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Mon Jul 01, 2013 5:12 pm  |
There seem to be contradictory ideas by plastic surgeons about what causes neck bands/cording. Some use botox because they say the platysma needs to relax. So why not just stretch and relax the muscle with yoga platysma stretches, and avoid tensing it in everyday speech etc? That's how I prevent 11 lines - don't frown so much, not botox.
Others say the muscle weakens and drops. So it needs strengthening, not stretching? I try my FlexEffect platysma exercises, but they definitely tense the area up (and build my triangularis, which I don't want). More tension, according to the 'botox' theorists, would be bad.
Others say that the skin over the platysma has already been over-stretched and needs to be pinned back in a neck-lift. So I've tried my 1.5mm dermaroller about a month ago and am hoping for tightening of the skin that way.
Meanwhile I'm also doing the CFF 'The Brush' http://www.carolynsfacialfitness.com/the-brush. That this works for Carolyn would indicate that the muscle needs stretching rather than building, and that the skin needs stimulation.
I've been doing the latter for 2 months, but no real improvement yet. However, Carolyn is over 60 and I think her neck is the best I've seen in someone that age.
If you've had any useful experience on neck cording, please post for everyone's benefit  |
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Mon Jul 01, 2013 7:24 pm |
Hi Needl,
Yes I too have dealt with the dreaded neck cords showing. I've used facial exercises successfully for this in the past and also tried dry brushing. But, as I've gotten older and my skin has thinned more, those things were no longer working for me. In fact, the exercises made them apepar more pronounced, much in the same way that the exercises made my lower cheek area appear more gaunt. An EDS friend of mine suggested the Pico Toner microcurent as a good alternative to facial exercises. I swear by this little machine to tone the face and lift my entire face and neck and it also has produced some nice plumping and fullness to my skin which I so desperately needed. It might be something you should explore. Best, Aprile |
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Mon Jul 01, 2013 8:30 pm |
Thanks Aprile, good to hear from someone who has been through it. I'll look into the Pico Toner. Could you perhaps outline which exercises worked for you earlier? They might still work for me for a while at least
Ah, upon reading more about microcurrent I find that I won't be able to go there, for health reasons (very prone to headaches/migraine). |
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Mon Jul 01, 2013 9:17 pm |
Thanks Nonie. Just having bought Ageless after years of FE I was hoping not to have to buy another programme just now, but maybe I'll have to - this is really my biggest worry zone  Meanwhile those quotes encourage me to keep on with 'the brush' exercise. |
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Mon Jul 01, 2013 9:22 pm |
| Needl wrote: |
| Thanks Nonie. Just having bought Ageless after years of FE I was hoping not to have to buy another programme just now, but maybe I'll have to - this is really my biggest worry zone Meanwhile those quotes encourage me to keep on with 'the brush' exercise. |
Needl you may not have to buy the program. Why not give Ageless a try and just maybe add The Brush and the exercise at the link I just added (see last link in my previous post) and see? It could be that that is all you need to address cording and Ageless will take care of the rest of the neck's toning. |
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Mon Jul 01, 2013 9:31 pm |
| Yes, thanks Nonie, I'll do CFF's 'gulping fish' as well as 'the brush'. |
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Mon Jul 01, 2013 10:32 pm |
Facial exercises GAVE me neck cords. Never had any until I tried those exercises. Yuck, really dislike them.
I need to start figuring out what to do about them, too!
Thanks for all the tips here! |
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Tue Jul 02, 2013 4:40 am |
| Yes Jae Blue that is what happened to me too. Like I shared though this was only after time had passed and my skin had thinned more. Others have shared the same thing... Disclaimer: I have no experience with the CFF program. I still perform a few select exercises, but not the neck ones. So I am thinking that perhaps FE is not a good stand alone remedy for those over a certain age who already have experienced loss of elasticity and diminished fat pads... Just putting that out there. Best, Aprile |
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Tue Jul 02, 2013 11:44 am |
I'm in my 50's but did the facial exercises in my 40's. My mother has loose skin on her neck so I figured I should really work to prevent that, so I focused on exercising my neck.
