'Techneck' wrinkles caused by constantly using smart devices

Saturday, March 01, 2014 by: L.J. Devon, Staff Writer
Tags: tech neck, wrinkles, smart devices

(NaturalNews) In an age of constant mobile device usage, where tech obsessives constantly look down to their handheld screens, a new sign of aging is emerging.

Tech obsessives are beginning to look older from the face down, as "techneck" wrinkles begin showing up as creases on their necks.

View example here.

Walk through a mall, go to a restaurant, look around and notice how some people are more in touch with their digital life than their waking life. Take inventory of your own personal habits. How often do you stare down at a screen?

More clinicians helping tech-obsessives remove their neck wrinkles

Caught up in today's constant information stream and social networking buzz, people of all ages routinely go head down while staring into a screen. The emergence of text messaging, social media, iPods, smartphones, tablets -- you name it -- has beckoned a generation of tech obsessives who bury their heads in a digital world.

Clinicians are now noticing that this constant head-down posture is creating creases that ring around patient's necks. This new face-furrow has become the modern sign of aging. The wrinkles, first observed during patient visits for neck treatments, are the new mark signifying tech-obsessive behavior. Non-surgical experts have begun to receive patient concerns hoping to have the wrinkles removed. A treatment nicknamed "Microlift" has even been invented, as people look to remove their self-inflicted"techneck" creases.

As "techneck" wrinkles begin showing up on more people's necks, they will be categorized with other aging indicators like "laughter lines," "crows' feet" or "worry wrinkles."

Dean Nathanson, Managing Director of CACI International, commented on the issue, "We're a hard working nation and our hectic everyday lives mean that keeping one's head down, be it buried in work emails or in an e-reader, is completely the norm." He continues, "Recently we noticed a surge in enquiries for our product, specifically to combat lines around the neck area."

Tech obsession can be dangerous to relationships, posture

Not only does tech addiction carve out networks of wrinkles on the neck, but it also deprives people of real-life interaction and affection, causing people to lose their appreciation and connection with people and nature.

This addiction can be a distraction during commutes, leading to accidents on the road. It can interrupt a person's sex life. It's easy to be distracted by handheld devices in the middle of performing everyday tasks. It's easy to look down and stare into devices like smartphones or iPods while lying in bed, working at the desk or talking to other people.

This tech obsession may keep people up to date in today's information age, but constant looking down into a screen makes one look like a zombie. In addition, clinicians point out that this habit is not good for back pain, neck pain or overall good posture.

Josh Catlett, a chartered physiotherapist, says, "Our bodies are not designed to be in the same position for long periods and many people also get into bad postures when using these devices. As a result, physiotherapists are seeing patients with neck, back and shoulder problems and also pain in the hands and wrists. It is important that people recognise the need to take regular breaks from using such devices and also to consider their posture at all times."

Sources for this article include:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk