Welcome to The Honest Channel, I'm Clare Johnston
a journalist on a mission to discover how to age well and look and feel better for longer and boy
do I have something interesting to share with you today because around a month ago a regular
viewer of mine her name is Lee Medeiros and she's a 55-year-old medical aesthetician with
the Pink house clinic in Canada and she got in touch with me to say she tried a neck massage
technique that she'd seen on YouTube which promised to tackle the dreaded turkey neck where
our skin and in some cases our muscles start to weaken and we get that sagging around our neck
and jawline so Lee had noticed a video posted on the Aysel Massage Therapist channel and I'll
link to it in the description below. The video has gone viral with over 1.5 million views
and in it the massage therapist shows viewers a simple technique involving buffing your skin
with a rolled up towel that's first soaked in salted water and she claimed doing this would
help get rid of turkey neck and the that you'd see results within 2 weeks of trying it so had
it not been for Lee I wouldn't have taken this advice very seriously but she told me this
simple technique has indeed made a dramatic difference to her neck and she sent me the before
and after pictures to prove it so now we're going to hear firsthand from Lee about this intriguing
technique its potential effects and we'll have a look at safety too [music] First off I'm going
to let Lee herself explain how she felt about her neck before trying this massage technique and
when I spoke to her on Zoom I also met her lovely daughter who was there with her and who also works
at the Pink house and here's what Lee had to say. I've always been very happy with my face right in
terms.. it's a beautiful face.. thank you and just you know being able to feel firm and and you know
look like I feel but I started to see it happened at exactly age 52 I'll be honest with you so I've
been watching this for a few years now where and it's sounds like a cliche it sounds like it's
almost overnight but for me it was literally overnight that I got up and said oh my goodness
what is happening with my neck and I started to just feel this real laxity and a crepiness as
well that I couldn't quite correct so I threw everything at it but the kitchen sink what kind of
things did you try so I tried a number of course I went to skincare first like literally I have a
graveyard of neck creams that are supposed to be super performers I have a I try everything you
know so I all of that um I'm a huge retinoid uh you know retinol user for the face I found my neck
could not tolerate that um that was difficult that was such a challenge because I knew you know
instinctively that if I were able to get the neck to acclimate to that that I couldn't see a
change but I just couldn't tolerate it so it's was very frustrating so I tried devices I've tried
microcurrent uh I tried RF micro needling I did do a couple of those procedures as well and um and
because we do have a small clinic I have access to an RF device so I try that consistently and
what I found is that all that might have helped with the texture so I definitely can say I've
seen an improved texture and the crepiness has absolutely been improved but that constant laxity
and lack of firmness I felt it was just deeper like at the muscular level that I just could not
get to right short of surgery really want to go there and consider that but I have thought about
it yeah we all have you know whatever you think is usually never on the table you know as you creep
up and and when you have these challenges you start to think about okay maybe but not there
yet I'm a medical aesthetician and I'm always looking for ways to rejuvenate people's skin
and I do have to sort of a holistic approach that's very big for me uh for different reasons I
follow a lot on functional medicine because I had a thyroid autoimmune condition called Hashimoto
so I kind of self-heal through a lot of learning and I absolutely feel that anything happening
in the gut internally is going to be reflective externally on the skin it's like 100% so anytime I
see women complain about things I tend to go okay what are you eating what are you doing and then
I try to look at more natural ways huge huge fan of sculpting massage I do that myself a lot to my
clients I just feel like I literally can transform their skin after half an hour of massaging from a
sculpting perspective getting oxygenating the skin and the blood flow um just I literally see their
muscles kind of almost reset themselves they just look so much more refreshed and their skin there
just looks toned and I just started to really look into massage and on the face and I've done
a lot of training around that and I do believe it actually strengthens the skin which is something
we all want um you know and it does stimulate collagen and maybe that's a debate you know I
don't want to say that that's exactly what it does but you know a lot of the experts will suggest
that you know don't underestimate the power of massaging and moving the skin I'm sure like you I
look for there's wonderful experts out there you know love love YouTube I kind of live on it that's
how I found you as well and so I I ran across this lady, Aysel, I think I'm going to butcher her name
but she's a massage therapist and I just started to see her following and her techniques and it
just made a lot of sense and this particular video just really got to me because it was a
little bit more aggressive the technique that she was demonstrating about how to tone the neck
the story she was saying really resonated with me on her opening comments and that all of a sudden
her neck laxity and she just didn't feel right um and I read through the comments as well which I
think we often do and it was like quite compelling that a lot of people were saying I try this like
magic it's amazing I'm like you know what do I have to lose I love massaging my face I'm so
huge I do Gua Sha every day and I did do Gua Sha on the neck or whatnot and I find it helps
to some degree but I like I wanted something a little bit more aggressive now I asked.
