Are you reading this blog post on your phone while waiting in line, or lounging around on your sofa with the screen in your lap? If so, chances are you are one of many people with a medical issue you didn’t even know existed.
What Is Tech Neck and Do You Have It?
Tech neck, or cervical kyphosis, is a condition caused by tilting your head down repeatedly in order to look down at your laptop, mobile phone or tablet. The more you look down, the more muscles in your neck have to work to keep your head up. We all do this every day for hours; it can’t be that serious, right?
Well, actually, it is. Tilting your head applies excess pressure on bones and muscles. Overworking the neck muscles can lead to stiffness in the shoulders, heavy headaches, strain in the neck, backache, and can even do damage to the spine.
Can You Combat It?
Yes. The good news is, you can actively address your tech neck. Doing so will prevent discomfort and the appearance of neck wrinkles – both of which are consequences of being addicted to your phone. Below we explain some proven methods to relax your overworked neck and return its beautiful, youthful skin.
How to Get Rid of Tech Neck?
The following tips for getting rid of tech neck are simple and will improve your overall well-being.
Position Your Screen Higher
This may seem strange, at first, but changing how you hold your phone can help your neck immensely.
Bring the screen to eye level to keep a neutral spine. If you’re working on a laptop, invest in another monitor whose height you can adjust. You can also use a holder that will raise the laptop so you don’t need to slouch.
Sit Well
“Sit up straight,” you were told as a kid. But, that’s not always the best advice. When you have to work on your computer for eight hours or more every day, you should recline a bit and hold the back of your head up against the headrest. This may require investment in a good chair, but it does so much for your neck and your overall posture and prevents issues with your neck, back, shoulders, and head.
Correct Your Posture
Yes, your mother was right. Not only does a slouched body look less than attractive, but it also contributes to various muscle issues and strains the spine.
Look at your profile in the mirror. You should be able to draw a vertical line from your ear down to the shoulder. If that’s not the case, actively try to correct your posture, and align your neck correctly.
Get Up and Move
Working a sedentary job really takes a toll on your body—and not just your neck. Try to take breaks as often as possible. By this, we don’t mean stay in your chair and scroll Instagram. Get up and move. Go to the bathroom. Go to the kitchen. Grab a glass of water. Say, “hi” to a coworker. Just stand up and start walking. This will get your blood circulating and position your neck differently.
If you have trouble remembering to get up and take a break, set reminders, or use a sticky note that just says, “get up!”.
Exercise
While getting up to walk a bit will make your neck grateful, there’s something even better you can do: exercise regularly.
Aerobic exercise—jogging, walking, swimming, riding a bike, or using an elliptical—eases neck tension, especially if you do it every day for about 20 minutes. It sends oxygenated blood to tired muscles and helps fight inflammation.
Yoga also does wonders for the neck. Downward-facing dog and similar exercises especially help stretch the area around the neck.
Stretch Your Muscles
One of the long-term effects of tech neck is muscle imbalance. To prevent this, stretch your neck, chest, and upper back. This will also strengthen the muscles of these areas and minimize cervical spine strain. You can do this during mini breaks at work.
How to Get Rid of Tech Neck Wrinkles?
The following tips will help you reduce the appearance of wrinkles and maintain the smooth skin on your neck.
Improve Your Sleeping Position
Your posture is important during sleep, too. Doctors claim sleeping on your back is the best position for reducing neck wrinkles and maintaining youthful skin on the neck and face. A foam mattress and silk pillowcase may also help reduce wrinkle-forming friction and minimize the appearance of neck wrinkles.
Exfoliate
Wrinkles form partly because of slower skin cell turnover and dead cells accumulating on the skin. Many women exfoliate the facial skin to remove dead skin cells and speed up the process of cell renewal. Exfoliation can also benefit the neck skin. Use gentle exfoliating products because the skin on the neck is thinner than on the face. Exfoliate once a week.
Use Neck Moisturizers and Serums
You can improve the appearance of your neck skin and reduce neck lines and wrinkles using appropriate creams and serums. Aim at products with hydrating and anti-aging ingredients, such as retinol, vitamin C, peptides, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and shea butter.
Drink Enough Water
Dehydrated skin looks dull and old. That includes the neck skin, too. Drink a minimum of half of your body weight in ounces each day.
Erase Wrinkles with Cosmetic Treatments
Wrinkles that are a direct result of tech neck can be treated using Sculptra, Botox and/or Vivace.
Sculptra is an injectable that stimulates your body to rebuild its own collagen. It is injected in a series of three treatments usually required over six months. To learn more about this injectable, check out our article on how Sculptra can be used for neck rejuvenation.
Botox is the most famous neurotoxin that prevents muscles from moving and creating folds. To treat tech neck, neurotoxin is hyper-diluted and injected superficially around fine lines and wrinkles to smooth skin.
Another great way to tighten loose skin on the neck is using the Vivace micro-needling radio frequency device. This state-of-the-art skin resurfacing machine can be used on all skin types and is virtually pain free. This treatment will help decrease and soften tech neck wrinkles, erasing those signs of your neck’s hard work.
Conclusion
Tech neck is a new medical condition that appeared with the cell phone craze. It is often followed by pain and discomfort in the neck area, as well as tech neck wrinkles. Fortunately, there are many ways to combat the issue. The tips we collected here will hopefully help you improve your posture and smooth out your neck skin.
