Tech Neck: The Ultimate Guide to Treating Wrinkles Caused By Technology

Have you ever looked into the mirror and instead of focusing on your pretty eyes or smile, you find your gaze landing on your neck? When did those lines get there? How did this happen without you even noticing? Since the advent of the smartphone, we’ve all been keeping our heads down a lot more. We spend hours of the day hunched over, texting friends, responding to emails, and reading the news. While it’s amazing to be able to communicate with friends and colleagues at any hour of the day, technology has taken a toll on our skin.

Yes, we’re talking about tech neck. Tech neck refers to pain and wrinkles that plague your neck and chest thanks to all of the time we spend on our phones and computers. As you crane your neck to use phones, tablets, and laptops, creases in the neck and chest form and deepen over time.

Is Tech Neck A Real Condition?

It might seem like tech neck is a made-up ailment, but we can assure you it’s real. If you think about it, it’s not too surprising. Technology rules the world, and almost every career requires lots of time responding to emails and messages. We are tethered to our devices.

And there’s plenty of research to prove all of this. According to a recent study by Pew Research Center, 88 percent of women between the ages of 30 and 49 own a smartphone.

On top of that, a consumer research report conducted by Asurion, an insurance company, found that Americans check their phones roughly 80 times a day. That’s every 12 minutes!

The study also revealed that 31 percent of Americans feel anxiety when separated from their phones. Stranger still, 33 percent of respondents said they would rather give up sex for a week than go just 24 hours without their smartphones! If that’s not a sign of a problem, well, we’re not sure what is.

As smartphones and other devices become more ubiquitous in our lives, we spend more and time hunched over, staring at our phones’ screens. It’s no wonder that this is beginning to have an impact on our bodies!

The effects of tech neck mostly include aches, a stiff neck, and wrinkles on the front side of your neck. But they also include things like throbbing headaches, back pain, and trouble sleeping. Unfortunately, these symptoms are affecting millions of women and can lead to more serious health problems.

What are you to do? It’s not like you can ditch your smartphone anytime soon. You’re a busy woman with a career and social life to juggle. A phone is an essential part of your daily arsenal.

Younger women are flocking to dermatologists in droves to treat these tech neck wrinkles. Sure, you can join them and pay thousands of dollars for micro-needling or Botox TM, but you do have better options. There are non-invasive and nonsurgical methods of dealing with tech neck. Have no fear—you aren’t stuck with tech neck wrinkles forever! We’re here to share the definitive guide to treating these fearsome wrinkles.

Natural Ways To Eliminate Tech Neck

1. Reposition Your Phone

When you’re reading a text message, your natural instinct is to hold the phone at your chest and look down. Unfortunately, this does a number on your skin. To avoid this neck wrinkling pitfall, make a conscious effort to be aware of how you’re checking your messages and emails.

Change the angle at which you look at your phone to minimize the folding of your neck. You don’t need to always look down at your screens, creasing your neck and chest. Hold your phone higher so that it’s level with your face. That way, your neck doesn’t fold over itself. Eye-level screen gazing is a great start for preventing tech neck wrinkles.

2. Exercise Your Neck

Along with the wrinkles that develop, hunching over your screens can cause physical pain. Excessive screen time can result in back pain, a stiff neck and shoulders, and headaches. It can even damage your spine!

A proper exercise routine can minimize these effects and prevent further issues from arising. You can stretch out the tight, overactive muscles and realign your body into proper posture. Here are four easy exercises to remedy tech neck.

Baby Cobra

To practice the Baby Cobra, start by lying on your mat or floor, face down. Extend your legs behind you, keeping them on the mat as you place your hands directly under your shoulders. Tuck your chin into your neck and keep your gaze on the floor. Gently take your hands off the ground and squeeze your shoulder blades together. At the same time, raise your legs and contract your glutes. Return your limbs to the mat, and repeat this motion 8 to 12 times.

Cobra With External Rotation

Continue lying face down on your mat for the next tech neck exercise. Place your arms palm down at a 45-degree angle to your body. Keep your chin tucked, and lift your legs off the ground. While you contract your glutes, squeeze your shoulder blades together and lift your torso off the ground. Rotate your palms so that your thumbs face upwards as you lift your arms. Do 8 to 12 repetitions of this exercise for maximum benefit.

Superman

Start lying face down with your legs extended behind you. Tuck your chin again, but this time, extend your arms past your head in a V formation. Keep your core engaged, and raise your arms, rotating your palms inwards so the thumbs rise. Then squeeze your glutes and lift your legs. Repeat this exercise 8 to 12 times.

Upward Facing Dog

Upward Facing Dog is another popular yoga position that really stretches your neck. While you are lying face down, place your hands close to your shoulders and press into the ground. Lift your torso off the ground and keep your shoulders aligned above your wrists. Tilt your head back, opening your chest as you push upwards towards the ceiling. For best results, do 8 to 12 repetitions.

