Lately, one relatively new category of lines has become top of mind for many: the modern “tech neck.” Given our increasingly digital world, it’s a practical concern for many skin care buffs—here, derms explain how to avoid and combat these etchings. And like the name suggests, tech neck forms from constantly staring at your phones and screens. As you look down, the skin on your neck can fold over itself, thus creating those horizontal etchings over time. “You can get deep lines that are horizontal and run across the front of the neck from the bending, or flexion, of the neck. Usually people have a limited number of these,” board-certified dermatologist Jeremy Fenton, M.D., of Schweiger Dermatology Group in NYC and Long Beach, New York, tells mbg about neck lines. However, tech neck wrinkles are also a type of compression wrinkle—or when your skin endures pressure from a certain position. The most common compression wrinkles are sleep lines (also called pillow lines), which happen when you squish your face into your pillow while you sleep. Tech neck follows a similar fashion, although instead of smashing your face into a pillow, you’re keeping your neck bent to look down at screens. When this happens over several hours a day, those folds can start to stick around, especially when your natural collagen levels begin to decline. And according to Rodney, tech neck wrinkles can crop up much faster than other types of fine lines. “Neck wrinkles form over several years, but now, people who spend hours with their heads bent on devices will see fine lines in just a few months,” she says. “It’s not uncommon to see 20-year-olds or 30-year-olds with tech neck.” Here’s our guide to the best desk posture, in case you need some help fixing your alignment. “Finally, don’t forget to take breaks and do neck stretches to keep them long and wrinkle-free,” notes Rodney. Your neck is a particularly delicate area to protect since the skin is exposed to the sun much more regularly than other parts of the body but is oft-neglected when it comes to sun protection. Make sure you slather your favorite SPF onto your neck, especially if you don’t plan on covering the area with clothing. You can find these in both topical skin care products and beauty supplements—in fact, supplementing with 6 milligrams of astaxanthin (which is found in mbg’s cellular beauty+) has been shown to reduce wrinkles in as little as six weeks.* “Retinols and prescription-strength retinoids can help rebuild and maintain collagen as well,” says Fenton. “However, you must be careful because the neck skin is often more sensitive than other parts of the face.” You might have to work your way up to a regular retinol cadence or opt for retinaldehyde if prescription-strength topicals prove too harsh for the delicate neck skin. Essentially, if you’re already using these targeted topicals on your face, why not give the neck area some love? “You should also extend a skin care routine down to your neck,” adds Rodney. If you regularly use a humectant serum to draw water into the top layer of the skin, feel free to slather it on the neck, too. Just don’t forget to trap all of that hydration with a quality moisturizer, lest you leave your skin drier than it was before.
Relevant One & Done Everyday Cream With SPF 40
Klur Sculpture + A Overnight Enrichment Creme
Community Sixty-Six Retinol Resurfacing Night Moisturizer
Alpha-H Midnight Reboot Serum