What did you say, gua sha? So the gua sha is the tool you take and you can actually like pull
the muscles it's more about moving fluid stagnant fluid lymphatic drainage so I find you get more
sculpting from it but it's oxygenation of the blood and actually you know it just and it gives
you such a beautiful flush and I just find it just prepares the skin so so when you put on you know
um any of oh like thank you little washer that we have your lovely assistant my lovely assistant
and just so you know how you know how strongly I feel about massage and gua sha of the face or
whatnot in one of our open house events at our clinic this is what we gave away to our clients
because I just want to encourage everyone to to do this to get that movement in the face because it
just brings such radiance and and and and really great benefits to the skin and the health of the
skin um so I tried this I tried this technique after watching her video it just seemed so simple
right that I just wasn't expecting a lot but there was something also just intuitive about the the
way that she hit the skin and the fascia I felt like it was going deep and I thought you know
might this might activate and awaken my muscles I just kind of really went all in with a positive
attitude and I will tell you Claire and I know it sounds like a commercial but quite honestly
nothing has impressed me the way this and it was almost immediate that you can talk to any
of my girlfriends I literally walked into the clinic I said and my daughter she was the first
one I went to go do you see the difference in my neck I'm I'm like this is amazing it literally
felt like it act after that one time would you say after that first time times I would say twice
to be fair the first time you were doing it daily were you I absolutely yes I was doing it daily for
up to three minutes up to three I literally put on my iPhone with my counter and went at it you know
the whole procedure the salt water taking a towel making sure I you know soak it in there rolling
it up almost like a turnkey and again you can decide on the pressure and so I did it lightly
initially and I think by the second day I decided to kind of go a little bit more aggressive with
it I have to tell you that I just I noticed an instant tightening of my neck like I found that
the the the shape of it sort of changed for me I actually also felt like the muscle contraction
and the tightness after I finished doing it so almost felt like I got a workout and that's why I
knew something's happening there it's activating something and I love the results visually
it was there so it to me that was better than any cream or any device that I have ever
tried in terms of instantaneous results right. Yeah and I mean well the wonderful thing about
this is you're not selling anything if you were selling towels maybe but I mean there's there's
nothing to sell here it's just literally your experience. Um when you say you were going hard
at it because this is this is why I was sort of weighing up and why I wanted to get Dr Emmaline
involved as well because I don't want anybody hurting themselves in the process of doing this
so when you say you were going quite hard at it so you're getting flushing um were you actually
feeling any um any soreness when you were doing it or how how hard would you say you went?
No it just felt like very light slapping like I did feel my muscles for sure but no I wasn't
going hard to a point where it was hurting I for any bruising nothing like that um and I like
the technique she showed in the video because at first I kind of had the towel like lax just
folded and then I did it more like a tourniquet to kind of get a a little bit more of a pumping
motion to the skin yeah absolutely not hurting I I have a thyroid issue so as you know it makes
it very challenging even with devices to go near that area so I just keep it under my chin I do it
in each side of my jaw and just make sure I do a full avoiding that all important middle section
here I stay away from this completely you know but right here yeah on the side of the jaw on
each side and you get a great arm workout as well I tell you it's challenging because my arms are
starting to hurt I'm like oh this is interesting but uh but yeah I mean to your point and this is
like something that of course you can do at your own time it's 100% free it takes very little
effort and I have to be honest with you I've probably missed a day in the last month or so like
I've I try to do this because it's it's just it's so quick it's part of my routine in the morning
if I'm getting this kind of result and it's not costing me anything and I could take three minutes
to do this I feel like it's a form of of just exercising my neck as well as you know exercising
my body and everything else that I do so it's now part of my regime and yeah I wanted to spread
the word and I I love that we're talking about it and that if you can get this out like I think
women should try this if they're as frustrated as you know I certainly am with my neck.
