Are you getting ‘Tech Neck’? We explore the latest beauty bugbear
Yet another reason to stop staring at our damn phones – it can lead to lines and creases on the neck if the latest findings are anything to go by. Although we’re obsessed with massaging and layering serums, moisturisers, SPF etc. on our faces day in day out, we tend to neglect the skin on our necks until its too late.
In Nora Ephron’s much-loved essay: I Feel Bad About My Neck, the genius behind When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle quipped, "You can put make up on your face and concealer under your eyes and dye on your hair, you can shoot collagen and Botox and Restylane into your wrinkles and creases, but short of surgery, there's not a damn thing you can do about a neck. The neck is a dead giveaway. Our faces are our lies and our necks are the truth.”
Hence why it’s vital to give it some TLC all of its own – especially in the wake of the latest phenomena, the shamingly-named 'Tech Neck'. This condition is caused by constantly craning one's neck to stare down at our phone screens (on average 150 times a day apparently) which apparently not only leads to strained muscles, stiff shoulders and headaches, but spells bad news for the fragile skin between your chest and chin.
We're talking, creases above the clavicle and accelerated sagging, jowls and crêpey-ness. Speaking to the International Business Times, Dr. Christopher Rowland Payne, a consultant dermatologist at The London Clinic notes, "The problem of wrinkles and sagging of the jowls and neck used to begin in late middle-age but, in the last 10 years, because of 'Tech Neck', it has become a problem for a generation of younger women."
So now we're acquainted with 'Tech Neck', what steps can we take to prevent it? Well, for a start we can look at our phones less (yes, we see that raised eyebrow, dear reader…) or, focus on counter-acting modern living's mal-effects by showing necks some love. A toning massage every night with Yu Ling’s {Jade Facial Roller} will help to maintain muscle tone and encourage blood flow to plump out those fine lines.
You can also banish crêpey skin with Omorovicza’s {Firming Neck Cream}, which contains (delectable sounding) white truffle enzymes to firm and tone, while polysaccharides and two weights of hyaluronic acid work to lift and lessen depth of even deep-set creases. And if you want a multi-tasking moisturiser, Zelens {Z Firm Lifting Face and Neck Cream} is ideal when you’re travelling and need a 'does-everything' wonder treatment. A high-tech formula featuring phytosteroids, peptide syn-hycan and sesame protein works to kick-start collagen renewal, repair damaged tissue and hydrate the often neglected neck region.
And for an intense treatment, try a 'neck mask' in the form of Skyn Iceland’s {Hydro Cool Firming Neck Gels} - which targets horizontal lines and dark spots by delivering a dose of amino acids, niacinamide (an anti-ageing super-star ingredient) and plant collagen.
Plagued by Tech Neck-induced muscular aches and pains? Treat yourself to Bed of Nails {Acupressure Pillow} which helps alleviate tension and increases blood flow. We also recommend heading to your nearest yoga class, where poses such as 'Baby Cobra' and 'Upward Facing Dog' can help stretch any overactive, cramping muscles and improve your posture (your instructor should show you how to perform these correctly).
Or go all old 'finishing school' and glide 'round with a stack of novels on your head. You'll look slightly eccentric but who cares when you're the proud owner of a sculpted jawline and a swan-like throat?
Cult Beauty’s Content Editor and a Cult Beauty OG, Verity loves nothing more than the marriage of language and lip balm. A quintessential Libran, she’s a self-professed magpie for luxury ‘must-haves' and always pursuing the new and the niche — from the boujee-est skin care to cutting-edge tech. Balancing an urge to stop the clock with her desire to embrace the ageing process (and set a positive example for her daughter), Verity's a retinol obsessive and will gladly share her thoughts about the time-defying gadgets, masks and treatments worth the splurge...
