Fashion

"Tech Neck" Might Cause Premature Aging Symptoms

by Jamie Cuccinelli

About a month ago, we mentioned that all that time you spend with your head bent over your iPhone or laptop could permanently mess with your posture and contribute to lower back problems and neck pain. If that wasn't enough to get you to turn off your tech, you've got some premature neck creases and a slacking jawline to look forward to. Awesome. Net-A-Porter's magazine, The Edit, recently reported on the phenomenon of "tech neck," a slew of slack jawlines due to our obsessive use of technology — aka my newest beauty fear.

According to facial expert Sarah Chapman, the hundreds of minutes we spend staring at tiny screens per day (yup, per day...) can lead to jowls and premature aging of the neck and jawline. “We spend around 411 minutes a day looking at screens — that’s a lot of time spent with your chin tucked under and your face tilted at a 45º angle," says Chapman. "It’s inevitably going to take its toll, causing slackening around the neck and deep skin creases." Well, this sucks...

Hopefully we won't have to completely abandon our phones because apparently, the beauty industry is already on it. Yves Saint Laurent has released a special serum specifically to lift the jaw, neck, and décolleté areas. If you don't have the $250 to drop on the potion, Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow swear by "face yoga." But if wriggling around your facial muscles like you're in the midst of a stroke isn't your thing, there's always the surgical route. Or, you know, we could just put down our phones...

Images: Fotolia, Giphy