Turkey neck?

[Sunnyer 131]

I'm 3 and a half months past surgery and I've lost almost 39 pounds, which I'm very happy with.

Prior to surgery, I did have a hint of a double chin, and now that it's going away, I'm getting a bit of a "turkey neck" instead. Meaning, there's some loose skin there and a couple of vertical lines I can see in the mirror and in photographs. Also, if I shake my head, my neck wobbles back and forth.

Is this something that can go away as I lose more weight, or am I stuck with this look unless I have plastic surgery? Has anyone experienced this and found some solution? Are there any less invasive procedures like lasers or peeling that actually work?

Also, I'm losing hair like crazy and I had planned to cut my hair to make it look thicker and healthier. My hair is currently about 15-20 cm past my shoulders (6-8 inches) and I had planned to have it cut to shoulder length or maybe even shorter for Christmas.

But now I worry that shorter hair will make my wobbly neck all the more visible. I have wavy hair, so I also worry that shorter haircuts may look like "old lady" perms. Any thoughts or experiences with good haircuts that can hide or minimize a turkey neck and still look good ?

Edited November 26, 2022 by Sunnyer

[BigSue 1,372]

I don’t have any answers about treatments for loose neck skin, but I will say that your weight/size is the first thing most people notice. No matter how wobbly your neck is, in all likelihood, people will see that you’ve lost weight and think you look fantastic.

[catwoman7 11,212]

things do sort of move around once you hit your goal and you look less gaunt than you did at first - but I can't remember if that affected my "turkey neck" or not. Might have a bit. At any rate, between the 200+ lb weight loss and my age (I'm in my 60s), yep, I had a turkey neck. I don't know if others noticed it or not, but I sure did. I did have mine removed as part of a facelift procedure I had at about six years post-op.

[ms.sss 15,581]

gobble gobble!

*raises hand* member of the turkey neck club here!

im 4 yrs post..i've tried lots of things to minimize my turkey neck: massage, facial/jaw exercises, creams/lotions, micro-needling, IPL, botox...all of which made little to no lasting difference (at least none that i could see).

i figure i have a neck lift or face lift sometime in my future, but ill get to that when i get to it. im not really keen on doing any more surgery and i can live with it for now. i mean, i am getting up in years so even if the weight loss didn't do a number on my skin, age will.

i will echo the sentiments mentioned above about things shifting around a little as time goes on. my neck (in my opinion) was way worse looking immediately after weight loss phase than it does now (not to say its so great now, but at least its "better" looking...see pic below...i have these 2 vertical lines always there, which become more prominent when i laugh or grimace).

i do have an appointment for a series of "morpheous 8" sessions in the upcoming months as a last ditch effort to improve the look of my neck skin, so we'll see.

also, re: hair: i chopped it all off at around 3-4 months-post into a pixie cut cuz i was sick of vacuuming the CARPETS of hair accumulating on my bathroom floor. not sure if it made me look any less old though...my gauntness at the time did all that for me lol.

but if my experience or the experiences of others i've read on here can attest, with time, we all stop looking like dead man/woman walking EVENTUALLY.

Good luck!

Edited November 26, 2022 by ms.sss

[smc124 118]

There’s an injection called Kibella that might be able to help a bit depending on extent. Worth discussing with a derm

[pintsizedmallrat 473]

I am 15 mos post op and I have definitely noticed my neck snapping back slowly as my weight loss has slowed. I take collagen and a hair-skin-nails supplement every day and I feel like that has helped, and I've also noticed it looks better the more hydrated I am.

All of the above listed things will help with your hair, too--I had to basically get a buzz cut 4 months after my surgery because I lost 75% of my hair, but as it's grown back it's thicker than it was before my surgery. It's almost to my shoulders again in the back!

Stick with your plan, eat your Protein, make sure you're getting plenty of Vitamins (especially zinc for your hair!). It will get better. This whole process is like going through puberty again sometimes with all the strange and confusing changes to our bodies but a lot of it is temporary!

[Spinoza 1,376]

Oh I have just got to tell you all that I hadn't given any thought to my neck in the year since my surgery. Since reading this thread, however, I have realised that I also have big time turkey neck. I'm not so into my appearance that I will ever do anything about it, but I do now have a series of photos from various angles in various lighting that I can never unsee. 😂😂😂

[Sleeve_Me_Alone 656]

My double (triple) chin situation always made me VERY self-conscious so when I started seeing my face/neck slim down, I was THRILLED. Over time, I definitely developed a little bit of saggy skin there, and maybe some day I'll look into doing something about it, but not having all that extra weight on my face is just such a relief for me that it honestly doesn't bother me much. I've just recently (TODAY) reached goal, so it will be interesting to see what happens and if the skin firms up any over time.

[heatherdbby 70]

look for a plastic surgeons office that also offers esthetic services. maybe a high retinol cream will help!