Treat Your Horizontal Neck Lines

Meet Alicia. She’s 35-years-old and has neck lines (neck rings), which she was told were inherited from her mom’s side of the family. In fact, these lines tend to be a family trait and can develop early in some people.

Treat Your Horizontal Neck Lines

They never bothered her too much until she hit 30. Then, the neck rings became more noticeable and more prominent. Now, Alicia wants to know, “Is there a solution for these?”

Today, there is an increasing trend shifting the aesthetic focus downward from the face, with new treatments aimed at the aging neck. Hyaluronic acid (HA) filler injection is an option, which researchers have studied with good results.

Here’s what they did.

Researchers reviewed the records of 14 patients who were treated with HA fillers for horizontal neck lines. These patients were categorized as Fitzpatrick skin types IV-V. In other words, they had darker skin. They typically tanned with ease and seldom burned.

The doctors who treated these patients used their expertise to choose injection techniques that would get the best results.

Here’s what they found.

Using a tool called the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (5-very much improved, 4-much improved, 3-improved, 2-no change, 1-worse), 2-month after treatment, the patients were considered much improved (4), overall.

The bottom line

The  results show that neck bands can be made less noticeable by using HA filler. (And with Botox®, too!)

But here’s the important point for those considering treatment for neck lines (or any part of the face, for that matter). Some of these people were treated using a “vertical injection” technique. Others were treated using what’s called “linear threading.” This decision was based on what was best for the patient, guided by the experience and expertise of the doctor.

When we consider injection therapy to achieve a more youthful appearance, most people think they will receive a series of punctures. But there’s more to injecting HA fillers than sticking the patient with a needle. In this case, some people were better candidates for “linear threading,” while other were best suited for “vertical injections.”

Satisfactory results require more than simply injecting a filler into the skin. Injection technique matters. To learn more about facial fillers and injection techniques that are right for you, contact Aesthetic Dermatology and Skin Cancer: Jeffrey H. Binstock, M.D. Dr. Binstock, USCF Fellowship Trained; and Stephanie Cullinane, PA-C will answer all your questions. Call our office in Mill Valley (415) 383-5475.