Neck skin tightening for crepey skin, turkey neck and jowls
Crepey skin, a turkey neck and jowls are three different problems. Crepey skin is thin and crinkled, mostly from sun. A turkey neck is loose skin, fat or weak neck muscle. Jowls sag along the jaw. Creams help texture, devices help mild looseness, and only surgery removes hanging skin. At Karisma: Endermologie Face $120, XERF $1,500.
Published · Written by Kay Woodson · Results vary.
Why does neck skin turn crepey?
Crepey skin looks like crepe paper: thin, finely crinkled, and slow to smooth out when you stretch it. Cleveland Clinic traces it mostly to sun damage. Over the years, UV light wears down elastin, the fibers that let skin spring back, and after enough exposure they lose much of their ability to repair.
Age, weight changes, dry skin and some medicines add to it, and so can smoking, alcohol, poor sleep and stress. It is a different problem from expression lines, which come from muscles moving. That difference is why the same neck can need two kinds of care: one for the surface, one for firmness.
Crepey skin, turkey neck or jowls: which one is yours?
Look in a mirror with your chin level, then tilt your head down. Most necks show a mix.
| What you see | What is going on | Where help usually comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Fine crinkles, like tissue paper, that smooth a little with moisturizer | Thin, sun-damaged skin (crepiness) | Sunscreen, moisturizer, retinol, resurfacing |
| Jowls: a softer jawline, skin that pools below the jaw | Loss of firmness (laxity) | Energy devices, or surgery when the skin hangs |
| Turkey neck: loose skin or bands from chin to collarbone | Skin, fat and the platysma muscle, alone or together | Depends on the cause; a neck lift for folds |
| Fullness under the chin even when your skin is firm | Fat, not skin | A physician. Karisma does not offer fat reduction under the chin |
Neck skin tightening options compared
From the bathroom shelf to the operating room. Rows marked "not offered" are not available at Karisma.
| Option | What it does | Where and price |
|---|---|---|
| Sunscreen down to the collarbone | Cleveland Clinic suggests broad spectrum, SPF 30 at least, 50 or higher preferred | At home |
| Moisturizer with hydroxy acids or hyaluronic acid | Keeps thin skin hydrated, which helps prevent more crinkling | At home |
| Retinol creams | Help restore elasticity, with temporary dryness at first | At home |
| Endermologie Face | LPG micro-pulsations over the face and neck, for the look of slack skin | Karisma, $120 a session |
| XERF | Radiofrequency warmth in the deeper layers of the neck and jaw. Results vary | Karisma, $1,500, or $3,000 for two |
| Ultherapy | Focused ultrasound, FDA-cleared to lift lax tissue under the chin and on the neck. See XERF vs microneedling vs HIFU | Medical practice. Not offered |
| Fractional laser, fillers | Controlled injury to rebuild collagen, or injected volume | Medical practice. Not offered |
| Neck lift surgery | A surgeon removes extra skin. It leaves a scar | Plastic surgeon. Not offered |
Ultherapy indication: FDA 510(k) K243035, February 24, 2025. Karisma prices from GlossGenius, October 2026.
What its clearance does and does not cover
XERF's FDA clearance (510(k) K251327, August 2025) is for electrocoagulation and hemostasis in dermatologic and general surgical procedures, for prescription use. It names no neck indication and no tightening indication. Ultherapy, by contrast, holds a specific neck clearance. XERF's human evidence is two small studies. The larger one, 39 people in 2026, did treat the neck and under the chin, but it was supported by the maker, had no untreated group, and enrolled only skin types I to IV. Kay will walk you through that at the $150 consultation, which is credited to your session if you go ahead. To see what the days after a session involve, read XERF aftercare.
Turkey neck: what helps without surgery?
"Turkey neck" is not a medical term. Cleveland Clinic plastic surgeon Martin Newman, MD, uses it for a drooping, less defined neck, and lists six causes: aging, weight gain, genetics, sun and smoking, some medicines, and the two platysma muscles at the front of the neck weakening or separating. Most necks have more than one at once, which is why the fix depends on the cause.
Without surgery, the same article names neck creams, daily neck exercises, devices such as Ultherapy and radiofrequency, fat reduction, and Botox for tight bands. Its warning is the useful part: nonsurgical results are often subtle and usually need several sessions, then upkeep. A neck lift is what Dr. Newman calls the gold standard, because it removes skin and fat and tightens the muscle. For the jawline on its own, read jowls without surgery.
A studio option may suit
Mild crepiness or early softening along the jaw, in someone who wants no needles and no surgery, and who keeps up sun protection on the neck. Endermologie Face fits a lower budget; XERF is the radiofrequency option.
Talk to a surgeon or dermatologist if
Skin hangs in folds, for example after a large weight loss, or the fullness is fat under the chin. Cleveland Clinic notes that large amounts of loose skin usually need a plastic surgeon to remove it.
What Karisma offers for the neck
Two options, both done by Kay Woodson at the Melbourne studio. Endermologie Face is $120 a session and works over the face and neck in one visit. XERF, the radiofrequency device by Cynosure Lutronic, is $1,500 a session or $3,000 for two. Cynosure's protocol for XERF covers the face and neck, jawline included, and Kay follows it, with 2 sessions as the maker recommends.
If you are not sure which group your neck falls into, start with a consultation. Kay looks at texture, firmness and fullness separately, and tells you plainly if the right next step is a surgeon rather than a studio.
Questions about a saggy neck
How can I tighten the loose skin on my neck?
Mild looseness may look firmer after energy-device or LPG sessions, and results vary from person to person. Skin that hangs in folds is extra skin, and only surgery removes it.
Can sagging neck skin be reversed?
Partly, in mild cases. Sunscreen and retinol help the surface, and devices can improve the look of early laxity over several sessions. Cleveland Clinic notes that weight loss tightens the neck mainly in younger skin with good elasticity, and that hanging skin needs a surgeon.
What age does a saggy neck start?
There is no set age. Cleveland Clinic calls a turkey neck a common sign of aging but notes that younger people get it too, depending on genetics, weight, sun and smoking.
What helps crepey skin on the neck?
Start with daily sunscreen on the neck, a moisturizer with hyaluronic acid or hydroxy acids, and a retinol. Cleveland Clinic lists those first. Studio and medical treatments come on top, not instead.
How much does neck skin tightening cost in Melbourne, FL?
At Karisma, Endermologie Face is $120 a session and XERF is $1,500 a session or $3,000 for two, after a $150 consultation that is credited if you book. See the XERF cost guide.
Is crepey skin the same as wrinkles?
No. Cleveland Clinic separates them: lines around the eyes and mouth come from repeated muscle movement, while crepey skin comes mainly from sun damage to elastin. That is why sun protection sits at the top of every crepey-skin plan.
- What's causing your crepey skin and how can you fix it?, Cleveland Clinic, June 10, 2024, checked October 29, 2026
- Turkey neck: what it is and how to get rid of it, Cleveland Clinic (Martin Newman, MD), January 9, 2023, checked October 29, 2026
- FDA 510(k) K243035, Ulthera System, indications for use, decision February 24, 2025
- FDA 510(k) K251327, XERF, Lutronic Corporation, cleared August 11, 2025
- Weiss RA et al. Dual-frequency noninvasive monopolar radiofrequency for facial laxity, a prospective multicenter study. Cureus, March 2, 2026
- Retrospective study of XERF in 16 women, Lasers in Medical Science, August 18, 2026
- LPG Group, face treatment: smooth wrinkles, checked October 29, 2026
- Karisma Esthetics booking page and prices, GlossGenius, checked October 29, 2026