Well - within a few months I developed neck cords, which to this day have not gone away. So - did the exercises stretch out the cords? OR build them up? But if so, they would've receded when I stopped. I don't know - I have the same issues with the lack of real understanding of why they happen and how to correct them?! |
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Tue Jul 02, 2013 11:49 am |
| BTW, a 1.5 dermaroller is not going to correct this. I've dermarolled for years. First off - no real results are seen with rolling for many, many months. Most likely a year. It's like the LED lights, it takes time to cause change in the skin under the surface. Lasers also take many months to see the results. So - we need to roll every 6 weeks or so, not sooner than that, to build collagen. BUT neck cords are far deeper than this and no amount of rolling can effect this muscle. |
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Tue Jul 02, 2013 12:28 pm |
| When you guys say cords, you're talking about the vertical cords as opposed to horizontal banding, correct? |
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Tue Jul 02, 2013 1:52 pm |
| Yubs wrote: |
| When you guys say cords, you're talking about the vertical cords as opposed to horizontal banding, correct? |
Hi Yubs, yes, we mean these:
| JaeBlue wrote: |
I'm in my 50's but did the facial exercises in my 40's. My mother has loose skin on her neck so I figured I should really work to prevent that, so I focused on exercising my neck.
Well - within a few months I developed neck cords, which to this day have not gone away. So - did the exercises stretch out the cords? OR build them up? But if so, they would've receded when I stopped. I don't know - I have the same issues with the lack of real understanding of why they happen and how to correct them?! |
JaeBlue I have read that tension can cause neck cording which is why Botox is used to relax the muscle.
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| One of the most common complaints about the aging neck is the appearance of thick, vertical cords. A muscle called the platysma is like a curtain spanning from the jawline and the clavicles across the front of the neck. The vertical cords on the neck form as the two sides of the platysma “curtain” separate with age. Because it’s a muscle, the platysma can be relaxed with injections of Botox or Dysport. These neurotoxins slightly weaken the muscle, softening the look of the cords. To further minimize their appearance, Dr. Yagoda injects neurotoxin in the underside of the jawline. These muscles pull the upper portion of the neck downwards. By relaxing them, the comparatively stronger muscles above act to pull the neck up, giving it a subtle lift. |
Source: http://www.dryagoda.com/facial-plastic-surgery/neck/non-surgical-necklift.html
From the last part of that excerpt, it seems to me that there has to be a balancing act between muscles of the face and neck. I wonder whether perhaps overworking the neck at the expense of other areas may be to blame. We all know what an overbuild can occur if some muscles are exercised more than other related muscles, so perhaps that is what happens. Carolyn is always researching and adding to her program to address issues that develop which is how she came up with The Brush as one of the bonus exercises to the foundation program as she explains in the following article which discusses other causes of cording:
http://www.carolynsfacialfitness.com/facial-exercise-routine-for-firming-the-neck-and-double-chin |
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Tue Jul 02, 2013 1:58 pm |
For me, it's been years since that I did the exercises. I would say that the cords were overly stretched from them, that would explain why they never went back. I did the whole face but focused on the neck. I'd personally never mess with those exercises again.
That photo gives me SHUDDERS!! YIKES! |
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Tue Jul 02, 2013 1:59 pm |
Ah, okay. Thanks, Nonie!
JaeBlue...me, too! I wonder if it will be our cosmic punishment to have necks like that because we shuddered instead of sympathized with this poor woman?  |
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Tue Jul 02, 2013 2:53 pm |
If my neck ever goes this far south - I'd do something about it!
Hoping though to head it off at the pass. I'm also thinking - Ultherapy!? |
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Tue Jul 02, 2013 3:26 pm |
Jae: Yeah, I'm not really pro-procedure for myself, but then, I haven't reached that point yet. I may yet change my mind, if my neck gets *that* bad. And if I win the lottery. 
BTW, have you tried STOP? I have one but haven't used it yet (will deploy it later in my "War for Rejuvenation"  ), but have heard it works fairly well to tighten skin. Just curious. |
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Tue Jul 02, 2013 5:09 pm |
| I had my neck cords botoxed once about three years ago and they never came back! Mine were minor though and only really visible where they connect under the jaw. |
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Tue Jul 02, 2013 6:19 pm |
Yubs, I don't know what STOP is?
