How to Fix Tech Neck Wrinkles

Technology is an integral part of our lives. Whether you work on a laptop all day, spend your weekends gaming, or texting on the go, you’re probably spending more time looking at screens and electronic devices than you realize.

No one wants to sacrifice the quick communication technology offers (not to mention the allure of funny cat videos), but there are legitimate concerns about how screen time affects us. You may worry that technology is a distraction or that the blue light negatively affects your sleep. But what about how it’s affecting your skin?

It turns out looking down at your phone or laptop can cause “tech neck.” That angle can contribute to premature aging by causing horizontal bands across your neck - called neck lines.

You can fix tech neck wrinkles with a solid anti-aging skincare routine and by making a few adjustments to your posture.

What Are Tech Neck Wrinkles?

If you pay attention to your posture when you check your phone, you might notice that you usually adopt the same position. You hold the device in your hand at about chest level and tilt your head down to see the screen. That position makes for easy texting and scrolling, but it isn’t great for your neck.

Holding your head at that angle engages the muscles in the back of the neck. Those neck muscles have to hold the full weight of your head in place, which takes a lot of effort. Some doctors estimate that holding your head at a 45-degree angle is like supporting a 49-lb weight with your neck.

If you stay in that position for long stretches of time, the neck muscle strain can cause muscle stiffness and pain from your deep neck flexors. Headaches, stiff neck, neck spasms, and pain between the shoulder blades are all ergonomic symptoms of tech neck.

Another side effect of tech neck is neck lines and wrinkles. The skin of the neck is naturally thin and pliable. It has to stretch and retract easily to accommodate the wide range of motions your neck needs to make. This means that the skin can also show changes related to age, sun damage, and repetitive muscle motions that cause dynamic wrinkles.

Dynamic wrinkles are creases that appear when you flex and unflex muscles beneath the skin. Smile lines and the crinkles next to your eyes are classic examples of dynamic wrinkles. When you're young, those wrinkles smooth back out once the muscles go back to their resting position. But, over time, dynamic lines grow deeper. Skin volume and elasticity diminish, and creases become visible all the time.

Holding your neck at a downward angle naturally creases the skin and forms neck lines. If you spend a lot of time in the same position, you risk speeding up the process of creaking visible dynamic wrinkles in your neck.

Are Neck Wrinkles Genetic?

You may wonder if the sagging skin, skin laxity, and lines in your neck are a side effect of screen time, or something you’ve inherited from one or both parents. The answer is that both factors make a difference.

You can get a general idea of what the effects of aging will do to your skin by looking at your parents. If they have horizontal neck lines, chances are you can expect to see wrinkles in your own neck someday. 

If neck wrinkles and skin laxity aren’t a common feature in your family, but you’re noticing them on yourself, your posture may be the issue.

In some cases, a combination of genetics and habits affects your neck. If you have a predisposition for neck lines, tilting your head down frequently could make them more obvious, more quickly.

Venus Rings Versus Tech Neck Wrinkles

Venus rings (sometimes called rings of Venus) are another name for horizontal wrinkles that can appear on the neck. Despite being named after a goddess, they don’t only happen to women. Anyone with a neck can have them. They happen due to the way the skin adheres to the muscles in the neck.

Venus rings aren’t caused by tech neck, but tech neck can exacerbate their visibility.

How To Prevent Tech Neck Wrinkles

You can prevent tech neck wrinkles by making changes to how you hold your phone and how you sit in front of the computer. Not only will making adjustments to your posture reduce the risk of deep wrinkles in your neck, but it may also reduce pain, muscle spasms, and headaches.

You should try to be conscious of how you’re sitting when you’re looking at your phone or using a computer. Instead of angling your head downwards, which causes the skin on your neck to crease, aim to stay in a neutral upright position. Try to keep your head upright, and think about keeping your ears over your shoulders and your shoulders over your hips. When you’re sitting, keep your knees aligned with your hips and both feet flat on the floor.

You can try a few different tactics to improve your posture for less neck pain and fewer neck wrinkles:

• Place your screen 20 to 30 inches (about arm's length) away from your eyes.
• Use a riser to bring your monitor or laptop up to a higher level. Set the screen so that your eye height is about 0.5 to 1.5 inches higher than the top characters on your screen.
• Try using a lumbar support chair that reclines for computer work. Tilt yourself slightly back to keep your head elevated.
• Hold your phone up higher so it’s more aligned with your face and angled for better visual comfort.

Best Skincare Routine for Tech Neck Wrinkles

In addition to preventing the head tilt that deepens neck wrinkles, you can use anti-aging skincare treatments to improve skin texture, volume, and elasticity. Ingredients like hyaluronic acid, retinol, and vitamin C add moisture, improve skin tone and texture, and reduce the look of lines and wrinkles.

The foundation of a good skincare routine is consistency. Use products daily, in the morning and at bedtime. 