Yeah I think I can understand the mechanism um because I mean it is it is massage it's also a
little bit like the sonic vibration devices that I've looked at and I always feel I have a kind of
um.. it's a microcurrent roller but I often when I use that roller go in a little harder and until
I've got pinkness here and I I can feel it working the muscles and I thought I think that is a very
similar mechanism that I find quite effective for jowls but the salt water intrigued me I went
searching for that as well because I thought how essential is that in the entire process because
she makes a point you could use any salt but she wants you to use salt with the water so I don't
know if that somehow makes it more hygienic you know because of the anti you know bacterial
aspects of it more almost like an antiseptic I don't know but she says sea salt and of course we
have to um lubricate with a nice nourishing neck cream is what I use um firstly and then soak the
towel within the salt water and then go and then it's like I just feel my muscles are activated and
I I feel literally like my neck is kind of toned and shrank a bit where I was having some just
excess sort of fat around the middle and just not as defined and so for me whatever that is that
activation it it's helping my muscles respond in a nice way where I'm getting some toning and that's
magical to me so I'm happy with that it couldn't do it any other way to be honest and I have tried
a number of things so so you do this daily now you've not gone on to kind of maintenance phase
where you do it once a week or I try to no I try to like I have skipped a day or two here and there
but honestly I try I'm I'm averaging a good five to six days a week I just love it and I it just
doesn't take me any time and I just feel better and I'm more confident after I do it like I see a
visible change throughout the day if I when I do it so I just don't want to but to your point
Clare I mean it's not something that I think once I get into this and I've already been doing
it just a little over a month I'm uh I know that I probably can pull back and maybe do three four
times a week but it's for very little effort and to get that kind of stimulation and the result
that I get I'm I'm happy to do it okay and um just for that extra layer of detail because I'm
always asked lots of questions with every video, um what do you use? Do you use a washcloth or do
you use a tea towel or um what what towel? I find a tea towel because it's a little bit lighter
weight than even some of those smaller towels you know the face towels yeah the longer weight
the better because the water already brings some weight to the towel once you soak it so I find
that I could move the movement is a lot more uh seamless that way so that's what I use perfect
well um thank you so much for sharing this with us um I'll be interested to hear what Dr Emmaline has
to say about it and um see if any viewers have had a similar experience trying this out because it
went viral and I think it's got about 1.5 million views or something so it's definitely a lot of
people have have latched on to it which is it's why it's so useful to get a kind of independent
'I tried and it actually worked for me'. Yes and and I mean we don't know each other
Clare, I mean and my daughter will tell you I am like the least gimmicky person I'm a very
you know I'm pragmatic almost about certain things you know what I mean but this to me it's
just again common sense because it's a form of exercising and yeah as long as the doctor if
we know that that's not going to harm you, I don't know why this wouldn't be a great practice
to incorporate in you know a skincare routine. I want to say a huge thanks to Lee for putting
herself out there and sharing her experience with us because she gains nothing from it she just
wanted others who were also looking for something they could do to improve sagging skin on the neck
to know about how this technique has helped her and what struck me about this method is that it
actually incorporates quite a few of the elements that you find in skin tightening devices and some
facial treatments so in the action of buffing your skin you're getting the blood flowing
and oxygen going to it which supports cell productivity including collagen formation there's
a massaging effect as well on the muscles and I wonder if the salt water helps with exfoliation
and that by using a wet towel there's a kind of microdermabrasion effect on the skin which helps
smooth it as well because Lee talked about that roughness in the texture of her skin before and
how that changed after trying this method but is it a good idea to be slapping our necks like this?
Well in the original video itself the massage therapist advises anyone with a thyroid condition
to seek medical advice beforehand which I I think would be a given I would almost certainly avoid
the throat area and as Lee said stick to the sides and just under your chin and I'd warn against
going too hard as well so if you've decided to try this it shouldn't be painful or uncomfortable
too much impact on the skin it's not a good idea so you're looking to increase blood flow and cause
the skin to flush but you shouldn't see marking or bruising after the flushing subsides so we don't
want to do any damage. And here's what one of my favorite medical aesthetics specialists had
to say about this technique. the award-winning Dr Emmaline Ashley who recently moved from the
UK to the Cayman Islands. Dr Emmaline says she doesn't have safety concerns when reasonable
precautions are taken but noted there's only anecdotal evidence for this method which does
appear positive, she noted the massage therapist suggests applying a rich moisturizer to the neck
before the treatment and flag that a lot of people neglect to use skincare on their necks so the
regular use of of good moisturizer in itself could make a difference to skin quality she added that
this technique encourages elongation of the neck which could help with tech neck where frequently
looking down at phones and devices contributes to the appearance of lines horizontally
around the neck and loss of elasticity. That's it from me today on what has been a very
intriguing testimonial from Lee. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this technique have you tried it
would you try it let us know in the comments and if you've undergone a transformation in later
life whether it's your health and fitness or you've discovered a skincare technique or product
that works wonders for you and you'd like to share it with others do reach out and let me know you
can find and message me on Instagram @honestclare don't forget to check out my website honest.scot
for more advice and information around aging well and if you haven't already then by liking this
video and subscribing to the channel you help it grow and reach more people for now thank you for
watching and listening and I'll see you next time
