You’ve seen it on many women and are likely thinking that it won’t happen to you, but if you’re not careful, there is a good chance that your neck will begin to look old well before your face follows suit. But there is a way to keep your neck looking young and none of them involve surgery.

Too many women spend a lot of time primping and preening their faces with everything from expensive creams to professional facials, but neglect their necks until it’s too late.

But your neck doesn’t have to start looking old by the time you hit 30; if you take all the right precautions and lavish it with attention, you can make sure that you keep your neck looking young, beautiful and regal well into old age.

If you can follow these simple tips, you will be wearing your hair in a ponytail almost daily just to show off that gorgeous “head stand.”

FACTOID: Botox is used to remove neck band wrinkles.

Keep your neck looking young tip #1
Watch TV upright
The next time you’re watching television, whether it’s in the living room or the bedroom, take note of your position; do you tend to lower your chin toward your chest and sit that way for hours?

If you hold this position constantly and it has developed into a habit, eventually your neck will begin to develop fine lines and the skin may even begin to sag.

Do your best to keep your chin up at all times. If you’ve ever seen photos of yourself and freaked out over seeing a double chin, it’s possible that it looks like you have one because you tend to keep your chin down. Start holding your chin high and you’ll begin to see a whole new you – and this will help to keep your neck looking young.

Keeping your chin up ultimately keeps your neck from developing folds or wrinkles prematurely. So start paying attention to where your chin is at all times and avoid dropping it.

Keep your neck looking young tip #2
Treat your neck like your face
If you treat your face like gold every morning and night, and don’t do the same for your neck, you’ll end up with a soft, smooth face and an aging neck. And if you’ve ever a woman sporting that, you know that it’s not pretty.

From this point on, any courtesy you pay your face, you should also pay to your neck. If you use a face mask, apply it to your neck as well; if you exfoliate your face once a week, do the same to your neck.

And most importantly, use a really high SPF on your neck to keep it from aging; the skin on your neck is quite thin and sensitive, and will age quickly if you do not protect it from UV rays.

By treating your neck and face as equals, your neck will not turn on you and go the route of raisins.

Keep your neck looking young tip #3
Exercise
Not only should you stretch and exercise your neck regularly in order to avoid stiffness and injury, you should also strength train your entire body in order to keep your neck looking youthful. No, I’m not kidding; this will keep your neck looking young.

Strength training causes your neck to strain to lift the weight, inadvertently causing your neck to develop muscle and improve its mobility.

And on those days that you stay out of the gym, remember to stretch your neck by leaning your head toward one shoulder, then the other, and then leaning toward your back and then your chest. Hold each position for about 30 seconds.

Keep your neck looking young tip #4
Stay thin
It’s a no-brainer that if you gain weight, there’s a pretty good chance that your neck will take on some of the extra weight. Unnecessary weight gain is unattractive to begin with, but when it causes “neck fat,” you will not be a happy camper.

Exercise (see above) and healthy eating will keep you from gaining weight, and will keep you from developing a double chin and fleshy neck.

Keep your neck looking young tip #5
Massage your neck
If you can afford it, head out for a facial every three months and ask for a neck massage as well. It won’t cost you extra and you will enjoy the sensation immensely.

If you cannot afford four facials a year, then opt to massage your neck yourself. Add a little moisturizer to your fingertips and massage your neck in an upwards motion. Doing this stimulates blood circulation in the neck resulting in more blood at the surface.

Keep your neck looking young tip #6
Sleep with your head up
If you tend to sleep on multiple pillows, it’s time to stop doing so because you probably end up sleeping with a curved neck. By sleeping on a low pillow, your neck is more likely to remain elongated throughout the night.

If you curl your neck down toward your chest while you sleep, your neck will eventually wrinkle prematurely, but by lowering your pillow or using no pillow at all, you will notice that your desire to curl your chin will subside.

Keep your neck looking young forever

Growing up, we tend to think that we will look young forever and sometimes neglect parts of ourselves until it’s too late. But if you begin to take care of your neck at the same time that you start fussing over your face, you will maintain your youthful beauty for years to come.