What Causes the Neck Muscle to Loosen?

The neck muscles (platysma) do not have a fixed attachment like other muscles that attach to ligaments and bone. The platysma muscles are free-floating in the neck and actually are pulled forward by their own contraction. In facelift surgery, I pull the back portion of the muscle close to the ear again. You can see this in yourself in the mirror. Just pull on the neck at the angle of the jaw towards the ear and see the neck tighten. Once you do this, you will see why most... more

As you age the neck muscles become a little lax and the skin looses its tone and that is why people need neck lifts.

The muscles in the neck that sag and create an aged appearance are the platysma muscles. The platysma muscles shorten, fibrose, and contract; this creates two bands in the front portion of the neck as we grow older. These bands are tightened in front above the hyoid bone and Adam’s apple and are cut and released down low below the Adam’s apple. This gives a normal neck contour and the bands disappear. The muscle itself is actually shortening, contracting, fibrosing, and... more

There are many reasons for neck laxity and these have been touched upon and include skin laxity due to decreased elastin formation, actinic damage, subcutaneous atrophy, gravitational changes, bony volume loss, etc.

 The main reason is gravity, gravity, gravity! Combine that with loss of fat in the neck and loss of elasticity of the skin and muscle, bone absorption, --------well you get the picture.

And loss of the connections between your neck muscles and the deeper structures within the neck. The platysma is the muscle that wraps your neck and this is attached to the facial muscles. When you lose volume in the face from losing fat, tissues in your skin and the bones in your face getting smaller, this neck muscle descends. Also, you lose the connections of your neck muscle with the underlying deep neck structures with time as well. I think that what also happens is that your posture... more

Its actually your skin that losens more than your neck muscles. With age the tighter collagen is replaced by more lose collagen and the elasticity decreases. Muscles do not play a big part in the aging appearance of the neck. Its the THINNER and LOSER skin that actually makes the neck look old with prominent muscle bands. Regards

 Unfortunately, over time as you age, gravity continues to pull as the connective tissues in your body loosen.  This causes the skin to loosen and fall.

Hi! The neck muscles (platysma) tend to become thicker and looser with age.  Gravity pulls them down, and we make them worse with years of grimacing and making other facial expresions. Both a neck lift, and a complete facelift will fix the neck muscles.