Bird Dog

Start on your hands and knees with your back in a tabletop position. Look directly at the floor and maintain a neutral spine. Extend your left leg behind you and reach your right arm forward. Engage your core and keep your hips and shoulders square. Be sure to keep your back flat. After three seconds, return to the starting position and repeat with the opposite limbs. Repeat this exercise 8 to 12 times on each side.

3. Exfoliate Your Neck

While we’re all for a triage of face creams, your skincare shouldn’t end at your jawline. Wrinkles are not solely relegated to your face—neck wrinkles are a very common nuisance. While performing your daily skincare routine, be sure to include your neck.

Exfoliate your neck and chest once per week. Instead of using harsh products, choose a mask, a mild scrub, or a peel. We recommend using our Décolleté Cleansing Discs. The discs exfoliate and clear your pores of impurities. With clearer pores and fresh skin, your other products and treatments can penetrate your skin deeper and more effectively.

4. Reduce and Prevent Wrinkles Overnight

It’s important to choose products that both reduce visible wrinkles and prevent new ones from forming. For dual-action wrinkle repair and prevention, use the SiO Beauty SkinPad. These revolutionary pads treat your chest while you sleep. Each SkinPad is custom fitted for the décolleté and can be worn by women of all ages. 

We also make the SiO Beauty NeckLift patch, which is specially designed to treat wrinkles and sagging skin on your neck. It is the perfect treatment for wrinkles caused by tech neck. Simply apply the NeckLift patch after you’ve cleansed your face and neck in the evening, and let the medical grade silicone put its healing powers to work!

It might sound too good to be true, but it’s not. The science behind our patches has been proven to provide real results in dermatologist-led clinical trials.

Wear SiO Beauty patches overnight to restore collagen, smooth wrinkles, and prevent future creases from forming.

Improve Your Posture

Another great way to fight the effects of tech neck is to improve your posture. The benefits of correcting your posture will extend far beyond treating tech neck. Here are some simple steps you can take to have better posture.

Sit Up Straight

The first rule of good posture is sitting up straight whenever seated. Sit with your feet flat on the floor, rather than crossing your legs. Keep your back straight and your shoulders back. Finally, hold your chin parallel to the ground. Try not to slouch or lean forward. Maintaining good posture while seated can do a lot to treat tech neck.

Get A Standing Desk

While sitting up straight can help improve posture, spending too much time in a seated position is not good for your body. This is particularly relevant if you have a job that requires you to be seated at a desk for long hours every day. A great solution is to invest in a standing desk. These allow you to stand up while working and can really help improve your posture.

Walk Properly

Many people walk hunched over, with their body weight slightly in front of their body’s center of gravity. This is bad for your neck, as well as your back, and can exacerbate the effects of tech neck.

To walk properly, start by standing up straight. Push your hips forward and keep your shoulders back. Make sure that your back is straight. Hold your head high and lift your chin so that it’s even with the ground. Imagine that you are balancing a book on top of your head.

Finally, hold this position whenever you’re walking. It may help to walk slowly and keep your eyes straight ahead. Don’t look down at the ground (or your smartphone!) while walking.

Sleep On Your Back

If you’re not already a back sleeper, try to become one. It may feel a little strange at first, but your body will adjust over time. After a while, you may even start to notice that you’re sleeping better! Sleeping on your back is great for your posture and your skin.

There a few other things you can do to ensure you’re sleeping with good posture. First of all, make sure that you have a quality mattress. Memory foam is a fantastic option, albeit a little pricey. It’s worth the investment if you can afford it since we spend almost a third of our lives in bed. If not, find a firm mattress, as it’s better for your neck and back.

Make sure you have a firm pillow that’s properly supporting your head while you sleep. Also, place a pillow under your knees at night to keep your hips aligned with your spine.

Strengthen Your Core Muscles

Having strong core muscles goes a long way toward improving your posture and treating tech neck. And it doesn’t take long! Even just 10 minutes of core exercises a day makes an enormous difference. Try to do exercises that isolate your core muscles, like crunches, plank exercises, pilates, and yoga. Once your abs and back muscles have become stronger, following all of the other suggestions for improving your posture will seem way easier.

5. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

Finish your skincare routine with a much-needed boost of hydration. As we age, our skin loses its natural hydration and elasticity, making us more prone to dry and wrinkled skin.

To combat these effects of aging, use the SiO Beauty Décolleté Serum every morning to protect your neck and chest. This serum is specially formulated to plump skin and prevent new wrinkles from forming. The SiO Beauty Serum penetrates deeply to hydrate, brighten skin tone, and protect against environmental damage. For overnight results, pair the serum with the SiO SkinPad. Your skin will look smoother and more youthful by morning.