You have heard of “turkey neck” – caused by skin around the chin loosening with age, resembling a turkey’s wattle – but get this, the latest anti-ageing buzzword in Europe is now, the “tech neck”.
The “tech neck”, as its name suggests, refers to the formation of wrinkles on the neck and chin from looking down at mobile devices for a long period of time.
“We work on the computer and we look at our smartphones, let’s say, a 100 times a day. This new position affects our back, shoulders and necks. Chiropractors see more and more people with back pain and dermatologists see more people worried about double chins and neck wrinkles,” said YSL beaute’s scientific communication director Caroline Negre.
Negre added that the reason why wrinkles form so easily on our neck is because the skin around the area is very thin.
Now, you’re probably touching your neck to feel for wrinkles and checking how deep the lines are, but don’t fret just yet, we’re here to help!
Here are four tips on how you can guard yourself against the “tech neck”!
TIP #1 REDUCE DEVICE USAGE
The easiest way to solve the problem is of course, to get to the root of it, and that means cutting down the usage of mobile devices. While this might seem impossible to do, the time we spend on our phones is more than what is actually necessary.
Do you really need to use your phone at the lunch table? Is it an absolute must to check your Instagram feed before bed? No, right? You see, it isn’t so difficult. Disconnecting from our phones gives us more time to spend with our loved ones, too.
TIP #2 CHANGE THE ANGLE
If you really need to be on your phone or laptop, for example, when your job depends on it, try changing the angle at which you look at the screen. Stack books or boxes under your computer monitor to bring it up to your eye level. When using your smartphone, hold it directly in front of you, and remember not to slouch!
TIP #3 USE A LIFTING SERUM
Don’t you just love science? There are so many firming serums in the market to help. I’m putting my money on the YSL Beaute Forever Youth Liberator Y-Shape Concentrate and Cream. The brand recommends you use these skincare items when you spot the first signs of ageing in your 30s, but those in their 20s can use it to prevent ageing and brighten skin, too.
You might already own a lifting product, so take special care in applying it on your neck, because we tend to neglect that area the most.
TIP #4 MASSAGE
Do this when you apply your serum or cream to lift the face and neck. Make sure that there is enough “slip” so that you will not be pulling your skin and doing more harm to it instead.
Here’s how:
STEP ONE: Take three drops of the Y-Shape Concentrate. Dab five spots on the face and four on the neck and decollete.
STEP TWO: First, work on your face by using your fingers to massage upwards from your jawline to your cheeks. Do this twice.
STEP THREE: Then, lift the jaw. Starting from your chin, move your fingers along the jawline to the back of your ear and bring it down to the end of the neck, twice on both sides of the face.
STEP FOUR: To finish, smooth the center of your decollete with flat hands, moving them in diagonally upwards (i.e. using your right hand, start from the right and smooth across your decollete to your left and vice versa).
With these tips in mind, you’re all ready to fight the “tech neck”!
Forever Youth Liberator Y-Shape Concentrate and Cream, $189 each, is available at all YSL Beaute counters and the YSL Beaute store at Ion Orchard. For more information, visit yslbeauty.com/en-SG, and follow the brand on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