I have an advanced version of Baby Quasar and that is helpful. I used it consistently for 2 years and lately have been slacking, I notice a big difference.
Now I'm trying cupping! I'd like to age without having to do too many radical procedures. I think it's nice to feel good about ourselves, without expecting to look 20 years younger!
That's the goal! I do think though that relaxing the neck makes a huge difference, just hard to remember to relax!
Great news about Botox. Every time I ask about it a doctor talks me out of doing it on my neck. They always say that it takes a lot of Botox and don't recommend it . . . ?! |
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Wed Jul 03, 2013 3:41 am |
| I'm nearly 68 and have been practicing Carolyn's Facial Fitness for nearly five years. I'm a slim person (but not skinny), and perhaps could have been a candidate for neck cording. I didn't have neck cording before CFF and have never developed neck cording during all the years I've been doing CFF. Perhaps it's just not in my genes, but I also believe that massage helps to keep the dreaded neck cords away, by thickening the skin. CFF incorporates a lot of massage in the exercises themselves, so you're getting that benefit as well. The Brush is a brilliant addition to the basic programme, and I do it several times a week. I'm sure it all helps. Thanks to Nonie for helpfully providing the links for anyone wanting to give it a try. |
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Wed Jul 03, 2013 6:16 am |
| the vertical chords are more visible as one gets older.They loosen up;I dont think you can do much except surgery here. The dr tightens up the chords like tightening up shoelaces.Exercise wont help because the platysmal muscles have separated. I had a neck lift to tighten it up,I hated the dreaded chords when they were visible;its very aging and even if the rest of your face looks good, if your chords show, its hopeless! |
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Wed Jul 03, 2013 6:19 am |
| you may have them but dont notice them because sometimes its only when you talk or open your mouth a certain way that they are noticeable.So if you are in front of the mirror at rest you may not see them but when you are out and about talking to people they will notice them. |
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Wed Jul 03, 2013 7:16 am |
| JaeBlue wrote: |
| Yubs, I don't know what STOP is? |
Jae, here's a thread about it:
http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=30899&highlight=tripollar
I've never used it, so am not necessarily recommending it. I plan to try mine later this year. Just throwing it out there as a possible option, as it's supposed to tighten skin well. I think a lot of people like it, a few have not had good results.
| lucyluc wrote: |
| you may have them but do nt notice them because sometimes its only when you talk or open your mouth a certain way that they are noticeable.So if you are in front of the mirror at rest you may not see them but when you are out and about talking to people they will notice them. |
Lucy, thanks for that fun bit of encouragement! Now when I worry about NL's, jowls, sagging chin, eyebags, and hooded eyelids that I know are actually there, I can add neck cords to the stuff I worry about that I can't see that may or may not be there.  |
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Wed Jul 03, 2013 7:48 am |
| lucyluc wrote: |
| you may have them but dont notice them because sometimes its only when you talk or open your mouth a certain way that they are noticeable.So if you are in front of the mirror at rest you may not see them but when you are out and about talking to people they will notice them. |
I just had a look at a whole load of photos taken of me by my husband on a cruise last month, in celebration of our Golden Wedding Anniversary. I see a bit of looseness which I was already aware of (minor jowling), that I haven't been able to eliminate even with CFF, but I see no sign of cords in any of the photos. I have some photos of me speaking and leaning forward (not the most flattering of views) - but I still see no cords, I'm glad to report. |
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Wed Jul 03, 2013 8:19 am |
Thanks for sharing. That's wonderful. Surgery is not always the answer. Genetics, taking care of oneself and a little extra like what you are doing can make the difference too.
| newera wrote: |
I just had a look at a whole load of photos taken of me by my husband on a cruise last month, in celebration of our Golden Wedding Anniversary. I see a bit of looseness which I was already aware of (minor jowling), that I haven't been able to eliminate even with CFF, but I see no sign of cords in any of the photos. I have some photos of me speaking and leaning forward (not the most flattering of views) - but I still see no cords, I'm glad to report. |
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_________________
Enjoying dermalogica with my ASG and Pico toner ** Disclosure: I was a participant without remuneration in promotional videos for Ageless Secret Gold and the Neurotris Pico Emmy event. |
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