People say you have a turkey neck when you have excess skin or fat hanging down from your chin around your neck. It can look similar to the neck of a turkey, hence the term. There are two main types of turkey necks. One is caused by weight, and the other is caused by age.

A turkey neck caused by age forms because the muscle which covers the neck and jaw loosens. This muscle, called the platysmal muscle, separates and in this separation it forms two strips of muscle which goes from the chin to the lower neck. Because skin loses elasticity with age, it tends to follow this separation, which makes it visible. The skin can hang down and sway, or it can stay in place. Either way, the jawline becomes barely visible. If you have a turkey neck due to age, there are ways of strengthening or toning the muscle so that it tightens, but the skin may continue to sag, and in this case, surgery to tuck in the skin is the solution.

Being overweight can also form a turkey neck. While some people have double chins, others have turkey necks. As you get older, the neck area gains weight easily. To treat a turkey neck due to being overweight, it is best that you exercise in order to lose your overall weight. As you lose weight throughout your body, the excess weight in your neck will also slowly disappear. If after reaching your desired body weight, you still have a slight turkey neck, you can do neck exercises to help tone your neck muscles, while continuing cardiovascular exercises in order to address the extra fat stores. Drinking plenty of water also helps in lessening fat deposits in our systems, and so when targeting a specific area, like the neck, you may want to boost your water intake in order to help it along.

Since neck exercises is one of the solutions to the turkey neck, it is important to remind you how sensitive the neck is. Our necks are what holds our head, and within the muscle and tissue is the spinal chord or column, and near the base of our heads is the brain stem. When starting neck exercises for a turkey neck, it is important to go slow, and slowly strengthen your neck muscles before doing many different exercises. This will help prevent any major damage to the neck area. Remember if something hurts, stop! Neck exercises should have tension, but nothing more than that. Pain during exercise is not a good sign.

Finally, make sure your fat is normal fat. Some people are chubby and have neck fat due to a thyroid imbalance. If you have a proper diet, good exercise routine, and still have a chubby neck or fat stores in other areas of your body that you can’t seem to work out, consult your doctor. You may have a condition that is leading to this unwanted fat, and the cure for your turkey neck may not lie in neck exercising.