According to research, we now spend an average of nearly 3 hours a day staring at our smartphone or tablet.
The term “Tech Neck” applies to people who repeatedly and continuously look down on their smartphones or tablets, causing their neck to stretch and bend. This habit can not only cause skin to wrinkle and neck muscles to hurt but can also degrade body posture and change the spine over time.
When we text, type or scroll through Facebook, we’re typically tilting our heads downwards at a 45 degree angle which can put up to 60 pounds of pressure on the spine vs around 10 pounds when our heads are upright.
This 45 degree downward posture can also mean you’re repeatedly squashing the skin into folds and keeping your muscles in a loosened, untoned state.
As we age, the strength and elasticity of our skin gradually decreases. There are two types of aging that can affect your skin: intrinsic (internal), which is primarily genetic, and extrinsic (external), which is caused by environmental factors such as sun exposure and smoking
The starting point for any condition is prevention. So try to minimise the amount of time looking down at your mobile device, or better still take a break from it. Use sunscreen and keep your skin (and yourself) well hydrated.
Beyond prevention, there are a range of treatments which can also help:
1. Topical skincare such as iS Clinical Firming complex stimulates collagen growth and hydrates, smoothes and tightens the face and neck. Combine with high quality sun protection such as Extreme Protect SPF 30 Sunscreen.
2. Radiofrequency treatments with advanced EndyMed™3DEEP® technology stimulate collagen for tightening and plumping slack skin around the neck and jaw.
3. Muscle relaxing injections (“BOTOX®”) can be used on the platysmal muscle (or neck bands), which can give the neck a ropey look.
4. Fractional Skin Resurfacing for superficial skin texture changes
To book your consultation with our surgeon and medical director Miss Sherina Balaratnam please contact our team on 01494 670990 or info@sthetics.co.uk