Some of the most common causes of fat rolls around your neck are losing weight quickly and the irreversible process of aging and loss of muscle tone. There isn't a lot you can do about getting older, but you can reduce the likelihood of sagging neck skin by losing weight gradually and making sure you build and maintain the size of your neck muscles.
About Your Neck
There are two main muscles in your neck. Your sternocleidomastoids extend up the sides of your neck, while the platysma runs up the front of your neck, over your jawbone and into your cheek, according to the website of plastic surgeon Dr. Anil Shah, of Chicago. Tensing this muscle causes the neck to puff out, which in turn, tightens the skin over the top. When your platysma loses tone, it sinks in bands -- known as platysmal bands -- that appear on the outside as rolls on the neck.
Aging Process
While your skeletal muscles attach to your bones, via ligaments, your neck and facial muscles are connected directly to your skin, notes the Shape Your Face website. As you age, your muscles naturally lose strength and tone and start to sag, dragging your skin with them. This creates the folds of skin that look like rolls around your neck. While you can't reverse the aging process, regular face and neck exercises can help keep the muscles strong and toned so the overlying skin stays firm and fold-free.
Weight Loss
Your skin has a natural degree of elasticity, but it can only stretch so far before it loses its ability to stretch back, says TomVenuto.com. When you are carrying excess weight, your skin stretches to accommodate the extra fat underneath it. When you lose weight quickly, your skin doesn't have time to bounce back to your new, reduced size so you end up with fold or rolls of skin, which are as likely to appear on your thighs as your neck.
Neck Strengthening Exercise
This exercise can help keep your neck muscles strong and toned and, therefore, help reduce or prevent sagging rolls of skin. Stand or sit with a straight back and your neck in line with your spine and then tilt your head back so you're looking at the ceiling. Press your tongue against the roof of your mouth and slowly drop your chin down and repeat several times. The muscles in your chin and neck should feel tight throughout this exercise.
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