How To Combat Tech Neck Lines

An extension of the skin on your face, your neck deserves some TCL too.

- Vanessa Chia

Getting fine lines and wrinkles along your neck as you get older is not uncommon, but the daily use of smartphones and increased time spent in front of your laptop screens (hello WFH!) could be fast-tracking their appearance.

Besides the usual ageing process, frequent and prolonged neck flexion from working on your laptop or hours spent watching videos can cause that dreaded “tech neck” – the creases, lines and sagging we see at the neck area.

“These neck lines are caused by the pull of the platysma – the superficial and deep fibres of the neck muscle,” says Dr Evelyn Tay, dermatologist at Dermatology & Surgery Clinic.

“Constant movement of the neck causes a repeated pull on the skin, leading to deepening of the neck creases,” explains Dr Tay. In the long run, this also “weakens the neck muscles that may then detach and loosen, leading to platysmal bands (the vertical chords that appear along the sides of the neck)”.

More importantly, Dr Tay adds that since skin on the neck has a thinner dermis and layer of subcutaneous fat, it ages faster than the face and forearms, especially with repeated movements as we raise, lower and turn our heads.

A DEDICATED NECK CARE ROUTINE

Just like how we care for our face, we should naturally take care of our neck. After all, the skin on our neck is an extension of the skin on our face, and it’s subjected to the same issues of ageing: wrinkles, sagging, pigmentation and dryness.

Dr Tay says: “The neck is a sun-exposed area that is often neglected, and the damage of UV rays and visible light can lead to accelerated skin ageing and pigmentation.”