If your neck area is fast becoming a sporting ground for lines and sagging, you’re not alone. Whilst genetics, aging and weight loss can all contribute to loose skin, a double or drooping chin and sagging jawline, there’s also a new phenomenon playing havoc with our lower face –tech neck– and it’s not just causing pain and soreness.
According to the Mayo Clinic, tech neck is, “any form of chronic neck or shoulder pain, soreness or stiffness caused by poor posture while using technology, such as phones or computers.”
The constant 45-degree angle of repeated lowering of the face and lax posture can also contribute to muscle strain and skin laxity – with fat shifting and accumulating. The result? The skin develops horizontal creases and sagging; a double chin becomes pronounced and the skin’s underlying support structure is compromised. In some cases, severe tech neck can also lead to cervical problems which can cause the neck vertebrae to atrophy.
Fortunately, there are both surgical and non-invasive cosmetic procedures to treat skin laxity, tighten skin and underlying muscles and restore form and definition to the chin and jawline.
A neck lift or lower rhytidectomy involves a cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgeon making incisions – which typically follow the line of the ear – and removing excess skin and fat via liposuction from the jowls and neck, with fat redistribution in some cases. Skin is then re-draped and contoured. For the chin, a separate incision is made to rid fat and repair separated muscles.
Non-invasive treatment options include Sofwave and dermal fillers for greater lift and contour. A Sofwave treatment to the lower face stimulates the production of collagen and elastin levels, sharpening the chin and jawline, and reducing skin laxity. Dermal fillers injected into the horizontal lines can smooth and soften, improve sunken areas and stimulate the production of collagen.
The neck, chin and jawline are sensitive areas, so undergoing any cosmetic plastic surgery or appearance medicine procedure should be performed by a trusted and qualified hand. A surgeon who is committed to a high standard of practise and care and who prioritises safety and individual goals and aesthetics first and foremost will always have you in focus.