Tightening Neck Cream

Our Tightening Neck Cream leverages the most powerful natural anti-aging products - vitamin E, hyaluronic acid, peptides and niacinamide - to keep your skin firm, smooth, and resilient. For the best results, get our two-step Tightening Neck Routine.

Cleansing

Redefining Anti-Aging Face Wash for Men

Start with the Redefining Anti-Aging Face Wash for Men. This cleansing gel contains hyaluronic acid, a skin moisturizer that retains over 1,000 times its weight in water. It also includes methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), a nutrient found in dark leafy greens and other superfoods. It helps even out skin tone and reduce discoloration. Geranium, a natural antiseptic, eliminates bacteria and excess sebum to reduce the risk of breakouts.

Serums

Daytime: Reviving Hyaluronic Acid Facial Serum for Men  

Once your skin is clean, apply a serum for a concentrated dose of anti-aging ingredients. Our Reviving Hyaluronic Acid Serum for Men is deeply moisturizing for smoother-looking skin. Protein peptides promote the production of collagen protein to make skin look more voluminous and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

Nighttime: Retinol Facial Serum for Men

For nighttime, our Retinol Facial Serum for Men stimulates collagen production to smooth away fine lines and wrinkles. Hyaluronic acid and green tea offer deep moisturizing and antioxidants to calm sensitive skin.

Moisturizing

Daytime: Resurfacing Anti-Aging Cream for Men

In the morning, follow up cleansing with our Resurfacing Anti-Aging Cream for Men for deep moisturizing and powerful anti-aging ingredients. The non-greasy formula delivers a dose of vitamin C to reduce signs of UV damage, boost collagen production, and improve skin tone. It has more skin-healthy MSM and contains borage oil to increase smoothness and moisture. You'll notice brighter, smoother-looking skin as soon as you start using it.

Nighttime: Retinol Face Moisturizer Cream for Men

At night, fight wrinkles with our Retinol Face Moisturizer Cream for Men. Retinol is a form of vitamin A that can speed up cell turnover and stimulate collagen production to increase volume and diminish the look of lines and wrinkles. It adds deep moisturizing with hyaluronic acid and finishes with aloe vera to soothe any redness and inflammation. After regular use, you'll notice that your skin texture looks firmer, smoother, and tighter thanks to this addition to your skin care routine.

Sun Protection

Element Defense Moisturizer With SPF 45 for Men

UV exposure speeds up all the visible signs of aging, not to mention the increased risk of skin cancer. Using an SPF on your face and neck will protect the skin from harmful UV rays to slow signs of aging like wrinkles and dark spots.

Our Element Defense Moisturizer With SPF 45 for Men is a mineral-based formula that’s lightweight and non-greasy. It’s gentle and non-comedogenic, so you can reapply it throughout the day for lasting sun protection on your face, neck, and body.

Anti-aging skincare and thoughtful changes to how you sit to look at screens can prevent tech neck from making your neck look older. Take our skin health quiz to get matched with the products that are best for you and build your ideal anti-aging bundle.

FAQs

Would stretching or exercise help with tech neck?

Movement can help if tech neck is causing you pain or stiffness. Regular exercise strengthens muscles, increases flexibility, and improves circulation, which can help reduce the stiff or sore muscles from tilting your head. Exercise also improves the look of skin by increasing blood flow, which makes skin look brighter and more even. However, exercise won’t treat deep wrinkles in your neck. You need a skincare routine for that.

What if retinol products make my skin dry?

Retinol is a powerful anti-aging ingredient, but it can cause dryness or irritation for some people. If this happens to you, don’t worry. You can still use retinol products, but not as frequently. Try using products with retinol twice a week until your skin gets used to it. Then go every other day and see how that goes. Eventually, you may be able to get to daily use, or you may find that every other day gives you the anti-aging benefits you want.

You can alternate retinol products with moisturizers and serums that use other wrinkle-fighting ingredients like vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, and methylsulfonylmethane.

Would Botox or fillers treat tech neck?

Actually, yes. You can get injectable treatments or skin-tightening laser therapy to reduce the appearance of wrinkles on your neck. You should talk to a licensed dermatologist about the safest options for you.

Combining injectable or laser treatments with a solid skincare routine can give you great results. Anti-aging products will keep working to smooth lines and wrinkles and prevent other signs of aging like discoloration, uneven skin tone, and texture.

How long before I see results from skincare for tech neck?

When you start a skincare routine, you can expect to see some positive results right away, especially if it’s your first time using skincare products. You’ll notice your skin looks brighter and more moisturized, and you may have fewer breakouts.

The strong anti-aging effects take longer to be noticeable. You can expect to see a reduction in fine lines after 2 to 4 weeks of regular use. Dark spots will look lighter, and deeper wrinkles will be less visible after about 4 weeks of regular use.

Are Brickell products vegan?

Some that include beeswax are not vegan. You can check full ingredient lists on each product if you’re unsure. You can also see information about possible allergens, such as nut oils. We never test on animals, and we use high-quality, natural ingredients in all of our products.