Tech Neck

 

What Is Tech Neck?

We are addicted to our smartphones; most of us spend between five and six hours a day staring down at our screens. Unfortunately, all this hunching over to check texts, emails, and social media due to FOMO (fear of missing out) causes sagging skin, droopy jowls, fine lines, and wrinkles on the sides of your neck — not to mention horizontal lines that may form across your neck and make it look like you’re wearing a choker.

The name for this self-created predicament? Tech neck or text neck. It’s not just a cosmetic problem, either: tech neck can cause neck pain and strain in some people too.

 

Who Will Develop Tech Neck?

If you have a smartphone, you’re at risk for tech neck. The more time you spend looking down at your phone, the greater your risk. Advancing age also plays a role. Skin in this area is pretty thin to begin with and as we age, we lose collagen and elastin, two of the proteins that give skin its thick and elastic properties.

 

What Can I Do To Reverse Tech Neck?

There is a lot you can do to treat tech neck and prevent it from coming back. The measures you take will depend on how much it bothers you, your age, your budget, and other factors including your overall health.

For starters, always use sunscreen on this delicate area. The sun’s damaging rays will accelerate the aging of your skin, worsening the appearance of tech neck. Sometimes skincare is all you will need to keep your neck looking youthful and firm. Re-positioning your phone to eye level so that you are not constantly looking down can help defy gravity and stave off tech neck.

Your doctor may suggest soft tissue fillers to add volume back to the horizontal lines across your neck. Lasers or other energy-based devices can also help stimulate collagen and elastin under the surface, filling these wrinkles from the inside out. Neuromodulators such as Botox®, Dysport®, Xeomin®, and Jeuveau® can be used to smooth vertical neck bands, making them less prominent.

 

What Can You Expect After Tech Neck Treatment?

Your recovery depends on what tech neck treatment(s) you received. Injections and energy-based device treatments are considered minimally invasive. There is little downtime following these procedures. A series of treatments with energy devices is usually needed to achieve full cosmetic results. Your doctor will tell you what you can expect during and after your treatments and when you can expect the full results to be visible.

 

Lincolnshire, IL dermatologist Amy Forman Taub, MD, “DefenAge’s 6-Week Perfection Neck Tightening Cream is specifically designed for the skin of the neck, which ages differently than other parts of our skin. For best results, use this cream twice daily after cleansing, and soon you will notice visibly firmer and smoother skin and your neck will look more youthful.”

 

 

Who Should Treat Tech Neck?

Only experienced injectors such as plastic surgeons, facial plastic surgeons, dermatologists, or oculoplastic surgeons should perform these procedures. A physical or occupational therapist can help you learn the most effective exercises to strengthen your neck muscles and relieve any pain associated with tech neck.

 

When Can I Start My DefenAge Homecare Program?

A good home skincare program can help optimize the results of your tech neck treatment and keep your neck looking smooth and youthful. Sometimes, neck-specific skincare is enough to reverse tech neck on its own. Infused with proprietary Age-Repair Defensins®, DefenAge’s 6-Week Perfection Neck Tightening Cream can correct the apearance of the deep lines and folds and the impact of gravity on your neck for treatment-like results…in just six weeks. Defensin-molecules known to instruct your cells to rev up the production of collagen and elastin, the building blocks of healthy-, youthful-, and thicker-looking skin.

 

NOTE: Always consult your medical professional to learn more about microneedling and before applying any products to your skin post procedure.