (p < 0.001). This study provides insights into the interplay between skin elasticity, muscular activity and the reflected movement of the skin of the neck. Appreciation of these age-related changes lays the fundament for aesthetic treatments in this delicate region. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .